The effect of vibrations on heterogeneous fluids: Some studies in weightlessness

Under weightlessness, the effect of harmonic vibrations can easily induce average motions in fluids with density inhomogeneities. We will consider more particularly pure fluids near their gas–liquid critical point, where the temperature variation of all important parameters (e.g. interfacial tension, density difference) follows universal, scaling laws. We will thus study, below the critical point, the ordering of the gas–liquid interfaces (at equilibrium and during the phase separation) and, above the critical point, some thermovibrational instabilities. These studies have been performed in the Russian MIR station and in the MiniTexus and Maxus rockets of ESA and under magnetic compensation of gravity on earth.     

Near-critical fluids under microgravity : status of the eseme program and perspectives for the iss

Started 16 years ago, the ESEME program has led to a number of important findings. We note a simple and unified view of phase transitions, which has been applied to the development of biological patterns, and a very fast thermalization mode that we coined the “piston effect”. This effect has been applied to control the cryogenic reservoirs of the Ariane 5 rocket. All these findings have been obtained thanks to the good coordination of the ESA and CNES space facilities and the construction of high technology experimental modules. The future of the program is linked to the CNES DECLIC facility and the ESA Fluid Science Laboratory (FSL). DECLIC has been designed to increase the temperature regulation above the critical point of water (550 K) so as to investigate chemical reactions under conditions of supercritical water, and in relation to the promising applications of waste treatment by supercritical oxidation. Thanks to the construction of a special vibrational Experiment Container for FSL, the thermal and mechanical behavior of fluids under forced vibration can be investigated. The results of such studies will help to estimate the effect of g-jitter on fluids, and control gases and liquids in space.     

The loss of stability in ground based experiments in liquid bridges

In this study our primary goal is to investigate the loss of stability of the steady convection in deformable liquid bridges. Definitely, the deformation plays an important role in the transition process from the steady axi-symmetric 2-D basic state to the 3-D periodical one. As it was shown experimentally by many researchers, the critical Marangoni number is very sensitive to the volume of liquid.

It seems to be proved^1–4, that the critical wave number for high Prandtl fluids (for example, silicone oil of different viscosities. Pr > 50) is m = 1 for aspect ratios Γ = height/radius ≥ 1.0 regardless of the free surface shape. But the data from our last experiments show, that by changing surrounding conditions around the liquid bridge we can change the critical wave number. Particularly, by placing the liquid bridge of diameter 2r = 6mm into another cylindrical volume of the diameter 2R = 12mm kept at constant temperature, the critical mode is switched from m = 1 to m = 2.     

Convective Motions in Near-Critical Fluids under Real Zero-Gravity Conditions

The results of processing and interpreting the data of joint Russian–French experiments for studying the heat and mass transfer in near-critical fluids are presented. The experiments were carried out with the ALICE-1 instrument during an orbital flight of the Mirstation from September 30 to October 2, 1995 [1]. For such fluids with a point-like source of heat, when they are placed in the field of uncontrolled inertial accelerations of the spacecraft, the influence of thermovibrational and thermogravitational mechanisms of convection on the propagation of the region of optical irregularity is investigated. It is shown that, near the thermodynamic critical point, local heating of the medium leads to generation of either intense thermogravitational convection or averaged vibroconvective flow, depending on the frequency of variations of the microaccelerations. The structure and characteristics of discovered motions are studied. The results of numerical simulations are presented that confirm the conclusion about a possibility of generation of an averaged convective flow of a vibrational type by the high-frequency component of microaccelerations.     

