Sweetpotato vine management for confined food production in a space life-support system

Sweetpotato (Ipomea batatas L.) ‘Whatley–Loretan’ was developed for space life support by researchers at Tuskegee University for its highly productive, nutritious storage roots. This promising candidate space life-support crop has a sprawling habit and aggressive growth rate in favorable environments that demands substantial growing area. Shoot pruning is not a viable option for vine control because removal of the main shoot apex drastically inhibits storage-root initiation and development, and chemical growth retardants typically are not cleared for use with food crops. As part of a large effort by the NASA Specialized Center of Research and Training in Advanced Life Support to reduce equivalent system mass (ESM) for food production in space, the dilemma of vine management for sweetpotato was addressed in effort to conserve growth area without compromising root yield. Root yields from unbranched vines trained spirally around wire frames configured either in the shapes of cones or cylinders were similar to those from vines trained horizontally along the bench, but occupying only a small fraction of the bench area. This finding indicates that sweetpotato is highly adaptable to a variety of vine-training architectures. Planting a second plant in the growth container and training the two vines in opposite directions around frames enhanced root yield and number, but had little effect on average length of each vine or bench area occupied. Once again, root yields were similar for both configurations of wire support frames. The 3–4-month crop-production cycles for sweetpotato in the greenhouse spanned all seasons of multiple years during the course of the study, and although electric lighting was used for photoperiod control and to supplement photosynthetic light during low-light seasons, there still were differences in total light available across seasons. Light variations and other environmental differences among experiments in the greenhouse had more effects on vine length than on root yield. Average vine length correlated positively with total hours of daylight received across seasons, and responses for one plant per container were higher above a threshold duration of solar exposure, suggesting that the vines of two plants per container compete for available light. In addition to the adaptability of sweetpotato to various vine-training architectures and across seasons in terms of maintaining root productivity, the open, interior volumes of the support frames tested in this study will provide future opportunity to enhance sweetpotato root yield in space by adding novel interior lighting, such as from intracanopy arrays of light-emitting diodes. This work was sponsored by NASA grant NAG 5 1286.     

Testing Modified Newtonian Dynamics with LISA Pathfinder

We suggest that LISA Pathfinder, a technology demonstrator for the future gravitational wave observatory LISA, could be used to carry out a direct experimental test of Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND). The LISA Pathfinder spacecraft is currently being built and the launch date is just a few years away. No modifications of the spacecraft are required, nor any interference with its nominal mission. The basic concept is to fly LISA Pathfinder through the region around the Sun-Earth saddle point, in an extended mission phase, once the original mission goals are achieved. We examine various strategies to reach the saddle point, and find that the preferred strategy, yielding relatively short transfer times of just over 1 year, probably involves a lunar fly-by. LISA Pathfinder will be able to probe the intermediate MOND regime, i.e. the transition between deep MOND and Newtonian gravity. We present robust estimates of the anomalous gravity gradients that LISA Pathfinder should be exposed to, based on MONDian effects as derived from the Tensor-Vector-Scalar (TeVeS) theory. The spacecraft speed and spatial scale of the MOND signal combine in a way that the spectral signature of the signal falls precisely into LISA Pathfinder’s measurement bandwidth. We find that if the gravity gradiometer on-board the spacecraft achieves its currently predicted sensitivity, these anomalous gradients could not just be detected, but measured in some detail.     

三向测量技术在深空探测中的应用研究

较详细地介绍了三向测量技术（包括三向测距和三向测速）,阐述使用三向测量的工程背景和重要意义,给出利用三向测量数据进行实时定位的数学推导,并分别对三向测距和三向测速原始数据的误差进行了分析;最后给出在＂嫦娥一号＂试验轨道段采用三向测量技术得到的残差分析结果。结果表明,在未进行站间时间同步的情况下,＂嫦娥一号＂卫星100km×100km环月轨道段三向测距误差约200m,三向测速误差约2cm/s,利用三向测量数据可以单独进行轨道确定,验证了我国后续深空探测中应用三向测量技术的可行性。     

