Source and loss processes in the magnetotail

Space Science Reviews -     

Multi-Spectral Imager on the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous Mission

A multispectral imager has been developed for a rendezvous mission with the near-Earth asteroid, 433 Eros. The Multi-Spectral Imager (MSI) on the Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft uses a five-element refractive optical telescope, has a field of view of 2.93 × 2.25°, a focal length of 167.35 mm, and has a spatial resolution of 16.1 × 9.5 m at a range of 100 km. The spectral sensitivity of the instrument spans visible to near infrared wavelengths, and was designed to provide insight into the nature and fundamental properties of asteroids and comets. Seven narrow band spectral filters were chosen to provide multicolor imaging and to make comparative studies with previous observations of S asteroids and measurements of the characteristic absorption in Fe minerals near 1 µm. An eighth filter with a much wider spectral passband will be used for optical navigation and for imaging faint objects, down to visual magnitude of +10.5. The camera has a fixed 1 Hz frame rate and the signal intensities are digitized to 12 bits. The detector, a Thomson-CSF TH7866A Charge-Coupled Device, permits electronic shuttering which effectively varies the dynamic range over an additional three orders of magnitude. Communication with the NEAR spacecraft occurs via a MIL-STD-1553 bus interface, and a high speed serial interface permits rapid transmission of images to the spacecraft solid state recorder. Onboard image processing consists of a multi-tiered data compression scheme. The instrument was extensively tested and calibrated prior to launch; some inflight calibrations have already been completed. This paper presents a detailed overview of the Multi-Spectral Imager and its objectives, design, construction, testing and calibration.     

A coarse/fine search PN code acquisition scheme

A parallel two-stage acquisition technique is described for direct sequence spread spectrum (DS/SS) range finding applications. The technique offers hardware complexity that scales better with code length than matched filter correlators while providing better performance than sequential detection using comparable hardware     

Mathematical Modeling of a VSCF Aircraft Generating System

DC-link converters having a variable input frequency but a constant output frequency now provide a viable alternative to the constant-speed mechanical drive as a means of providing a constant frequency power supply from an aircraft generator. The ease of replacement and repair, the reduction in servicing needs, and the ability to locate the components of the electrical system throughout the aircraft all combine to bring about a considerable reduction in the maintenance time which is required. A computationally efficient technique for the mathematical modeling of a typical electrical system, in which the overall power network is torn initially into a set of convenient subnetworks, is described. Connection matrices are employed to combine the equations computed for the various subnetworks with the equations for the overall network. Typical results are presented for the overall system. The performance detail enables many important design considerations to be investigated prior to manufacture.     

Sounding rocket experiment of bare electrodynamic tether system

An overview of a sounding rocket, S-520-25th, project on space tether technology experiment is presented. The project is prepared by an international research group consisting of Japanese, European, American, and Australian researchers. The sounding rocket will be assembled by the ISAS/JAXA and will be launched in the summer of 2009. The sounding rocket mission includes two engineering experiments and two scientific experiments. These experiments consist of the deployment of bare electrodynamic tape tether in space, a quick ignition test of hollow cathode system in space, the demonstration of bare electrodynamic tether system in space, and the test of the OML (orbital-motion-limit) current collection theory.     

Model simulations of the impact of the 27-day solar rotation period on stratospheric ozone and temperature

Results are presented from two-year simulations of the effects of short-term solar ultraviolet (UV) variability using the Met. Office coupled chemistry-climate model. The model extends from the ground to 0.1 mbar and contains a complete range of chemical reactions allowing representation of all the main ozone formation and destruction processes in the stratosphere. The simulations were achieved by incorporating a 27-day oscillation in the pre-calculated model photolysis rates. Amplitudes for this signal were determined using solar spectral UV observations from the SOLar STellar Irradiance Comparison Experiment (SOLSTICE) instrument. Two experiments were carried out, one in which the UV variability was included in both the photolysis and radiation schemes and one in which only the photolysis scheme was modified.

The model reproduced several main features of observed correlations between short-term solar UV variability and both ozone and temperature in the tropical upper stratosphere, including the downward propagation of the phase lag and sensitivities of ozone and temperature to solar UV which are similar in magnitude to those observed. In the lower stratosphere, the ozone response to solar UV variability has not been well characterised from observations. Both model runs show a reversal of the propagation of phase lag below 10mb. The model response was found to be different between the two runs indicating that radiatively induced dynamical effects may play a significant role in the ozone response to solar UV variability.     

Evaluation of built-in test

Built-in test (BIT) provides fault finding as a means to aid in system assembly, test, and maintenance. An investigation to evaluate BIT of a particular electronics board used in the in-flight entertainment system for Boeing 777s is described. We found BIT proved useful when failure occurrences were uniquely associated with the operating environment, situations which can result in no-fault found, or could-not duplicate (CND) failures upon test. We also observed cases where the BIT failed to observe failures, and in some cases pointed to the wrong cause of failure. These and other advantages and disadvantages of BIT implementation are discussed     

Radiant ignition of a combustible solid with gas-phase exothermicity

An asymptotic analysis is presented for the ignition of a solid fuel that gasifies endothermically then reacts exothermically in the gas phase through a one-step Arrhenius process. The endothermic gasification was analyzed in an earlier paper; the present paper employs those results in treating the gas-phase reaction. It is shown that depending on values of the chemical parameters, the gas-phase ignition reaction may begin either at the time that gasification begins or during the later stage of transport-controlled gasification. In the former case, results for the gas-phase ignition time are similar to those for condensed-phase ignitions. In the latter case, a mixing layer develops in the gas-phase and moves away from the surface, the exothermic reaction being negligible until thermal runaway occurs somewhere within the mixing layer. Both early-time and late-time ignitions within the mixing layer are analyzed by solving partial differential equations derived from perturbations for large activation energies and a small ratio of gas to solid thermal responsivity. The theory serves to indicate how ignition by gas-phase reactions may be distinguished experimentally from ignition by condensed-phase or heterogenous reactions.     

OSIRIS-REx Flight Dynamics and Navigation Design

OSIRIS-REx is the first NASA mission to return a sample of an asteroid to Earth. Navigation and flight dynamics for the mission to acquire and return a sample of asteroid 101955 Bennu establish many firsts for space exploration. These include relatively small orbital maneuvers that are precise to ～1 mm/s, close-up operations in a captured orbit about an asteroid that is small in size and mass, and planning and orbit phasing to revisit the same spot on Bennu in similar lighting conditions. After preliminary surveys and close approach flyovers of Bennu, the sample site will be scientifically characterized and selected. A robotic shock-absorbing arm with an attached sample collection head mounted on the main spacecraft bus acquires the sample, requiring navigation to Bennu’s surface. A touch-and-go sample acquisition maneuver will result in the retrieval of at least 60 grams of regolith, and up to several kilograms. The flight activity concludes with a return cruise to Earth and delivery of the sample return capsule (SRC) for landing and sample recovery at the Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR).