New educational tools to encourage high-school students' activity in stem

Many students have to choose their future profession during their last years in the high school and therefore to choose a university where they will get proper education. That choice may define their professional life for many years ahead or probably for the rest of their lives.Bauman Moscow State Technical University conducts various events to introduce future professions to high-school students. Such activity helps them to pick specialization in line with their interests and motivates them to study key scientific subjects.The paper focuses on newly developed educational tools to encourage high school students’ interest in STEM disciplines. These tools include laboratory courses developed in the fields of physics, information technologies and mathematics. More than 2000 high school students already participated in these experimental courses. These activities are aimed at increasing the quality of STEM disciplines learning which will result in higher quality of training of future engineers.     

Long-period meteor radar temperature variations over Collm (51°N, 13°E) and Kazan (56°N, 49°E)

We have estimated temperatures from meteor radar measurements using the gradient method and the full width at half maximum method over Kazan (56°N 49°E) and Collm (51°N, 13°E). The time series cover the period 2016–2019. The temperature gradient model is constructed from SABER temperature observations. We demonstrate that annual mean, amplitudes and phases of the annual and semiannual oscillations of the radar temperatures are close to those of the MLS and SABER temperatures. The annual mean temperatures over Kazan and Collm differ non-significantly. The seasonal variability of the radar temperature is mostly due to the annual cycle which tends to grow with latitude. The gradient method produces temperatures which agree with the SABER temperatures better than with the MLS ones. The harmonics of the annual oscillations from periods of 73 days up to periods of about 40 days are the most significant day-to-day temperature oscillations and have zonal wavenumber zero. Their periods and phases are in good correspondence with those of the MLS and SABER ones. We also show some results which demonstrate that at 56°N the FWHM method is not as robust as the gradient method.     

俄月球-全球等探测任务中的无线电科学试验

俄罗斯航天局正在规划和推进新的月球探测计划,包括月球-资源和月球-全球探测任务,它们搭载了3个无线电科学载荷:2个无线电信标机分别安装在2个着陆器上,1个Ka波段接收机安装在月球-全球轨道器上。信标机发射频率为8.4GHz和32GHz。8.4GHz的微波信号将被发回地球,利用地面VLBI监测网对信号进行测量,其结果可用于精密的天体力学观测及导航,还能用于月球天平动研究;32GHz信号将用于定轨和月球重力场研究。Ka波段信号天线轴指向着陆区天顶方向,信号由轨道器接收。本文基于对Ka波段信号多普勒频移的精确测量,通过研究着陆区附近重力场的微小变化(约3~5mGal精度),探讨月球重力场的不均匀性,其测量数据的空间分辨率约为20km。     

Longitudinal MLT wind structure at higher mid-latitudes as seen by meteor radars at central and Eastern Europe (13°E/49°E)

The mid-latitude mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) wind speeds measured by two SKiYMET meteor radars (MRs) at Collm (51°N, 13°E) and Kazan (56°N, 49°E) during 2016–2017 were analyzed to study longitudinal wind structures. The differences between monthly mean prevailing wind speeds and tidal amplitudes were compared with the corresponding differences obtained from TIMED/TIDI satellite winds and gradient wind speeds from the AURA/MLS instrument. It is shown that the MR wind difference between the two sites is statistically significant. The difference of the horizontal prevailing winds can be explained by a superposition of the background zonal flow, which is different at the two latitudes, with stationary planetary waves of different origin. Non-migrating tides contribute significantly to the difference of the semidiurnal tidal winds between the two sites.     

Mesosphere/lower thermosphere wind regime parameters using a newly installed SKiYMET meteor radar at Kazan (56°N, 49°E)

New meteor radar (MR) horizontal wind data obtained during 2015–2018 at Kazan (56°N, 49°E) are presented. The measurements were carried out with a state-of-the-art SKiYMET meteor radar. Monthly mean vertical profiles of zonal and meridional components of the prevailing wind speeds, also amplitudes and phases of the components of diurnal (DT) and semidiurnal tide (SDT) winds are displayed as contour plots for a mean calendar year over the four recent years and compared with distributions of these parameters provided by the previous multiyear (1986–2002) meteor radar (MR) measurements at Kazan and by the recent HWM07 empirical model. The analysis shows that the SKiYMET zonal and meridional prevailing wind speeds are generally in good agreement, sharing the same seasonal features, with the earlier MR seasonal winds. Comparisons with the HWM07 model are not favourable: eastward solstitial cells as modelled are significantly larger, >30?m/s compared to 15–20?m/s. Also, reversal lines are too variable with height, and the positions of modelled cells (positive and negative) are unlike those of either MRs at Kazan or other MLT radars. Both MR systems provide the large SDT amplitudes, approximately 30?m/s and vertical wavelengths, approximately 55?km, for both components at middle latitudes in winter. They also show the well known strong SDT September feature (heights 85–100?km, the vertical wavelength ～55–60?km), and the weak summer SDT for 80–91?km. HWM07 shows unrealistic amplitudes and phases above 90?km by height and month: minimal amplitudes in equinoxes and no September feature.The weak DT of middle to high latitudes provide similar amplitude and phase structures from both MRs, 1986–2002 and 2015–2017: largest amplitudes (10–12 or 8–10?m/s) for the evanescent meridional tide in summer, peaking in late July; weakest (0–2, 2–4?m/s) at 80 to 92–96?km, when the tide is vertically propagating (January, February, November, December) with a vertical wavelength near 40?km. Again, HWM07 differs in amplitude and phase structures: showing peak amplitudes in equinoxes: April, 15?m/s at 88?km; October, 21?m/s at 89?km.Coupling of the MR wind parameters with the ERA5 wind parameters is studied for a case in 2016. It is shown that the prevailing winds and DT amplitudes and phases of both datasets can be simply linked together, but that the ERA5 SDT amplitudes are significantly underestimated at the top model levels of the ERA5 reanalysis project.     

Semi-empirical model of middle atmosphere wind from the ground to the lower thermosphere

During recent years, special attention has been paid to understanding the background circulation of the middle atmosphere. Particularly in the mesosphere/lower thermosphere (MLT) region, this has involved including data from a range of new radar measurements. It has also involved the comparison of existing empirical middle atmosphere wind models, such as CIRA-86 and HWM-93 to the new data. This has led to the construction of empirical models of MLT winds such as the Global Empirical Wind Model (GEWM). Further investigations are aimed at the construction of new empirical and semi-empirical wind models of the entire middle atmosphere including these new experimental results. The results of a new wind climatology (0–100 km) are presented here, based upon the GEWM, a reanalysis of stratospheric data, and a numerical model which is used to fill the gap between data from the stratospheric and MLT regions.