Stepping stones to the future: Achieving a sustainable lunar outpost

The current emphasis in the US and internationally on lunar robotic missions is generally viewed as a precursor to possible future human missions to the Moon. As initially framed, the implementation of high level policies such as the US Vision for Space Exploration (VSE) might have been limited to either human lunar sortie missions, or to the testing at the Moon of concepts-of-operations and systems for eventual human missions to Mars [White House, Vision for Space Exploration, Washington, DC, 14 January, 2004. [1]]. However, recently announced (December 2006) US goals go much further: these plans now place at the center of future US—and perhaps international—human spaceflight activities a long-term commitment to an outpost on the Moon.Based on available documents, a human lunar outpost could be emplaced as early as the 2020–2025 timeframe, and would involve numerous novel systems, new technologies and unique operations requirements. As such, substantial investments in research and development (R&D) will be necessary prior to, during, and following the deployment of such an outpost. It seems possible that such an outpost will be an international endeavor, not just the undertaking of a single country—and the US has actively courted partners in the VSE. However, critical questions remain concerning an international lunar outpost. What might such an outpost accomplish? To what extent will “sustainability” be built into the outpost? And, most importantly, what will be the outpost's life cycle cost (LCC)?This paper will explore these issues with a view toward informing key policy and program decisions that must be made during the next several years. The paper will (1) describe a high-level analytical model of a modest lunar outpost, (2) examine (using this model) the parametric characteristics of the outpost in terms of the three critical questions indicated above, and (3) present rough estimates of the relationships of outpost goals and “sustainability” to LCC. The paper will also consider possible outpost requirements for near-term investments in enabling research in light of experiences in past advanced technology programs.     

The Tanaka-Enome criterion and solar activity in October–November 2003 as observed by the Large Pulkovo Radio Telescope

We present the results of spectral and polarization observations of two large sunspot groups, NOAA 0484 and NOAA 0486 + 0488, which determine high solar activity in October–November 2003. The observations are made with the Large Pulkovo Radio Telescope (LPRT) in the range 2.7–20 cm, the one-dimensional (E-W) resolution of observations being 1–6 arc min, respectively. The main characteristics of the corona radio emission above these active regions are measured, allowing us to follow their dynamics during the entire period of their existence on the solar disk with a period of one day. The analysis of the obtained results is presented from the point of view of the well-known Tanaka-Enome criterion [1–2] (on the basis of this criterion one can predict strong flares from characteristics of radio emission of an active region in quasi-quiet state). Using the activity in October–November 2003 as an example, we demonstrate the capabilities of a new method for estimating the level of solar activity. It was developed on the basis of long-term observations of the Sun by LPRT [3].Translated from Kosmicheskie Issledovaniya, Vol. 42, No. 6, 2004, pp. 585–594.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2004 by Borisevich, Ilin, Korzhavin, Peterova, Topchilo, Shpitalnaya.     

Implicit spatial reference systems using proximity and aligment knowledge

In this paper, we explore the situation where no cardinal directions or globally available orientations are available and no metric estimates are given. This corresponds to the way many people perceive their environment and carry out spatial reasoning tasks. We consider three kinds of locally available information – proximity (nearest neighbor), relevance (different sets of neighbors) and distribution (alignments) – and we limit our interest to a universe of point objects. We show how the theory of manifolds and sheaves can be applied to the problem of combining locally available information of a qualitative nature into a global model of an environmental space. We then explore the limitations of the resulting global model if information capture is incomplete or uncertain. Finally, we note that some indeterminacy in the global model does not entail difficulties for a user, provided the reasoning task is appropriately constrained or appropriate additional information is used, such as an external reference.     

The effectiveness of end-of-life re-orbiting for debris mitigation in geostationary orbit

The effect of satellite breakups over 72 years, as a function of the end-of-life re-orbiting altitude (0–2000km), was analyzed in terms of fragment contribution to the object density in the geostationary orbit (GEO) ring, both in the short- and long-term. In the short-term, the explosions in GEO are the most detrimental for the GEO ring environment, though the average fragment density in the ring is never higher than 1/5 of the background, decreasing to less than 1/100 of the existing environment after 4 years (apart from a density rebound 5 decades later, due to luni-solar perturbations). Spacecraft end-of-life re-orbiting is a possible mitigation solution. But the re-orbiting altitude is critical if explosions continue to occur. In order to reduce the post-event average density by 1 order of magnitude with respect to an explosion occurring in GEO, more than 500km of re-orbiting is needed. Concerning the long-term environmental impact, the re-orbiting strategy supported by Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) seems adequate to guarantee, after 2–3 years, a long-term average density of fragments in the GEO ring of at least 2 orders of magnitude below the existing background. But at least 1000km of re-orbiting are needed to stay below that threshold in the short-term too. In conclusion, the re-orbiting strategy recommended by IADC is totally adequate in the long-term, but only if satellite passivation is extensively carried out.     

