NASA's global reach

The editorial examines opportunities for change in NASA's paradigm for international partnerships in space exploration.     

Eye light flashes on the Mir space station

The phenomenon of light flashes (LF) in eyes for people in space has been investigated onboard Mir. Data on particles hitting the eye have been collected with the SilEye detectors, and correlated with human observations. It is found that a nucleus in the radiation environment of Mir has roughly a 1% probability to cause an LF, whereas the proton probability is almost three orders of magnitude less. As a function of LET, the LF probability increases above 10 keV/micrometer, reaching about 5% at around 50 keV/micrometer.     

Does the centre of mass remain stable during complex human postural equilibrium tasks in weightlessness?

In normal gravity conditions the execution of voluntary movement involves the displacement of body segments as well as the maintenance of a stable reference value for equilibrium control. It has been suggested that centre of mass (CM) projection within the supporting base (BS) is the stabilised reference for voluntary action, and is conserved in weightlessness. The purpose of this study was to determine if the CM is stabilised during whole body reaching movements executed in weightlessness. The reaching task was conducted by two cosmonauts aboard the Russian orbital station MIR, during the Franco-Russian mission ALTAIR, 1993. Movements of reflective markers were recorded using a videocamera, successive images being reconstructed by computer every 40ms. The position of the CM, ankle joint torques and shank and thigh angles were computed for each subject pre- in- and post-flight using a 7-link mathematical model. Results showed that both cosmonauts adopted a backward leaning posture prior to reaching movements. Inflight, the CM was displaced throughout values in the horizontal axis three times those of pre-flight measures. In addition, ankle dorsi flexor torques inflight increased to values double those of pre- and post-flight tests. This study concluded that CM displacements do not remain stable during complex postural equilibrium tasks executed in weightlessness. Furthermore, in the absence of gravity, subjects changed their strategy for producing ankle torque during spaceflight from a forward to a backward leaning posture.     

Measurements of radiation exposure in civil aircraft

The radiation exposures on 12 flights of German airlines were measured with an active dosemeter based on two silicon semiconductors. The dependence on the date, altitude and route of the flights was studied. Measured dose rates and preliminary dose equivalent rates of the individual flights are given and compared with model calculations.     

The Kinelite Project: a new powerful motion analyser for Spacelab and space station

The goal of the Kinelite Project is to develop a space qualified motion analysis system to be used in space by the scientific community, mainly to support neuroscience protocols. The measurement principle of the Kinelite is to determine, by triangulation mean, the 3D position of small, lightweight, reflective markers positioned at the different points of interest. The scene is illuminated by Infra Red flashes and the reflected light is acquired by up to 8 precalibrated and synchronized CCD cameras. The main characteristics of the system are: Camera field of view: 45 degrees; Number of cameras: 2 to 8; Acquisition frequency: 25, 50, 100, or 200 Hz; CCD format: 256 x 256; Number of markers: up to 64; 3D accuracy: 2mm; Main dimensions: 45 cm x 45 cm x 30 cm; Mass: 23 kg; Power consumption: less than 200 W. The Kinelite will first fly aboard the NASA Spacelab; it will be used, during the NEUROLAB mission (4/98), to support the "Frames of References and Internal Models" (Principal Investigator: Pr. A. Berthoz, Co Investigators: J. McIntyre, F. Lacquaniti).     

基因方法在网格结点位置优化中的应用

将基因方法应用于网格结点位置的优化中。文中首先简单介绍了基因优化方法中基于达尔文进化论和Ｍｅｎｄｅｌ基因理论的基本原理，其中包括插索空间表达、三个基因作用器（选择、交配和变异）等要点；然后着重阐述了相关偏微分方程的离散误差和三角形网格几何形状的适应度函数的定义、结点位置的二进制基因表达及基因方法的优化进程。离散误差是在二次非连续彭鼓包（ｂｕｍｐ）函数的空间中近似定义的，并且在点移动过程中相关解的二     

“火卫一-土壤”探测器怎么了?

1月15日,2011年11月8日发射的俄罗斯"火卫一-土壤"星际探测器失控进入地球大气层.据俄罗斯航空航天国防军提供的信息,该事件于莫斯科时间20时45分(格林尼治时间17时45分)发生在太平洋智利惠灵顿岛以西1250公里洋面(约西经92度、南纬49度)上空.美国战略司令部称其于格林尼治时间17时46分(±1分钟)进入大气层,坐标位置在西经87度、南纬46度.偏差未超出预测精度——1分或沿轨道方向约500公里.     

深空网通信技术的发展

深空网(DSN)是由国家航空航天局(NASA)空间操作办公室(OSO)资助的,它为NASA的深空任务、月球及远地轨道任务提供通信和导航支持。深空网的设施在不断发展,其设备也用于行星探测、无线电科学以及射电天文学。在过去的30年中,深空网的通信和导航性能提高了许多个数量级。其接收灵敏度和无线电测量的数据精度接近目前可达到的最高水平,并可根据任务需要、技术发展以及资源用途进行改进。尽管一直在进行技术革新,但为了满足各种任务的要求,其操作不但要做到高度可靠,而且.还要具有通用性。 为了提高未来深空网的能力,正在积极开发先进技术。这些先进技术将在深空网中实施,将会为在通信和导航能力与航天器的质量和功率之间进行折衷提供更大的自由度。目前正在开发的主要领域有Ka波段(32GHz)技术、波束波导天线、低噪声放大器、编码、导航技术、大功率发射机以及光学技术。 本文介绍了目前正为深空网开发的技术及其在90年代中期和以后可能发挥的效益。     

JSF119发动机将恢复试验

普惠公司在高推力状态下证实了JSF发动机的风扇和低压涡轮能满意地工作后，公司决定在今年1月末恢复该发动机的试验。常规起落（CTOL）型JSF119自去年6月以来一直在试验中，但短距起飞垂直着落（STOV）型发动机只在去年11月中在西棕榈滩的设备上进行了试验，这种类型发动机的早期试验于去年末结束。普惠公司正在为JSF计划研究4种F119派生型发动机，这4种发动机是为波音公司的X—32JSF和洛克希德·马丁公司的X—35JSF的CTOL与STOVL设计的。去年12月JSF119STOVL在西棕榈滩的设备上以最大推力、最大空气流量和最高涡轮进口温…     

变推力液体火箭发动机中针栓喷注器研究综述

为总结变推力液体火箭发动机中针栓喷注器的研究成果和梳理未来的发展方向，本文综述了该领域的研究进展。首先介绍了针栓喷注器的基本概念和研究意义，然后从设计原理、工程研制、雾化特性和燃烧特性等方面介绍了针栓喷注器的研究历史和现状，最后展望了针栓喷注器的发展趋势及需要研究的一些科学问题。分析表明，液液针栓喷注器、气液针栓喷注器的雾化特性和燃烧特性都还需持续开展研究。雾化特性中特别需要关注的是雾化角、混合特性和下漏率，还要探索针栓喷注器在反压下的雾化特性。燃烧特性中需要深入研究温度分布、火焰结构和燃烧稳定性。