Life sciences

Space life sciences research activities are reviewed for 2003. Many life sciences experiments were lost with the tragic loss of STS-107. Life sciences experiments continue to fly as small payloads to the International Space Station (ISS) via the Russian Progress vehicle. Health-related studies continue with the Martian Radiation Environment Experiment (MARIE) aboard the Odyssey spacecraft, collecting data on the radiation environment in Mars orbit. NASA Ames increased nanotechnology research in all areas, including fundamental biology, bioastronautics, life support systems, and homeland security. Plant research efforts continued at NASA Kennedy, testing candidate crops for ISS. Research included plant growth studies at different light intensities, varying carbon dioxide concentrations, and different growth media. Education and outreach efforts included development of a NASA/USDA program called Space Agriculture in the Classroom. Canada sponsored a project called Tomatosphere, with classrooms across North America exposing seeds to simulated Mars environment for growth studies. NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research released an updated strategic research plan.     

Life sciences

Space life sciences research activities are reviewed for the year. Highlights of animal studies were the first long-term flight of an animal enclosure module and an avian development facility on STS-108. Plant research efforts focused on a biomass production system for eventual use on the International Space Station (ISS), the PESTO experiment on ISS, and screening of several salad crop varieties for potential use in space. Health-related studies included the Martian Radiation Environment Experiment (MARIE) on the Mars Odyssey mission, presentation of results from NASA's Biomolecular Physics and Chemistry Program, and research related to human liver cell function in space through an agreement with StelSys. In industry and academia, a memorandum of understanding was signed between NASA and the biotechnology industry to enhance communication between NASA and the industry, expand commercial biotechnology space research and development, and expand formal and informal education of industry and the public regarding biotechnology and space research. NASA selected Purdue University to lead an NSCORT for advanced life support research to develop technologies to enable long-duration planetary mission and sustain human space colonies.     

Space: where are we headed?

In a new column, the author reviews NASA space activities since the beginning of 2003 and looks at plans for the future. Topics include the Space Shuttle Columbia, what's in store for the International Space Station (ISS), the development of an orbital space plane, orbiter safety upgrades, and the future of space exploration and research beyond the ISS. He presents arguments for sending astronauts to asteroids, the Moon, and Mars.     

The International Space Station: a question of federal funding andpolicy implications

A summary form is given of the author's full paper (ibid. vol. 33, p. 7, 1998). The ISS program is a huge investment by the U.S. government. It is estimated by NASA that the program will cost the American public more than $70 billion over a period of 30 years. Since the scientific impact of this program is relatively unknown (and uncertain), the question that policy makers will have to struggle with is whether the federal government should continue to fund the program, or to pull out from the program altogether, thus saving American taxpayers close to $30 billion. Although funding is a major concern, since the inclusion of Russia in the program, the ISS has also become a foreign policy tool. Therefore, additional questions about policy implications of the ISS program need to be addressed     

Engineering test beds on the International Space Station

The International Space Station is a unique multi-faceted orbiting laboratory supporting research, development, test and evaluation of new innovative space and Earth-based applications. While NASA sponsored investigations on the ISS are focused largely on enabling future long duration human space exploration missions, Congress designated the US portion of the space station as a National Laboratory making its facilities available to other Federal agencies and private entities for non-exploration related ventures. RDT&E activities on the ISS encompass a number of technical areas including environmental control and life support, communications, materials science, guidance, navigation and control, propulsion, electrical power, and thermal control systems.     

Decisions, endings, and new beginnings

The Washington Watch column examines NASA shuttle developments, airline pilot age issues, development of a personnel recovery vehicle, and includes an obituary for retired Air Force General Bernard Schriever, remembered as an air and space pioneer. The discussion of NASA shuttle developments reports on the space shuttle flight schedule and NASA's ability to deliver hardware to the International Space Station, funding levels and equipment development schedules related to President Bush's mandate to visit Mars, a report on the space program by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and top-level management changes at NASA. The discussion of airline pilot age issues examines efforts to change mandatory retirement requirements. The discussion of personnel recovery vehicles reports on development of an aircraft designed to rescue survivors during combat search and rescue missions.     

