Formation of amino acid precursors in cometary ice environments by cosmic radiation.

Cometary ices are believed to contain water, carbon monoxide, methane and ammonia, and are possible sites for the formation and preservation of organic compounds relating to the origin of life. Cosmic rays, together with ultraviolet light, are among the most effective energy sources for the formation of organic compounds in space. In order to study the possibility of the formation of amino acids in comets or their precursory bodies (interstellar dust grains), several types of ice mixtures made in a cryostat at 10 K ("simulated cometary ices") were irradiated with high energy protons. After irradiation, the volatile products were analyzed with a quadrupole mass spectrometer, while temperature of the cryostat was raised to room temperature. The non-volatile products remaining in the cryostat at room temperature were collected with water. They were acid-hydrolyzed, and analyzed by ion-exchange chromatography. When an ice mixture of carbon monoxide (or methane), ammonia and water was irradiated, some hydrocarbons were formed, and amino acids such as glycine and alanine were detected in the hydrolyzate. These results suggest the possible formation of "amino acid precursors" (compounds yielding amino acids after hydrolysis) in interstellar dust grains by cosmic radiation. We previously reported that amino acid precursors were formed when simulated primitive planetary atmospheres were irradiated with cosmic ray particles. It will be of great interest to compare the amount of bioorganic compounds that were formed in the primitive earth and that brought by comets to the earth.     

The effect of gravity on surface temperature and net photosynthetic rate of plant leaves.

To clarify the effects of gravity on heat/gas exchange between plant leaves and the ambient air, the leaf temperatures and net photosynthetic rates of plant leaves were evaluated at 0.01, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 G of 20 seconds each during a parabolic airplane flight. Thermal images of leaves were captured using infrared thermography at an air temperature of 26 degrees C, a relative humidity of 15% and an irradiance of 260 W m-2. The net photosynthetic rates were determined by using a chamber method with an infrared gas analyzer at an air temperature of 20 degrees C, a relative humidity of 50% and a photosynthetic photon flux of 0.5 mmol m-2 s-1. The mean leaf temperature increased by 1 degree C and the net photosynthetic rate decreased by 13% with decreasing gravity levels from 1.0 to 0.01 G. The leaf temperature decreased by 0.5 degree C and the net photosynthetic rate increased by 7% with increasing gravity levels from 1.0 to 2.0 G. Heat/gas exchanges between leaves and the ambient air were more retarded at lower gravity levels. A restricted free air convection under microgravity conditions in space would limit plant growth by retarding heat and gas exchanges between leaves and the ambient air.     

Ground performance of air conditioning and water recycle system for a Space Plant Box.

Researchers from 5 Japanese universities have developed a plant growth facility (Space Plant Box) for seed to seed experiments under microgravity. The breadboard model of the Space Plant Box was fabricated by assembling subsystems developed for microgravity. The subsystems include air conditioning and water recycle system, air circulation system, water and nutrient delivery system, lighting system and plant monitoring system. The air conditioning and water recycle system is simply composed of a single heat exchanger, two fans and hydrophilic fibrous strings. The strings allow water movement from the cooler fin in the Cooling Box to root supporting materials in the Plant Growth Chamber driven by water potential deficit. Relative humidity in the Plant Growth Chamber can be changed over a wide range by controlling the ratio of latent heat exchange to sensible heat exchange on the cooling fin of the heat exchanger. The transpiration rate was successfully measured by circulating air inside the Plant Growth Chamber only. Most water was recycled and a small amount of water needed to be added from the outside. The simple, air conditioning and water recycle system for the Space Plant Box showed good performance through a barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) growth experiment.     

Ballooning activities in Japan

The Scientific Balloon Center of ISAS/JAXA has carried out two balloon campaigns at Sanriku, Iwate, Japan every year. Ten to twelve balloon vehicles are launched annually for scientific and engineering experiments. Since 2005, a Brazilian balloon campaign has also been conducted in cooperation with INPE. In the 2006 Brazilian campaign, large and heavy payloads up to 1500 kg for astronomy will be launched. New generation balloons, such as super-pressure balloons and high-altitude balloons with ultra-thin films, are being developed. The current status and prospect of the Japanese scientific ballooning are discussed.     

Characterization of complex organic compounds formed in simulated planetary atmospheres by the action of high energy particles.

A wide variety of organic compounds, which are not simple organics but also complex organics, have been found in planets and comets. We reported that complex organics was formed in simulated planetary atmospheres by the action of high energy particles. Here we characterized the experimental products by using chromatographic and mass spectrometric techniques. A gaseous mixture of CO, N2 and H2O was irradiated with high energy protons (major components of cosmic rays). Water-soluble non-volatile substances, which gave amino acids after acid-hydrolysis, were characterized by HPLC and mass spectrometry. Major part of the products were complex compounds with molecular weight of several hundreds. Amino acid precursors were produced even when no water was incorporated with the starting materials. It was suggested that complex molecules including amino acid precursors were formed not in solution from simple molecules like HCN, but directly in gaseous phase.     

A low cost steerable radio-telescope

We present the technical characteristics of a low-cost radio telescope for solar/non solar observations at decimetric (1200–1700 MHz) and centimetric (2700 and 5000 MHz) wavelengths known as Brazilian Decimetric Array (BDA). The technical specifications of the antenna, tracking system, log-periodic feed, preamplifier and the frequency-synthesised receiver with a Single Side Band (SSB) video output of 2.5 MHz are given.     

Formation of bioorganic compounds in simulated planetary atmospheres by high energy particles or photons.