基于退化失效与突发失效竞争的导弹剩余寿命预测

为了提高导弹剩余寿命预测结果的准确性,本文综合利用导弹的性能退化数据和突发失效时间数据,提出了基于退化失效和突发失效竞争的剩余寿命预测方法。在引入状态空间模型评估出整弹退化程度的基础上,采用Gamma过程建立退化失效模型;在假定突发失效概率与整弹性能退化程度相关的前提下,采用Weibull分布建立突发失效模型;进而建立退化失效与突发失效竞争模式下的导弹可靠度模型。案例应用证明了所提方法的有效性,对准确预测导弹剩余寿命,有效开展视情维修具有一定的工程价值。     

轻型刚性陶瓷填充材料性能表征及其空间环境效应试验研究

轻型刚性陶瓷因其稳定的介电常数和良好的耐压性能,已经作为填充材料应用于航天器器件中。文章对介质陶瓷材料的结构、组织形貌、力学性能和微波介电性能开展了系统研究,探讨了结构的各向异性对力学性能和电性能的影响。重点对介质陶瓷的空间环境效应开展研究,试验结果发现其具有低的真空出气总质损和可凝挥发物含量,以及一定的空间总剂量辐照耐受能力。陶瓷经历湿热处理后,结构强度出现了一定程度的下降,分析发现是由陶瓷内部含有的少量B_2O_3黏结剂吸水生成硼酸导致。     

基于STFT的最大预示环境波形重构新方法

振动过程的最大预示环境(MEE)是指在某个关心的结构区域内,通过测量或预示手段获得的以谱形式表示的振动环境数据保守极限。然而,很多振动试验方法,特别是用振动台模拟低频瞬态环境时(低于100 Hz),需要给出试验信号的参考波形。文章结合振动模拟试验及短时傅里叶变换(STFT)时频分析,提出一种振动过程最大预示波形(MEW)的重构新方法。数值仿真结果表明,与传统方法相比,使用新方法重构的MEW误差更小,且试验控制更加灵活、高效,更适合于工程应用。     

载人深空探测任务航天医学工程问题研究

航天医学工程问题关系到载人深空探测任务中的人员生存及健康。文章从人员长期生存的生命保障、变重力生理效应及防护、地外环境效应与防护、人员生理健康监测与维护、人员心理健康等方面的问题入手,分析了问题产生的原因及解决的必要性,并提出了解决思路,为后续深入开展相关关键技术的攻关提供参考。最后,以载人月球基地任务为案例,提出了生命保障、变重力防护、辐射及月尘防护、生理及心理健康监测及维护等问题的解决方案。     

一种单自由度振动系统动态载荷识别方法

航天器在飞行过程中经历了复杂的力学环境,但是目前又无法直接测量出这种复杂力学载荷函数。针对这一问题,提出了一种应用力学载荷识别方法确定航天器所经受力学载荷的新方法,针对单自由度振动系统模型,以二次多项式为基函数,推导建立了基于Duhamel积分的动态载荷识别模型。仿真分析结果表明,该方法具有很高的识别精度,且不存在误差积累问题。该方法为下一步试验验证和工程应用提供了理论基础和技术支撑。     

飞行器力学环境参数分布特性及飞行散差研究进展

因各方对飞行器力学环境散布特性、散差量级等的认知和理解存在较大差异,相关标准的规定也不一致,故在实际使用过程中存在较大歧异。文章搜集整理了大量关于飞行力学环境方面的国内外文献资料,论述散布特点、统计分析方法以及飞行散差等的研究历史及现状,提出了设计过程中的应对措施以及后续研究建议,为环境条件的精细化设计以及产品的可靠性分析提供参考。     

基于链路聚合控制协议的堆叠网络设计与应用

文章介绍了国内最大卧式空间环境模拟器KM7A的系统网络架构,在该网络中应用了堆叠网络以及链路聚合控制协议(LACP),通过链路聚合控制协议对所有关键设备进行链路绑定,实现了关键设备和数据链路的冗余,大大缩短了主/备试验网络数据链路的切换时间,避免了单链路失效,提升了数据传输链路的稳定性和故障容错性。