Benefits and challenges of Integrated Sensor Systems

Projection of avionics system costs shows unacceptable escalation as a percentage of flyaway cost. Time sharing of RF modules between Radar, EW and CNI offers savings. The Air Forces' PAVE PACE program defined the benefits and initial architecture approaches. From this, an optimum Integrated Sensor System (ISS) design was defined that reduces the life cycle cost of the fleet of vehicles using the common modules. The ISS program will design, build and test modules to prove the approach. Challenges to overcome include system complexity, real time control, test and calibration, and diagnostics. The most stressing requirements were determined by analyzing requirements for Radar, EW and CNI. Open interface specifications and module partitioning were developed that can meet all the requirements     

Risks of particle hits during space walks in low Earth orbit

The construction of the International Space Station (ISS) may involve several thousand hours of space walks or “extravehicular activities” (EVAs). Among the many risks involved in EVAs, we focus here on potential failures of the external maneuvering unit (EMU) caused by impacts of space particles (micro-meteoroids and orbital debris). We present a probabilistic risk analysis (PRA) model based on available data for the particle flux in low Earth orbit as well as test data obtained at Johnson Space Center about the capacity of the current EMU to absorb these loads. We computed the risk for a peak year of EVA activity, assumed by NASA to consist of 624 hours of EVA exposure. For that time period, we found that, the probability of a fatality is about 1.4*10^-3 without shielding and 1.1*10^-3 per 624 hours of EVA with shielding, This model can be used as support for a number of decisions regarding space suit design, astronaut shielding options, and overall number of EVA hours for space station construction and operation     

High data rate applications of ACTS technology

The NASA Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) program will conduct high-data-rate experiments that will be applicable to the emerging broadband services of the telephony market. The existing broadband integrated services digital network (BISDN) services and delivery method as defined by the International Consultative Committee for Telephone and Telegraph (CCITT) and satellites' role in provisioning those services are discussed. The ACTS experimental efforts are summarized     

New ideas for affordable space missions

In September 1995, NASA-Goddard held a workshop on low-cost access to space for science missions. The workshop provided briefings on balloons, sounding rockets, Shuttle payloads, and low-cost free-flyer concepts, to provide options of getting experiments into space. This report is the result of a panel session organized with the aim of generating new ideas beyond those presented in the workshop. In addition to the authors, Orlando Figueroa and Paul Ondrus of NASA-Goddard and Richard Zwirnbaum of Computer Sciences Corp. participated in the discussions. The ideas presented do not necessarily reflect the current thinking of NASA managers. Although the panel discussion was focused on the kinds of science missions usually funded by NASA, most of the ideas that were generated are relevant to military and commercial missions as well.     

Microwave Landing System

The National Microwave Landing Systems (MLS) program is a joint DOT/DOD/NASA effort to implement a common civil/military precision landing system to replace the current Instrument Landing System (ILS). The MLS will be capable of providing precision landing guidance down to Category III minimum while allowing for complex approach paths in both the horizontal and vertical planes. The system is based on the Time Reference Scanning Beam (TRSB) technique which was selected by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in April 1978 as the new international landing system standard. MLS is less susceptible to interference from the surrounding area and provides a greater signal coverage area than ILS.     

国际空间站测控通信系统研究

测控通信系统是国际空间站的重要组成部分,可靠的测控通信系统是确保空间站长期稳定在轨运行的基础。对国际空间站测控通信系统进行了较为深入的研究,介绍了国际空间站测控通信系统的组成,梳理了国际空间站中继S系统、中继Ku系统、空空通信系统的链路特性与工作方式,并总结归纳了国际空间站测控通信系统多手段备份、采用高性能编码等特点,以及对我国的启示,能够为我国测控通信系统的发展提供借鉴与参考。     

Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) Education and Public Outreach Program

The Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) program serves as a pipeline of activities to inspire and educate a broad audience about Heliophysics and the Sun-Earth system, specifically the Van Allen Radiation Belts. The program is comprised of a variety of formal, informal and public outreach activities that all align with the NASA Education Portfolio Strategic Framework outcomes. These include lesson plans and curriculum for use in the classroom, teacher workshops, internship opportunities, activities that target underserved populations, collaboration with science centers and NASA visitors’ centers and partnerships with experts in the Heliophysics and education disciplines. This paper will detail the activities that make up the RBSP E/PO program, their intended audiences, and an explanation as to how they align with the NASA education outcomes. Additionally, discussions on why these activities are necessary as part of a NASA mission are included. Finally, examples of how the RBSP E/PO team has carried out some of these activities will be discussed throughout.     

