Artificial gravity--head movements during short-radius centrifugation: influence of cognitive effects

Short-radius centrifugation is a potential countermeasure against the effects of prolonged weightlessness. Head movements in a rotating environment, however, induce serious side effects: inappropriate vestibular ocular reflexes (VOR), body-tilt illusions and motion sickness induced by cross-coupled accelerations on a rotating platform. These are well predicted by a semicircular canal model. The present study investigates cognitive effects on the inappropriate VOR and the illusory sensations experienced by subjects rotating on a short-radius centrifuge (SRC). Subjects (N=19) were placed supine on a rotating horizontal bed with their head at the center of rotation. To investigate the extent to which they could control their sensations voluntarily, subjects were asked alternatively to "fight" (i.e. to try to resist and suppress) those sensations, or to "go" with (i.e. try to enhance or, at least, acquiesce in) them. The only significant effect on the VOR of this cognitive intervention was to diminish the time constant characterizing the decay of the nystagmus in subjects who had performed the "go" (rather than the "fight") trials. However, illusory sensations, as measured by reported subjective intensities, were significantly less intense during the "fight" than during the "go" trials. These measurements also verified an asymmetry in illusory sensation known from earlier experiments: the illusory sensations are greater when the head is rotated from right ear down (RED) to nose up (NU) posture than from NU to RED. The subjects habituated, modestly, to the rotation between their first and second sequences of trials, but showed no better (or worse) suppression of illusory sensations thereafter. No significant difference in habituation was observed between the "fight" and "go" trials.     

CASH 2021: commercial access and space habitation

Issues about commercialization of space have been a growing concern in the past decade for the space community. This paper focuses on the work from a team of 51 students attending the Summer Session Program of the International Space University in Bremen, Germany. CASH 2021 (Commercial Access and Space Habitation) documents a plan that identifies commercial opportunities for space utilization that will extend human presence in space, and will chart the way forward for the next 20 years. The group selected four commercial sectors that show the most promise for the future: tourism, entertainment, space system service, assembly and debris removal, and research and development/production. The content of this document presents the results of their research. Historical activities in each of the commercial sectors are reviewed along with the current market situation. To provide a coherent background for future commercialization possibilities a scenario has been developed. This scenario includes a postulated upon ideal future and includes social, political and economic factors that may affect the space industry over the timeline of the study. The study also presents a roadmap, within the limited optimistic scenario developed, for the successful commercialization of space leading to future human presence in space. A broad range of commercially viable opportunities, not only within the current limits of the International Space Station, but also among the many new developments that are expected by 2021 are discussed.     

带有调节电路和温度补偿的硅压力传感器

本文介绍一种芯片上带有信号调节功能的硅压力传感器。制作时,在标准的3μmCMDS工艺过程中加入了微机械加工工艺,利用带电化学阻蚀剂的各向异性腐蚀技术,在(100)取向硅片上进行腐蚀。控制膜片厚度,使厚度容差小于0.5μm。在同一膜片上,集成了完整的CMDS测量电路。带压阻元件的惠氏电桥的输出信号由一个仪器放大器放大。该放大器的放大率和温度有关,以便补偿灵敏度随温度的变化。另外,灵敏度本身的变化、偏置和偏置随温度的变化亦予以补偿。芯片还具备微调功能,以便在-40～+125℃范围内对所述各参数进行调节。     

变循环发动机双涵道模式下变几何控制探索

为了实现变循环发动机的性能优化,利用混合优化算法寻找最优的几何控制变量来实现变循环发动机的性能提升。在节流优化过程中,采用了单独减小高压转子转速和协同调节高低压转子转速两种控制方案,并计算了巡航状态时在这两种控制方案下发动机由最大推力到50%最大推力的节流过程中,发动机性能参数和工作参数的变化。计算结果表明:在高度为11km、马赫数为0.9条件下,保持进口流量不变,在50%最大推力时协同调节方案相比单一调节方案,发动机的耗油率下降了5.997%,另一个巡航状态(高度为9km,马赫数为0.8)下也有相似的结果。这表明采用高低压转速协同控制能对发动机进行更有效的控制,进一步改善了发动机的巡航性能。     

基于非结构自适应网格和嵌入边界法的残差格式研究

嵌入边界法由于在求解NS方程时能够简化网格生成问题而在计算流体领域受到越来越广泛的关注.简言之,嵌入边界法能够简化大变形和运动条件下多物理流动模拟、流固相互作用耦合问题,然而壁面边界条件的精确处理仍旧是该方法需要解决的问题.在本文工作中,为考虑壁面边界条件而在NS方程中增加了补偿项,同时采用非结构网格自适应技术保持了壁面边界条件的精度.     

