Quality management for space systems in ISRO

In a little over four decades, the Indian Space Program has carved a niche for itself with the unique application driven program oriented towards National development. The end-to-end capability approach of the space projects in the country call for innovative practices and procedures in assuring the quality and reliability of space systems. The System Reliability (SR) efforts initiated at the start of the projects continue during the entire life cycle of the project encompassing design, development, realisation, assembly, testing and integration and during launch. Even after the launch, SR groups participate in the on-orbit evaluation of transponders in communication satellites and camera systems in remote sensing satellites. SR groups play a major role in identification, evaluation and inculcating quality practices in work centres involved in the fabrication of mechanical, electronics and propulsion systems required for Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO's) launch vehicle and spacecraft projects. Also the reliability analysis activities like prediction, assessment and demonstration as well as de-rating analysis, Failure Mode Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) and worst-case analysis are carried out by SR groups during various stages of project realisation. These activities provide the basis for project management to take appropriate techno-managerial decisions to ensure that the required reliability goals are met. Extensive test facilities catering to the needs of the space program has been set up. A system for consolidating the experience and expertise gained for issue of standards called product assurance specifications to be used in all ISRO centres has also been established.     

On the line ratio diagnostics for NeV, MgV, SiVII and MgVII solar ions

We present NeV/MgV and MgVII/SiVII theoretical line intensity ratios as a function of electron density and temperature for physical conditions within the solar chromosphere-corona transition region. The electron pressure within the emission regions has been assumed to be a constant parameter. These line intensity ratios in addition could be useful for estimating relative element abundances Ne/Mg and Mg/Si. Line intensities of these ions have been computed using a model solar atmosphere and these have been compared with the available observed values for the quiet -Sun conditions. The analysis suggests the need for observations at higher spectral resolution. The successful launch of the SOHO satellite recently should provide such spectra.     

Oncogenic transformation of mammalian cells by ultrasoft X-rays and alpha particles.

For a better understanding of oncogenic cell transformation by ionizing radiation, we conducted experiments with ultrasoft X rays and low energy alpha particles. Confluent C3H10T1/2 cells were irradiated by Al-K (1.5 keV) X rays or alpha particles from plutonium through a thin mylar sheet, on which the cells attached and grew. Our results indicated that Al-K X rays were more effective in causing cell inactivation and oncogenic transformation than 60Co gamma rays but less effective than 1.0 and 3.7 MeV alpha particles. There was no significant difference between 1.0 and 3.7 MeV alpha particles in transforming cells although the latter were slightly more effective than the former in producing lethal effect. These results indicated that track structure is important in causing biological effects by ionizing radiation.     

Empirical virtual sliding target guidance law design: an aerodynamic approach

We present a novel empirical virtual sliding target (VST) guidance law for the midcourse phase of a long range surface-to-air missile that uses the simplicity of the conventional proportional navigation (PN) guidance law while exploiting the aerodynamic characteristics of a missile's flight through the atmosphere to enable the missile to achieve superior performance than that achieved by conventional PN guidance laws. The missile trajectory emulates the trajectory of an optimal control based guidance law formulated on a realistic aerodynamic model of the missile-target engagement. The trajectory of the missile is controlled by controlling the speed of a virtual target that slides towards a predicted intercept point during the midcourse phase. Several sliding schemes, both linear and nonlinear, are proposed and the effect of the variation of the sliding parameters, which control the sliding speed of the virtual target, on the missile performance, are examined through extensive simulations that take into account the atmospheric characteristics as well as limitations on the missile in terms of the energy available and lateral acceleration limits. Launch envelopes for these sliding schemes for approaching and receding targets are also obtained. These results amply demonstrate the superiority of the proposed guidance law over the conventional PN law.