False Alarm Rate and False Alarm Number for Discrete and Continuous Time Sampling

A comparison of the false alarm rates and false alarm numbers for discrete and continuous time sampling is given for different noise spectrums (rectangular, Hamming, Gaussian, and cosine noise voltage spectrums) and for different sampling rates for the case of discrete time sampling. Also given is the increase in the false alarm rate when going from discrete to continuous time sampling when the detection threshold is held fixed. The amount that the threshold has to be increased for continuous sampling to achieve the same false alarm rate obtained with discrete time sampling is also given.     

How important are changes in body weight for mass perception?

It is often assumed that weight judgements depend primarily on the effort experienced in lifting an object against a 1-G force. Changes in effort and in other weight-cues certainly alter apparent heaviness; but there is a tendency towards mass-constancy when such changes are unrelated to mass. Under water or altered G, both the observer's body and other objects change their effective weight: the change in the former probably provides a cue to the latter. Mass-constancy increases with opportunity for adaptation to the change, leaving a negative aftereffect on return to normal circumstances. The discrimination of weight or mass also deteriorates with sudden changes in arm weight, just as it does with other types of maladaptation and with a reduction in sensory cues. The relative importance of arm weight and other factors has not been precisely measured, but experiments in prolonged spaceflight should help to elucidate the issue.     

Hard X-ray latitude effect measured during a transatlantic balloon flight

The hard X-ray latitude effect, as measured by two X-ray scintillator detectors, is reported in the range of McIlwain shell parameter L from 1.4 to 2.6 (earth radius units). The data analysis method used to measure the flux from weak X-ray sources is also given.     

Performance of an Electrically Small Antenna Amplifier Circuit

A technique is presented to calculate the noise figure and available power gain for electricially small antenna amplifier circuits over a wide bandwidth. The method permits reasonable predictions of circuit performance solely from the manufacturer's transistor data, i.e., without resorting to extensive measurements. Results for a system designed for 10 kHz to 500 MHz coverage are presented. The agreement between the calculated and measured noise figures and available power gain is within 3 dB over most of the frequency range.     

Magnetic launching in outer space

We examine the idea of accelerating a space ship, carrying a magnetic dipole moment, in a long inhomogeneous magnetic field. It is shown that it is technically possible to impart a mass of 10 tons a speed greater than the escape velocity of the solar system. We consider the flow of energy and give a rough calculation of the main parameters of the launching device. The device can be used continually and can decelerate a spacecraft with dipole moment equally well.     

On state estimation for an orbiting single tether system

The effects of instrumentation accuracy and configuration on estimation error are studied for the small expandable-tether deployment system (SEDS) using a continuous-discrete extended Kalman filter (CDEKF) state estimator. A twelfth order model that incorporates the rigid body modes of the tether as well as the satellite attitude dynamics is developed. Simulation results using the model and the estimator indicate that the originally planned instrumentation package could not estimate the state vector adequately. Recommendations are made and results presented that reduce the estimation error by adding instruments and increasing selected measurement accuracies     

Oxygen and Iron Ions at High Heliolatitudes

The fluxes of O and Fe ions at high heliolatitudes measured by the HiScale instrument on Ulysses reflect the dynamical processes that affect the charged particle populations in the heliosphere. Both the O and Fe ions show more latitude dependence in the first (solar minimum) orbit to high southern heliolatitudes than during the second (solar maximum) orbit. The ion fluxes are larger during the solar minimum orbit; the flux levels are influenced by the occurrence of corotating interaction regions. The Fe/O abundance ratios are found to be similar at 1 AU and at high heliolatitudes. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Development of a Low-Power Digital Inertial Reference Assembly

Current and projected system requirements for inertial reference assemblies emphasize high accuracy, long life, and low power. An inertial reference assembly ( IRA) which embodies the aforementioned characteristics was developed recently. Pulse rebalanced gas-bearing gyroscopes were used to attain high accuracy and long life. Temperature compensation of gyroscope parameters (in lieu of temperature control) and dual voltage spinmotor operation helped achieve low-power operation. The latter two items represent an advancement in the state of the art and form the subject of this paper. These techniques were used in the construction of a three-axis IRA with an operating power less than 50 watts. It has achieved 0.1 percent scale factor accuracy over a 60°F range.