机械师短缺,航空安全令人堪忧

AVIATIONWEEK&SPACETECHNOLOGYMechanicShortageRaisesGrowth，SafetyConcernsEdwaPdHPhilips据预测，在今后几年，除非采取快捷有效的方法改变现状，否则美国飞机机械师和航电技术人员的人力资源的短缺会威胁到航空运输的发展和安全问题据美国劳工部所作的统计表明，在今后几年需要12000名新的飞机、发动机机械师（A＆P）加盟，以保持现有的航空运输业发展速度和补充退休的有经验的机械师，几乎每年缺4000名机械师。到2006年，全美维修业应达到155000名机械师，比现有人员增加13％。航空技术教育委员会（ATEC）的总裁文…     

Steady course for civil space in 2002

Total expenditures for space activities by civilian governments totaled $20.3 billion in 2002. National summaries by expenditure and type of flight are provided.     

The search for life on Europa: limiting environmental factors, potential habitats, and Earth analogues

The putative ocean of Europa has focused considerable attention on the potential habitats for life on Europa. By generally clement Earth standards, these Europan habitats are likely to be extreme environments. The objectives of this paper were to examine: (1) the limits for biological activity on Earth with respect to temperature, salinity, acidity, desiccation, radiation, pressure, and time; (2) potential habitats for life on Europa; and (3) Earth analogues and their limitations for Europa. Based on empirical evidence, the limits for biological activity on Earth are: (1) the temperature range is from 253 to 394 K; (2) the salinity range is a(H2O) = 0.6-1.0; (3) the desiccation range is from 60% to 100% relative humidity; (4) the acidity range is from pH 0 to 13; (5) microbes such as Deinococcus are roughly 4,000 times more resistant to ionizing radiation than humans; (6) the range for hydrostatic pressure is from 0 to 1,100 bars; and (7) the maximum time for organisms to survive in the dormant state may be as long as 250 million years. The potential habitats for life on Europa are the ice layer, the brine ocean, and the seafloor environment. The dual stresses of lethal radiation and low temperatures on or near the icy surface of Europa preclude the possibility of biological activity anywhere near the surface. Only at the base of the ice layer could one expect to find the suitable temperatures and liquid water that are necessary for life. An ice layer turnover time of 10 million years is probably rapid enough for preserving in the surface ice layers dormant life forms originating from the ocean. Model simulations demonstrate that hypothetical oceans could exist on Europa that are too cold for biological activity (T < 253 K). These simulations also demonstrate that salinities are high, which would restrict life to extreme halophiles. An acidic ocean (if present) could also potentially limit life. Pressure, per se, is unlikely to directly limit life on Europa. But indirectly, pressure plays an important role in controlling the chemical environments for life. Deep ocean basins such as the Mariana Trench are good analogues for the cold, high-pressure ocean of Europa. Many of the best terrestrial analogues for potential Europan habitats are in the Arctic and Antarctica. The six factors likely to be most important in defining the environments for life on Europa and the focus for future work are liquid water, energy, nutrients, low temperatures, salinity, and high pressures.     

光学薄膜的特性

本文研究介质薄膜的各种特性:折射率和吸收系数、光散射、结构、显微结构、密度、气体吸收、化学成分、均匀度、附着力、硬度和机械应力、环境影响。Ⅰ、前言适当地选择折射率、薄膜厚度和膜层数目,可以设计出各种通常是很复杂的光学薄膜,这种薄膜设计,要在工业上得以实现,是需要足够数量的高质量镀膜材料,经过处理之后,使薄膜有适当的复现特性。尽管在过去几年中材料科学和镀膜技术有显著的进展,但遗憾的是适合的材料数目仍然有限。单层薄膜的主要介质材料的基本光学性质的研究是 Hass     

哥达德距离和距离率系统与并置的激光系统跟踪测地卫星的相互比较

NASA正在进行测地卫星1号(GEOS—A)卫星观测系统的相互比较研究。作为该项研究的一部分,用并置的哥达德距离和距离变化率(GRARR)系统及哥达德激光跟踪系统对GEOS—A卫星进行了跟踪。从1966年7月至11月,北卡罗莱纳州罗斯曼的GRARR站对该卫星的17次过境做了观测,并对其中的10次做了鉴定。在该项研究中,激光系统的跟踪轨道用作GRARR系统的基准轨道。激光数据用GEOS—A数据调整程序(GDAP)进行了平滑,以笛卡尔座标位置和速度矢量的形式给出所选历元时刻的基准轨道。数据鉴定表明,可用激光跟踪轨道来检测距离和离变化率中的系统误差,其精度分别可达2米和1厘米/秒。利用所测的GRARR数据和激光轨道数据,由GDAP计算出每次过境(10次中的7次)中的平均距离零位偏倚误差为-5.3米,标准偏差为±2.5米。其他3次过境均被剔除,因为其偏离均值的偏差高达30米。测距-定时误差确定为-2.1±1.2毫秒。消除系统误差后,未经平滑的距离数据的均方根噪声分量为6.8米。认为应答机延迟曲线的误差导致了GRARR的距离偏倚和定时误差。对GDAP的距离变化率残差做了折射修正,并用序贯最小二乘回归程序估计了各距离变化率误差模型的系数。没有发现明显的距离变化率零位偏倚。观察到距离变化率总有-0.20±0.02毫秒的定时误差,但其原因不详。发现的频率换算因子误差为10~(-5)。消除了这些系统误差之后,未经平滑的距离变化率数据的均方根误差分量为1厘米/秒。