The vision of human spaceflight

This viewpoint charts the historical origins of humans’ fascination with discovering, and having the possibility of visiting, outer space, arguing that acceptance of change is crucial to realizing such dreams. In the past, change was neither expected nor particularly welcomed but scientific and technological discoveries and advances––often made in the face of ‘establishment’ (e.g. Church) opposition––have persuaded people of the desirability of progress. Science fiction writers too have played a part in inspiring humans to want to explore the cosmos. Even if the current US Vision for space exploration proves politically unsustainable, today's humans will not abandon their dreams of space travel.     

Ares I–X Flight Test Vehicle similitude to the Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle

The Ares I–X Flight Test Vehicle is the first in a series of flight test vehicles that will take the Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle design from development to operational capability. Ares I–X is scheduled for a 2009 flight date, early enough in the Ares I design and development process so that data obtained from the flight can impact the design of Ares I before its Critical Design Review. Decisions on Ares I–X scope, flight test objectives, and FTV fidelity were made prior to the Ares I systems requirements being baselined. This was necessary in order to achieve a development flight test to impact the Ares I design. Differences between the Ares I–X and the Ares I configurations are artifacts of formulating this experimental project at an early stage and the natural maturation of the Ares I design process. This paper describes the similarities and differences between the Ares I–X Flight Test Vehicle and the Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle. Areas of comparison include the outer mold line geometry, aerosciences, trajectory, structural modes, flight control architecture, separation sequence, and relevant element differences. Most of the outer mold line differences present between Ares I and Ares I–X are minor and will not have a significant effect on overall vehicle performance. The most significant impacts are related to the geometric differences in Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle at the forward end of the stack. These physical differences will cause differences in the flow physics in these areas. Even with these differences, the Ares I–X flight test is poised to meet all five primary objectives and six secondary objectives. Knowledge of what the Ares I–X flight test will provide in similitude to Ares I—as well as what the test will not provide—is important in the continued execution of the Ares I–X mission leading to its flight and the continued design and development of Ares I.     

Catapulting mass from planetary objects

We examine the motion of a superconducting dipole in the field of a large flat solenoid. It is found that $\text{energy}\text{mass}$ ratios of about 1 MJ per kilogramme of dipole can be reached for an effective current density of about 400 A/mm² in the dipole if the diameter of the dipole and solenoid are of the order of 6 and 30 m, respectively. The values will be less critical if the dipole passes the field of two solenoids. We propose a mechanical lever-rope method for stabilization of the dipole axis and determine the deflection of the dipole's path from the vertical under small perturbations of the initial co-ordinates.     

PRISMA—A formation flying project in implementation phase

The PRISMA project for autonomous formation flying and rendezvous has passed its critical design review in February–March 2007. The project comprises two satellites which are an in-orbit testbed for Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) algorithms and sensors for advanced formation flying and rendezvous. Several experiments involving GNC algorithms, sensors and thrusters will be performed during a 10 month mission with launch planned for the second half of 2009.The project is run by the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) in close cooperation with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the French Space Agency (CNES) and the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). Additionally, the project also will demonstrate flight worthiness of two novel motor technologies: one that uses environmentally clean and non-hazardous propellant, and one that consists of a microthruster system based on MEMS technology.The project will demonstrate autonomous formation flying and rendezvous based on several sensors—GPS, RF-based and vision based—with different objectives and in different combinations. The GPS-based onboard navigation system, contributed by DLR, offers relative orbit information in real-time in decimetre range. The RF-based navigation instrument intended for DARWIN, under CNES development, will be tested for the first time on PRISMA, both for instrument performance, but also in closed loop as main sensor for formation flying. Several rendezvous and proximity manoeuvre experiments will be demonstrated using only vision based sensor information coming from the modified star camera provided by DTU. Semi-autonomous operations ranging from 200 km to 1 m separation between the satellites will be demonstrated.With the project now in the verification phase particular attention is given to the specific formation flying and rendezvous functionality on instrument, GNC-software and system level.     

