Galactic cosmic ray radiation levels in spacecraft on interplanetary missions.

Using the Langley Research Center galactic cosmic ray (GCR) transport computer code (HZETRN) and the computerized anatomical man (CAM) model, crew radiation levels inside manned spacecraft on interplanetary missions are estimated. These radiation-level estimates include particle fluxes, LET (linear energy transfer) spectra, absorbed dose, and dose equivalent within various organs of interest in GCR protection studies. Changes in these radiation levels resulting from the use of various different types of shield materials are presented.     

Telerobotics: problems and research needs

With major emphasis on simulation, a university laboratory telerobotics facility permits problems to be approached by groups of graduate students. Helmet-mounded displays provide realism; the slaving of the display to the human operator's viewpoint gives a sense of `telepresence' that may be useful for prolonged tasks. Using top-down 3-D model control of distant images allows distant images to be reduced to a few parameters to update the model used for display to the human operator in a preview model to circumvent, in part, the communication delay. Also, the model can be used as a format for supervisory control and permit short-term local autonomous operations. Image processing algorithms can be made simpler and faster without trying to construct sensible images from the bottom. Control studies of telerobots lead to preferential manual control modes and, in this university environment, to basic paradigms for human motion and thence, perhaps, to redesign of robotic control, trajectory path planning, and rehabilitation prosthetics. Speculation as to future industrial drives for this telerobotic field suggests efficient roles for government agencies such as NASA     

The Dynamic Heliosphere: Outstanding Issues

Properties of the heliospheric interface, a complex product of an interaction between charged and neutral particles and magnetic fields in the heliosphere and surrounding Circumheliospheric Medium, are far from being fully understood. Recent Voyager spacecraft encounters with the termination shock and their observations in the heliosheath revealed multiple energetic particle populations and noticeable spatial asymmetries not accounted for by the classic theories. Some of the challenges still facing space physicists include the origin of anomalous cosmic rays, particle acceleration downstream of the termination shock, the role of interstellar magnetic fields in producing the global asymmetry of the interface, the influence of charge exchange and interstellar neutral atoms on heliospheric plasma flows, and the signatures of solar magnetic cycle in the heliosheath. These and other outstanding issues are reviewed in this joint report of working groups 4 and 6.     

Occurrence of brain tumors in rhesus monkeys exposed to 55-MeV protons.

Twenty-year observation of monkeys exposed to single doses of high energy protons simulating solar particles revealed that the most prevalent fatal cancers were brain tumors in the group of animals exposed to 55-MeV protons. Of 72 animals (50 males and 22 females) receiving 0.25 to 8.0 Gy total body surface dose, nine developed fatal tumors classified as grade IV astrocytoma or glioblastoma multiforme. The latent period for tumor development ranged from 14 months to 20 years, with a median of 5 years. Doses associated with the tumors were 4.0 to 8.0 Gy. Eight males and one female were affected. Depth-dose determinations suggest that the high incidence of cerebral neoplasia is associated with the Bragg Peak energy distribution of the 55-MeV protons. Comparison of the tumor incidence with that in humans with brain exposures incidental to radiotherapy indicates a high biological effectiveness compared with gamma radiation. Studies are in progress to attempt to replicate the results in rodents and establish a dose-response curve for proton-induced brain tumors.     

The Beginning: Swift and Violent

Radiometric dating shows that the earliest steps in forming the substance of meteorites and assembling it into planetesimals occurred in a very short interval of time, 1–2 Ma. This study shows that rapid formation is also dictated by the need to use short-lived ²⁶Al (half-life T _1/2=0.74 Ma) as a heat source to metamorphose and in some cases melt the meteorite parent bodies after they accreted. The earliest events in solar system history dated by cosmochemists, formation at high temperatures of the Ca,Al-rich inclusions that occur in chondritic meteorites, probably occurred during the most energetic stage of protosolar disk evolution, as the protosun neared its present mass and infall drew to a close. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Study of Dynamical Properties of Coronal Structures in the Polar Regions

We present the results from a study of the dynamical properties of polar jets in the Sun's polar regions using LASCO C2 coronagraph and EIT observations. In the simplest impulsive acceleration scenarios for jets, gravity is expected to be the dominant force on the jet following the initial acceleration, especially in the Sun's polar regions where the open magnetic fields should not significantly impede the jet's motion. Our analysis shows that although at low heights the kinematics of the jets could be consistent with a gravitational deceleration of the ejected plasma, at higher heights their motions may simply follow the ambient solar wind outflow. If so, the polar jets can be used as tracers of the solar wind in coronal holes. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Geometric accuracy in airborne SAR images

Uncorrected across-track motions of a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) platform can cause both a severe loss of azimuthal positioning accuracy in, and defocusing of, the resultant SAR image. It is shown how the results of an autofocus procedure can be incorporated in the azimuth processing to produce a fully focused image that is geometrically accurate in azimuth. Range positioning accuracy is also discussed, leading to a comprehensive treatment of all aspects of geometric accuracy. The system considered is an X-band SAR     

Radar: The Cassini Titan Radar Mapper

The Cassini RADAR instrument is a multimode 13.8 GHz multiple-beam sensor that can operate as a synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) imager, altimeter, scatterometer, and radiometer. The principal objective of the RADAR is to map the surface of Titan. This will be done in the imaging, scatterometer, and radiometer modes. The RADAR altimeter data will provide information on relative elevations in selected areas. Surfaces of the Saturn’s icy satellites will be explored utilizing the RADAR radiometer and scatterometer modes. Saturn’s atmosphere and rings will be probed in the radiometer mode only. The instrument is a joint development by JPL/NASA and ASI. The RADAR design features significant autonomy and data compression capabilities. It is expected that the instrument will detect surfaces with backscatter coefficient as low as −40 dB.RADAR Team LeaderThis revised version was published online in July 2005 with a corrected cover date.