我国空间站安全与任务保证工作若干问题探讨

从我国空间站运营阶段对安全性、可靠性、维修性及质量保证(SRMQA)工作的需求出发,在系统分析国外载人航天安全与任务保证(SMA)工作体系的基础上,总结国际空间站安全性可靠性工作的先进经验,并针对我国空间站对航天员安全、寿命与可靠性要求更高的需求,从管理和技术应用两个方面,系统论述了我国空间站安全与任务保证应重点开展的安全性、寿命与可靠性等工作。     

Automation and Robotics for the Space Station: Recommendations

On January 25, 1984, President Reagan announced a United States program to place a permanent space station in orbit in 1992. The Congressional bill appropriating the funding for this program requires that a significant portion of the program funds be for the development of new automation and robotics technologies not in use on existing spacecraft. To assist it in developing plans to meet this requirement, NASA established an Automation and Robotics Panel in August 1984. This paper presents verbatim the Executive Summary of the Panel's report to NASA. It should be recognized that this report to NASA is advisory only, and that for a variety of reasons, including funding, what is actually implemented will certainly differ in many respects from the recommendations. Nevertheless, the report represents the thinking of a prestigious group of scholars and practitioners in automation and robotics, and many of the recommendations undoubtedly will be implemented. A summary of the NASA recommendations will be published following their official release.     

Open systems architecture for integrated RF electronics

The Integrated Sensor System (ISS) program is defining an Open System Architecture (OSA) for Radio Frequency (RF) electronics, which represent the largest portion of an advanced aircraft's avionics flyaway cost. An integrated architecture is used to reduce costs in a number of ways, including time-sharing, centralization of resources, and reduction of the number of unique module types. The OSA approach extends these cost reductions by simplifying technology insertion, using well-understood standards, and increasing use of commercial hardware and software. This paper describes interim results. The work was funded by the Open Systems Joint Task Force (OS-JTF)     

Materials samples face rigors of space

The Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) is described. This project is designed to conduct long duration materials tests on samples attached to the ISS. A batch of 750 material samples were delivered on STS-105 and attached to the ISS airlock. They will be exposed to the space environment for 18 months and are slated to return on STS-114. A second batch of 750 samples is being prepared. The experiment containers were used originally for the Mir Environmental Effects Payload, which tested a variety of substances, including some slated for use on the ISS. Researchers are particularly interested in the effects of atomic oxygen on the samples. Some samples are being tested to determine their use in radiation protection. As part of the MISSE project, ultrathin tether materials are being tested for use on the Propulsive Small Expendable Depoloyer System (ProSEDS), which will use a tether system to change a satellite's orbital altitude.     

我国空间站工程量化风险评价工作探讨

为适应我国载人航天任务的新特点,有效支持空间站量化风险评价工作,调研了美国国家航空航天局（NASA）载人登月、国际空间站、航天飞机等载人航天项目的概率风险评价（PRA）工作,对比分析了PRA方法在不同载人航天项目中的应用效果。在此基础上,针对我国空间站工程的特点,初步提出了基于PRA的空间站工程量化风险评价方案与工作思路,对该方法在我国空间站实施所存在的问题进行了分析,并在方法规范、数据收集等方面提出了工作建议,为我国空间站量化风险评估工作提供技术支持。     

CRV investment offers safe return

The development and testing of a new emergency Crew Return Vehicle (CRV) prototype is discussed. The new CRV is being developed by NASA and ESA and is designed for use on the International Space Station as a supplement to the Soyuz ships of the Russians, which accommodate only three passengers. The new vehicle will provide a shirt-sleeve environment for up to six astronauts and will allow for emergency medical treatment to be provided.