Transfer orbits to/from the Lagrangian points in the restricted four-body problem

The well-known Lagrangian points that appear in the planar restricted three-body problem are very important for astronautical applications. They are five points of equilibrium in the equations of motion, what means that a particle located at one of those points with zero velocity will remain there indefinitely. The collinear points (L₁, L₂ and L₃) are always unstable and the triangular points (L₄ and L₅) are stable in the present case studied (Earth–Sun system). They are all very good points to locate a space-station, since they require a small amount of ΔV (and fuel), the control to be used, for station-keeping. The triangular points are especially good for this purpose, since they are stable equilibrium points.In this paper, the planar restricted four-body problem applied to the Sun–Earth–Moon–Spacecraft is combined with numerical integration and gradient methods to solve the two-point boundary value problem. This combination is applied to the search of families of transfer orbits between the Lagrangian points and the Earth, in the Earth–Sun system, with the minimum possible cost of the control used. So, the final goal of this paper is to find the magnitude of the two impulses to be applied in the spacecraft to complete the transfer: the first one when leaving/arriving at the Lagrangian point and the second one when arriving/living at the Earth.The dynamics given by the restricted four-body problem is used to obtain the trajectory of the spacecraft, but not the position of the equilibrium points. Their position is taken from the restricted three-body model. The goal to use this model is to evaluate the perturbation of the Sun in those important trajectories, in terms of fuel consumption and time of flight. The solutions will also show how to apply the impulses to accomplish the transfers under this force model.The results showed a large collection of transfers, and that there are initial conditions (position of the Sun with respect to the other bodies) where the force of the Sun can be used to reduce the cost of the transfers.     

History of UK contribution to astronautics: Politics and government

In all developed countries, once it emerged from the amateur era, Space (and especially rocketry) moved on the public agenda because of its potential significance for both the civil and military policies of governments (coupled with its appetite for new money). In the UK the policy treatment of Space broadly paralleled that in other countries until the post-Empire trauma, the burn-out of the White-Hot Technological revolution of Harold Wilson, and the financial crises of the 1970s exhausted the public appetite for large scale publicly funded projects in high technology. The culmination for Space of these pressures came in 1986–1987 when the UK rejected the emerging international consensus and, almost alone, stayed outside the manned space commitments which developed into the International Space Station. In this paper, Colin Hicks will review the UK political developments which led up to the 1986–1987 decision and how the politics and organisation of UK space activity have developed since then to the point where in 2008 a major government review of the UK involvement in manned space was commissioned.     

Radial gradient of low-energy (∼0.5–2 MeV) protons at 20–80 AU in the solar activity minima of the 22nd and 23rd cycles

The value of the radial gradient of low-energy (0.5–2 MeV) protons in the heliosphere at distances of 20–80 AU in the periods of solar activity minima in 1985–1987 and 1994–1997 was estimated using the data of the Voyager-1 and Voyager-2 spacecraft (s/c). Preliminary results on the dependence of the radial gradient on the distance were obtained for protons of these energies. The value of the radial gradient varies from –3% (AU)^–1 to –1% (AU)^–1 at distances from the Sun of 20–60 AU, reaching +0.7% (AU)^–1 at maximum considered distances (80 AU). The sign reversal of the proton radial gradient at a distance of 60–70 AU is interpreted as the appearance of a new component: up to the point of inversion there are mainly particles of the solar origin and/or accelerated in the inner heliosphere, while after the reversal of the gradients sign the fluxes of particles prevail whose source is located far from the Sun (maybe in the vicinity of the heliosphere boundary in the region of existence of the termination shock).Translated from Kosmicheskie Issledovaniya, Vol. 43, No. 1, 2005, pp. 3–8.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Logachev, Zeldovich, Surova.     

Gender differences in organ density in a rat simulated microgravity model

Research investigating the physiological effects of microgravity on the human body has demonstrated a shift of body fluids in actual spaceflight and in simulated Earth-based microgravity models in both males and females, possibly causing many deleterious physiological effects. Twenty-five anatomically normal female (NF) and 20 ovariectomized (OE) Fischer 344 rats were randomly selected to be in an experimental (1 h of 45 degrees head-down tilt, 45HDT) or control (1 h of prone position) group. At the end of the hour experimental period, the density of the brain, lungs, heart, liver, and left and right kidneys were measured using spiral computed tomography (SCT) while the rats remained in their experimental positions. A sub-group of OE rats (N=6) was administered estrogen replacement therapy on a daily basis (5 micrograms/kg body weight, s.c.) for 4 days and then underwent 1 h of 45HDT and SCT analysis at one day, 2 days, and 5 days to determine if estrogen replacement therapy would alter organ densities. Our data demonstrate that 1 h of 45HDT produced significant increases (p<0.05) in the organ densities of the brain, liver, left kidney, and lung of the OE female group compared to their prone controls. However, only the brain density was significantly increased in the NF group. Estrogen replacement therapy caused a significant decrease in brain organ density at the 5 day time point compared to the 24 h time point. We conclude that estrogen plays a role in fluid distribution in a rat 45HDT model.     

