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.     

航天器AIT中心典型霉菌形态及其消杀效果研究

航天器总装厂房是航天器携带微生物的重要环境来源之一，厂房内的微生物检测与鉴定及其杀菌方法研究对于航天器的微生物安全与防控技术研究具有重要意义。本文报道了航天器AIT中心分离的青霉属、曲霉属和枝孢霉属等8个种属的典型霉菌菌落和孢子形态，为航天器霉菌鉴定和菌种库的构建提供了参考；同时研究了消毒剂、UVC辐照和热处理对这些霉菌的消杀效果，以期为航天器的霉菌防控技术研究提供科学依据。研究结果表明不同种属霉菌对3种消杀方法的敏感性具有较大的差异性。结合我国不同地区AIT中心霉菌种属的多样性，在进行我国AIT中心霉菌的消杀工作时应有针对性地科学选择不同消杀方法或综合应用多种消杀方法。     

WSO-UV project

During last three decades, astronomers have enjoyed continuous access to the 100–300 nm ultraviolet (UV) spectral range where the resonance transitions of the most abundant atoms and ions (at temperatures between 3000 and 300 000 K) reside. This UV range is not accessible from ground-based facilities. The successful International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) observatory, the Russian ASTRON mission and successor instruments such as the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) mission or the COS and STIS spectrographs on-board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) prove the major impact of observations in the UV wavelength range in modern astronomy. Future access to space-based observatories is expected to be very limited. For the next decade, the post-HST era, the World Space Observatory – Ultraviolet (WSO–UV) will be the only 2-m class UV telescope with capabilities similar to the HST. WSO–UV will be equipped with instruments for imaging and spectroscopy and it will be a facility dedicated, full-time, to UV astronomy. In this article, we briefly outline the current status of the WSO–UV mission and the science management plan.     

A model of the effects of heavy ion radiation on human tissue

In heavy ion radiotherapy and space travel humans are exposed to energetic heavy ions (C, Si, Fe and others). This type of irradiation often produces more severe biological effects per unit dose than more common X-rays. A new Monte Carlo model generates a physical space with the complex geometry of human tissue or a cell culture based model of tissue, which is affected by the passage of ionizing radiation. For irradiation, the model relies on a physical code for the ion track structure; for tissues, cellular maps are derived from two- or three-dimensional confocal microscopy images using image segmentation algorithm, which defines cells as pixilated volumes. The model is used to study tissue-specific statistics of direct ion hits and the remote ion action on cells. As an application of the technique, we considered the spatial pattern of apoptotic cells after heavy ion irradiation. The pattern of apoptosis is modeled as a stochastic process, which is defined by the action cross section taken from available experimental data. To characterize the degree of apoptosis, an autocorrelation function that describes the spatial correlation of apoptotic cells is introduced. The values of the autocorrelation function demonstrate the effect of the directionality of the radiation track on the spatial arrangements of inactivated cells in tissue. This effect is intrinsic only to high linear-energy-transfer radiation.     

Prediction of shock-layer ultraviolet radiation for hypersonic vehicles in near space

A systemic and validated model was developed to predict ultraviolet spectra features from the shock layer of near-space hypersonic vehicles in the ‘‘solar blind" band region. Computational procedures were performed with 7-species thermal non-equilibrium fluid mechanics, finite rate chemistry, and radiation calculations. The thermal non-equilibrium flow field was calculated with a two-temperature model by the finite volume technique and verified against the bow-shock ultra-violet(BSUV) flight experiments. The absorption coefficient of the mixture gases was evaluated with a line-by-line method and validated through laboratory shock tube measurements. Using the line of sight(LOS) method, radiation was calculated from three BSUV flights at altitudes of 38,53.5 and 71 km. The investigation focused on the level and structure of ultraviolet spectra radiated from a NO band system in wavelengths of 200–400 nm. Results predicted by the current model show qualitative spatial agreement with the measured data. At a velocity of 3.5 km/s(about Mach11), the peak absolute intensity at an altitude of 38 km is two orders of magnitude higher than that at 53.5 km. Under the same flight conditions, the spectra structures have quite a similar distribution at different viewing angles. The present computational model performs well in the prediction of the ultraviolet spectra emitted from the shock layer and will contribute to the investigation and analysis of radiative features of hypersonic vehicles in near space.     

典型CMOS存储器电离辐照效应

对电离辐照环境中典型CMOS存储器的辐照效应进行了研究。分析了SRAM,EEPROM,FLASH ROM存储器在^60Coγ射线辐照及辐照后不同退火过程中,CMOS存储器的集成度、辐照偏置、退火时间和温度与电离辐照效应的关系。结果发现：不加电（冷备份）状态的^60Coγ射线辐照过程中,存储器的逻辑状态翻转出现较正常工作状态推迟1个量级以上;随着集成度的提高,SRAM,EEPROM存储器的辐照敏感度降低;试验器件经不同剂量的^60Coγ射线辐照后在不同温度下退火,所有试验器件均出现了逻辑状态翻转。     

DC Characteristics of Gamma-ray Irradiated SiGe HBT in Comparison with Si BJT

The changes of DC characteristics of SiGe HBT after being submitted to γ-ray irradiation of 700 krad, 7 000 krad and 10 000 krad were compared to those of Si BJT. Generally speaking, Ib and Ib–Ib0 increase with the doses increasing. For SiGe HBT, with the doses increasing, Ic and Ic–Ic0 as well as the related changes of the current gain (β) will decrease at higher Vbe, while for Si BJT, with the doses increasing, after irradiation, Ib and Ic–Ic0 increase; β and its related changes also decrease with their differences, however, tending to be very small at high doses of 7 000 krad and 10 000 krad. Moreover, given the same doses, the decreases of β are much larger than SiGe HBT, which shows that SiGe HBT’s anti-radiation performance proves to be better than Si BJT. Still, in SiGe HBT, some strange phe-nomena were observed: Ic–Ic0 will increase after the radiation of 7 000 krad in less than 0.65 V and as will β in less than 0.75 V. The mechanism of radiation-induced change in DC characteristics was also discussed.     

电子辐照对聚乙烯热缩套管力学性能的影响

利用45 keV,1 MeV和2 MeV电子分别对聚乙烯热缩套管进行辐照实验,研究不同能量电子辐照对聚乙烯热缩套管力学性能的影响,并分析电子辐照下材料的损伤效应机理,建立力学性能退化规律。结果表明：实验选定的3种能量电子辐照都会造成聚乙烯的降解,材料脆化产生裂纹,从而导致其力学性能下降;但是由于这3种能量电子穿透深度不同,45 keV电子只能造成聚乙烯热缩套管表层材料损伤,力学性能最大下降量只有30%~40%,而1 MeV和2 MeV电子却会导致套管力学性能完全丧失,力学性能下降接近100%。     

月食过程月表太阳辐照和温度变化模拟

月食对月球轨道探测器的温度有重要的影响,分析月食时月表的太阳辐照和温度,具有重要意义。文章给出了通用的月表温度模型和月食时月表太阳辐照模型,根据某次月食的天文参数,用太阳辐照模型可求出月表任一点在月食时的太阳直接辐照变化过程,代入温度模型可求出任一点的温度变化过程。此模型和方法可用于对任何一次月食的分析,并以2007年8月28日的月食为例,模拟了该次月食的表面太阳直接辐照和温度的变化过程。