Far-UVC light as a new tool to reduce microbial burden during spacecraft assembly

This work aims to investigate far-UVC light at 222 nm as a new microbial reduction tool for planetary protection purposes which could potentially be integrated into the spacecraft assembly process. The major advantage of far-UVC (222 nm) compared to traditional germicidal UVC (254 nm) is the potential for application throughout the spacecraft assembly process in the presence of humans without adverse health effects due to the limited penetration of far-UVC light into biological materials. Testing the efficacy of 222-nm light at inactivating hardy bacterial cells and spores isolated from spacecraft and associated surfaces is a necessary step to evaluate this technology. We assessed survival of Bacillus pumilus SAFR-032 and Acinetobacter radioresistens 50v1 exposed to 222-nm light on proxy spacecraft surfaces simulated by drying the bacteria on aluminum coupons. The survival fraction of both bacteria followed a single stage decay function up to 60 mJ/cm², revealing similar susceptibility of both species to 222-nm light, which was independent of the exposure rate. Irradiation with far-UVC light at 222 nm is an effective method to decontaminate the proxy spacecraft materials tested in this study.     

Towards a coherent remote sensing data policy

Access to space-based remote sensing data is critical for Earth science and the study of global change. This article summarizes a variety of US government Earth science data policies and problems. The authors examine current efforts to develop data policies for the next generation of US remote sensing programmes, noting likely problems based on past experiences. They argue that the goal of US Earth science data policy should be to provide the widest possible dissemination of data. Setting such a goal permits the development of a simple, coherent data policy that serves scientific, commercial and US government interests.     

Harnessing functional food strategies for the health challenges of space travel—Fermented soy for astronaut nutrition

Astronauts face numerous health challenges during long-duration space missions, including diminished immunity, bone loss and increased risk of radiation-induced carcinogenesis. Changes in the intestinal flora of astronauts may contribute to these problems. Soy-based fermented food products could provide a nutritional strategy to help alleviate these challenges by incorporating beneficial lactic acid bacteria, while reaping the benefits of soy isoflavones. We carried out strain selection for the development of soy ferments, selecting strains of lactic acid bacteria showing the most effective growth and fermentation ability in soy milk (Streptococcus thermophilus ST5, Bifidobacterium longum R0175 and Lactobacillus helveticus R0052). Immunomodulatory bioactivity of selected ferments was assessed using an in vitro challenge system with human intestinal epithelial and macrophage cell lines, and selected ferments show the ability to down-regulate production of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-8 following challenge with tumour necrosis factor-alpha. The impact of fermentation on vitamin B1 and B6 levels and on isoflavone biotransformation to agluconic forms was also assessed, with strain variation-dependent biotransformation ability detected. Overall this suggests that probiotic bacteria can be successfully utilized to develop soy-based fermented products targeted against health problems associated with long-term space travel.     

中英企业合作的桥梁——访英国制造技术协会北京代表李虎城先生

[编者按]有人用"没落的贵族"来形容当前的英国机床工具行业.从字面上讲,"没落"意为走下坡路,不再拥有曾经的辉煌;"贵族"指仍然拥有高贵"气质",在某些方面具有自身的特点和优势.通过采访英国制造技术协会北京代表李虎城先生,记者对英国制造企业的现状有了更深的理解:不再去做大批量的生产,而是主攻具有高附加值的高、精、尖和个性化产品,并掌握着核心技术."没落"原来是表象,"贵族"还是本质.     

机床新技术及未来发展

[编者按]随着各种新技术的不断应用,机床的性能快速提高.未来机床的性能特点成为业内广受关注的问题.本期"未来机床"论坛我们特别邀请了同济大学教授张曙、北京机床研究所研究员盛伯浩、昌飞公司副总工艺师林东、济南二机床集团有限公司数控机床公司总工程师贾会述,他们将分别从专家、用户、厂商的角度,解读未来机床的发展趋势.并给出了行业发展的建议.     

International coordination in the era of faster, better, cheaper

Space agencies around the world are seeking innovative approaches to reduce the time and expense of space-based activities, including observation of the Earth and acquisition of environmental data for Earth science research. As government budgets are squeezed, agencies search for innovative approaches to streamline program management, introduce new technology, and share costs with external partners. International cooperation has been a mainstay of Earth observation activity from the beginning of space exploration. It continues to be true that global problems require global solutions, and governments recognize the need to share the investment in understanding and monitoring the planet. Agencies need to carefully consider how changes in their program development and management practices might impact cooperative ventures. Improved communication, enhanced strategic planning, and coordinated rather than comprehensive missions are all tools agencies can use to maintain or improve partnerships.     

Setting a standard: the limulus amebocyte lysate assay and the assessment of microbial contamination on spacecraft surfaces

Historically, colony-forming units as determined by plate cultures have been the standard unit for microbiological analysis of environmental samples, medical diagnostics, and products for human use. However, the time and materials required make plate cultures expensive and potentially hazardous in the closed environments of future NASA missions aboard the International Space Station and missions to other Solar System targets. The Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL) assay is an established method for ensuring the sterility and cleanliness of samples in the meat-packing and pharmaceutical industries. Each of these industries has verified numerical requirements for the correct interpretation of results from this assay. The LAL assay is a rapid, point-of-use, verified assay that has already been approved by NASA Planetary Protection as an alternate, molecular method for the examination of outbound spacecraft. We hypothesize that standards for molecular techniques, similar to those used by the pharmaceutical and meat-packing industries, need to be set by space agencies to ensure accurate data interpretation and subsequent decision making. In support of this idea, we present research that has been conducted to relate the LAL assay to plate cultures, and we recommend values obtained from these investigations that could assist in interpretation and analysis of data obtained from the LAL assay.     

ADICOM助力南方公司信息化建设——访中国南方航空工业(集团)有限公司信息中心主任张招建

首先,请您结合中国南方航空工业(集团)有限公司(以下简称南方公司)的信息化之路,总结一下中国航空工业信息化的特点.     

把握需求 实现双赢——本刊总编辑刘柱与德国西门子自动化与驱动集团运动控制部全球航空航天业务总经理Dirk Rabeneck对话

作为西门子公司中最大的集团之一和西门子工业领域的重要组成部分,西门子自动化与驱动集团(A&D)可谓是自动化和驱动领域的行业领军企业,而运动控制部又是其核心.在第九届中国国际机床工具展览会(CIMES 2008)前夕,本刊专访了西门子自动化与驱动集团(A&D)运动控制部全球航空航天业务总经理Dirk Rabeneck先生,就A&D在全球航空航天领域的发展等问题展开对话.     

实施数控机床增效工程 提升军工核心制造能力——国防科技工业千台数控机床增效工程阶段总结会议召开

"十一五"期间,原国防科工委针对高档数控机床使用效率不高的共性问题,在国防基础科研计划中安排了"数控加工工艺优化"等技术的攻关,取得了明显的效果,数控加工效率成倍提高.