Behavioral and neurochemical abnormalities after exposure to low doses of high-energy iron particles.

Exposure of rats to high-energy iron particles (600 MeV/amu) has been found to alter behavior after doses as low as 10 rads. The performance of a task that measures upper body strength was significantly degraded after irradiation. In addition, an impairment in the regulation of dopamine release in the caudate nucleus (a motor center in the brain), lasting at least 6 months, was also found and correlated with the performance deficits. A general indication of behavioral toxicity and an index of nausea and emesis, the conditioned taste aversion, was also evident. The sensitivity to iron particles was 10-600 times greater than to gamma photons. These results suggest that behavioral and neurobiological damage may be a consequence of exposure to low doses of heavy particles and that this possibility should be extensively studied.     

The morphology of fair weather cumulus cloud fields as remotely-sensed from satellites and some applications

The morphology of fair weather Cumulus cloud field over several ocean areas distributed globally has been studied using LANDSAT data. Distribution functions of cloud size, spacing, perimeter and other relevant parameters have been derived, as well as their correlations and moments.Examples of distribution functions of cloud size, cloud spacing and fractal dimension of the cloud fields over oceanic areas are given and applied to several problem in Cu convection.     

The Swift Ultra-Violet/Optical Telescope

The Ultra-Violet/Optical Telescope (UVOT) is one of three instruments flying aboard the Swift Gamma-ray Observatory. It is designed to capture the early (∼1 min) UV and optical photons from the afterglow of gamma-ray bursts in the 170–600 nm band as well as long term observations of these afterglows. This is accomplished through the use of UV and optical broadband filters and grisms. The UVOT has a modified Ritchey–Chrétien design with micro-channel plate intensified charged-coupled device detectors that record the arrival time of individual photons and provide sub-arcsecond positioning of sources. We discuss some of the science to be pursued by the UVOT and the overall design of the instrument.     

The NASA Astrobiology Roadmap

The NASA Astrobiology Roadmap provides guidance for research and technology development across the NASA enterprises that encompass the space, Earth, and biological sciences. The ongoing development of astrobiology roadmaps embodies the contributions of diverse scientists and technologists from government, universities, and private institutions. The Roadmap addresses three basic questions: how does life begin and evolve, does life exist elsewhere in the universe, and what is the future of life on Earth and beyond? Seven Science Goals outline the following key domains of investigation: understanding the nature and distribution of habitable environments in the universe, exploring for habitable environments and life in our own Solar System, understanding the emergence of life, determining how early life on Earth interacted and evolved with its changing environment, understanding the evolutionary mechanisms and environmental limits of life, determining the principles that will shape life in the future, and recognizing signatures of life on other worlds and on early Earth. For each of these goals, Science Objectives outline more specific high priority efforts for the next three to five years. These eighteen objectives are being integrated with NASA strategic planning.     

Influence of nuclear de-excitation on observables relevant for space exploration

The composition of the space radiation environment inside spacecrafts is modified by the interaction with shielding material, with equipment and even with the astronauts’ bodies. Accurate quantitative estimates of the effects of nuclear reactions are necessary, for example, for dose estimation and prediction of single-event-upset rates. To this end, it is necessary to construct predictive models for nuclear reactions, which usually consist of an intranuclear-cascade or quantum-molecular-dynamics stage, followed by a nuclear-de-excitation stage.     

Spacecraft technology portfolio: Probabilistic modeling and implications for responsiveness and schedule slippage

Addressing the challenges of Responsive Space and mitigating the risk of schedule slippage in space programs require a thorough understanding of the various factors driving the development schedule of a space system. The present work contributes theoretical and practical results in this direction. A spacecraft is here conceived of as a technology portfolio. The characteristics of this portfolio are defined as its size (e.g., number of instruments), the technology maturity of each instrument and the resulting Technology Readiness Level (TRL) heterogeneity, and their effects on the delivery schedule of a spacecraft are investigated. Following a brief overview of the concept of R&D portfolio and its relevance to spacecraft design, a probabilistic model of the Time-to-Delivery of a spacecraft is formulated, which includes the development, Integration and Testing, and Shipping phases. The Mean-Time-To-Delivery (MTTD) of the spacecraft is quantified based on the portfolio characteristics, and it is shown that the Mean-Time-To-Delivery (MTTD) of the spacecraft and its schedule risk are significantly impacted by decreasing TRL and increasing portfolio size. Finally, the utility implications of varying the portfolio characteristics are investigated, and “portfolio maps” are provided as guides to help system designers identify appropriate portfolio characteristics when operating in a calendar-based design environment (which is the paradigm shift that space responsiveness introduces).     

Behavioral and biological effects of autonomous versus scheduled mission management in simulated space-dwelling groups

Logistical constraints during long-duration space expeditions will limit the ability of Earth-based mission control personnel to manage their astronaut crews and will thus increase the prevalence of autonomous operations. Despite this inevitability, little research exists regarding crew performance and psychosocial adaptation under such autonomous conditions. To this end, a newly-initiated study on crew management systems was conducted to assess crew performance effectiveness under rigid schedule-based management of crew activities by Mission Control versus more flexible, autonomous management of activities by the crews themselves. Nine volunteers formed three long-term crews and were extensively trained in a simulated planetary geological exploration task over the course of several months. Each crew then embarked on two separate 3–4 h missions in a counterbalanced sequence: Scheduled, in which the crews were directed by Mission Control according to a strict topographic and temporal region-searching sequence, and Autonomous, in which the well-trained crews received equivalent baseline support from Mission Control but were free to explore the planetary surface as they saw fit. Under the autonomous missions, performance in all three crews improved (more high-valued geologic samples were retrieved), subjective self-reports of negative emotional states decreased, unstructured debriefing logs contained fewer references to negative emotions and greater use of socially-referent language, and salivary cortisol output across the missions was attenuated. The present study provides evidence that crew autonomy may improve performance and help sustain if not enhance psychosocial adaptation and biobehavioral health. These controlled experimental data contribute to an emerging empirical database on crew autonomy which the international astronautics community may build upon for future research and ultimately draw upon when designing and managing missions.     

The socioeconomic benefits of Earth science and applications research: reducing the risks and costs of natural disasters in the USA

A wealth of satellite data has provided information on weather and climate phenomena for the past 40 years. Within this period, however, the heavy human and economic costs of natural disasters have increased considerably. Using hurricanes, droughts, floods and earthquakes which occurred in the USA as examples, this article describes how Earth science can be applied to such situations to predict or mitigate their effects. The economic value of providing such information is discussed, as are the issues that can affect how successful its provision will be.     

Probability of Collision Error Analysis

The decision for the International Space Station (ISS) to maneuver to avoid a potential collision with another space object will be based on the probability of collision, P _C. The calculation of P _C requires the covariance of both objects at conjunction. It is well known that the covariance computed by US Space Command is optimistic (too small), especially at altitudes where atmospheric drag is the dominant perturbation, because its computation assumes there are no dynamic model errors. In this paper the effect of errors in the covariance on P _C and the sensitivity of P _C to the encounter geometry are investigated.     

Supermassive Black Holes and Galaxy Formation

The formation of supermassive black holes (SMBH) is intimately related to galaxy formation, although precisely how remains a mystery. I speculate that formation of, and feedback from, SMBH may alleviate problems that have arisen in our understanding of the cores of dark halos of galaxies.