Observation of the Near Plasma Sheet,Ring Current,and Energetic Electrons from Radiation Belts at a Geosynchronous Orbit,March 11–25, 1992

The dynamics of near plasma sheet electrons and ions (E 0.1–12.4 keV), ring current protons (E _i 41–133 keV), and energetic electrons from the Earth's radiation belts (E _e 97–1010 keV) is considered using the data from the Gorizont-34and Gorizont-35geosynchronous satellites from March 11–25, 1992. Peculiarities of this period are a long (more than 4 days) interval of the northward interplanetary magnetic field (B _z> 0) and a high-speed stream of the solar wind with an enhanced particle density. The SC and compression of the magnetosphere to the geosynchronous orbit (GMC) preceded this interval. Under quiet and moderately disturbed geomagnetic conditions and under a prolonged northward interplanetary magnetic field, we observed a significant decrease of fluxes and softening of spectra of the electron component of plasma in the energy ranges of 0.1–12.4 keV and 97–1010 keV, and of the ion component of plasma at energies of 0.1–4 keV, while the intensity of 5–12.4 keV ion fluxes increases by about one order of magnitude. The peculiarities of distributions of energetic particle fluxes observed in the period under consideration can be associated with significant variations of the convection conditions and a decreased or fully suppressed injection of energetic electrons into the geosynchronous orbit region.     

Legal consequences of a SETI detection

If a detection of ETI takes place, this will in all probability be the result of either: (a) detecting and recognising a signal or other emission of ETI; or (b) the finding of an alien artifact (for instance on the Moon or other Celestial Body of our Solar System); or (c) the highly improbable event of an actual encounter. First and foremost, legal consequences regarding any of these contingencies will result from immediate consultations between nations on Earth. Understandings, memoranda and even agreements might be proposed and/or concluded. Such results within the field of terrestrial law will surely be a new branch of International Law, and particularly of International Space Law. At the same time, terrestrial nations will have to realize that any ETI will be self-determined intelligent individualities or organizations who might have their own understanding of “rules of behaviour” and thus, be legal subjects. Whether one calls such rules “law” or not: if two intelligent races—both of which have specific rules of behaviour—come into contact with each other, the basic understanding of such mutual rules will lead to a kind of “code of conduct”. This might be the starting point for a kind of Law—Metalaw—between different races in the Universe.     

液氧密度测量技术研究

液氧/煤油发动机地面试验中,液氧质量流量通过测量体积流量乘以密度来获得,密度测量的准确度直接影响质量流量的测量准确度。影响液氧密度的主要因素是密度的计算公式和温度测量的准确性。介绍了液氧密度的获取途径、计算方法,对影响密度的主要技术问题,特别是液氧温度测量技术进行了深入研究,提出采用测温法计算密度,测温点选在涡轮流量计附近,传感器选用铠装裸露式A级铂电阻,同时推荐了密度计算公式。     

热力学效应对低温诱导轮旋转汽蚀影响的数值研究

诱导轮是液体火箭发动机中提高涡轮泵性能的关键部件,而旋转汽蚀是引起诱导轮故障的原因之一。低温液体发生汽蚀时会产生大量的潜热,对汽蚀流动产生重要的影响。利用基于Rayleigh—Plesset方程的混合流体模型,并考虑了汽蚀热力学效应,对诱导轮二维叶栅中的低温旋转汽蚀现象进行了数值分析。计算结果表明,考虑热力学效应时,产生旋转汽蚀的入口压力值下降;低温条件下的温度变化对超同步旋转汽蚀没有影响,而对次同步旋转汽蚀影响显著。