Various types of organic compounds have been detected in Jupiter, Titan, and cometary coma. It is probable that organic compounds were formed in primitive Earth and Mars atmospheres. Cosmic rays and solar UV are believed to be two major energy sources for organic formation in space. We examined energetics of organic formation in simulated planetary atmospheres. Gas mixtures including a C-source (carbon monoxide or methane) and a N-source (nitrogen or ammonia) was irradiated with the followings: High energy protons or electrons from accelerators, gamma-rays from 60Co, UV light from a deuterium lamp, and soft X-rays or UV light from an electron synchrotron. Amino acids were detected in the products of particles, gamma-rays and soft X-rays irradiation from each gas mixture examined. UV light gave, however, no amino acid precursors in the gas mixture of carbon monoxide, nitrogen and nitrogen. It gave only a trace of them in the gas mixture of carbon monoxide, ammonia and water or that of methane, nitrogen and water. Yield of amino acid precursors by photons greatly depended on their wavelength. These results suggest that nitrogen-containing organic compounds like amino acid precursors were formed chiefly with high energy particles, not UV photons, in Titan or primitive Earth/Mars atmospheres where ammonia is not available as a predominant N-source.     

Detection of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays and neutrinos by radio method using artificial lunar satellites

An estimate of the feasibility of the ultrahigh-energy cosmic ray and neutrino detection using a lunar satellite-borne radio receiver is presented. The data obtained in the proposed experiment will make resolving the current contradictions in the ultrahigh-energy cosmic ray spectra measured with the major ground-based instruments possible. Moreover, they will enable us to considerably extend the accessible energy range and to check predictions of various models of the origin of the highest-energy particles in the Universe. At the same time the lunar radio detector provides a means of searching for ultrahigh-energy neutrinos with a high sensitivity combined with a very large target effective mass.     

Geomagnetic pulsations

Conclusion In writing this review paper the author has been aware that although the present international classification on geomagnetic pulsations (see Table I) had been really useful for several years since the Berkeley Meeting, it seems unsuitable for the up-to-date pulsation study. This is mainly due to the fact that it depends only on the period and waveform of the pulsations. For example, (1) occurrence of PP type of Pc1 even in the international Pc3 range (Heacock, 1966), (2) PP and CE getting mixed in a common period band (cf. 2.7), (3) similar mixing tendency of Pc3 with Pc4 (cf. 3.3 or Figure 21), (4) subtypes of Pi pulsations having common period ranges but different source mechanisms, (5) existence of various types of pulsations which can be classified neither to Pc nor to Pi (cf. Section 6), and so on. Hence the author feels that a new pulsation classification based on physical image on the occurrence models is really needed now.According to the international definition which has a period range of pulsations from 0.2 (5 Hz) to 600 sec, a part of the following electromagnetic field fluctuations called ELF emissions and ELF whistlers should belong to geomagnetic pulsations. ELF emissions are at times observed near 4 Hz and 9 Hz. They are so termed because of the difference between these frequencies and the Schumann resonance frequencies of 8 and 14 Hz (Yanagihara and Shimizu, 1969; Polk, 1969). Another type, ELF whistlers, exhibit either rising, falling or fluctuating tones from about 2 Hz to probably a few tens of Hz (Duffus, Nasmyth et al., 1958; Yamashita, 1967; Glangeaud, 1967; Yanagihara and Shimizu, 1969). In this review paper, however, both ELF emissions and whistlers have not been reviewed, since most of these seem to be out of the international frequency range so far as present observational knowledge is concerned. Some of the Pc6 and Dp2, involved in the international period range of pulsations, have also not been commented on, but the reader is advised to refer to Herron (1967) and Nishida (1968), respectively, for more detail.It has been frequently pointed out in this paper that latitudinal dependence of pulsation amplitude is one of the most important clues for seeking the model of excitation and propagation of HM and EM waves, but that this dependence has not been precisely obtained so far owing to the difference in geomagnetic longitude of the pulsation stations (for example, see Figure 40). Cooperative observations based on standardized magnetometers are eagerly desired at stations which are densely arranged along the same magnetic meridian, even if the observation is temporal.As already reviewed, various conflicting models have been proposed for each type of pulsation. On the occurrence of pc's, for example, there are two main conflicting models. In the first model, Pc2, 3, and 4 (Troitskaya, 1967; Patel and Hastings, 1968; and others) or Pc3 and 4 (Radoski and Carovillano, 1966) are related to one and the same resonance system and the difference in the type of these pc's is attributed to an effect of geomagnetic activity on the size of this system. In the second model, Pc2, 3, 4 and 5 are related to three or four different resonant systems (Jacobs and Sinno, 1960b; Hirasawa and Nagata, 1966; Kato, Mori et al., 1968; and others). Most of the conflict among such models seems to be removable by combining more thorough theoretical studies and correct dynamic spectrum analyses of the data at the polar region, auroral zone, sub-auroral zone, and middle and low latitudes, for various geomagnetic disturbance conditions.     

Capability for ozone high-precision retrieval on JEM/SMILES observation

We estimate the capability of ozone (O₃) retrieval with the Superconducting Submillimeter-Wave Limb-Emission Sounder (SMILES) instrument attached to the Exposed Facility of the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) on the International Space Station (ISS). SMILES carries a 4-K mechanical refrigerator to cool superconducting devices in space. Since SMILES has high sensitivity thanks to the superconducting receiver, it is expected that SMILES has ability to retrieve O₃ profiles more precisely than the previous millimeter–submillimeter limb measurements from satellites.