Results of space experiment program "Interferon"

The results of the biological space experiment "Interferon" performed by two international cosmonaut teams (26 May 1980, and 16 May 1981) aboard space laboratory Solyut-6 are reported: (1) Human lymphocytes separated from blood of healthy donors and placed into "Interferon I" equipment could be kept for 7 days in suspension culture under spaceflight conditions. Interferon production could be induced in human lymphocytes by preparations of different origin: virus, synthetic polyribonucleotides, bacterial protein and plant pigment. An increased lymphocyte interferon production in space laboratory compared to ground control was observed. (2) Human interferon preparations and interferon inducers placed in space laboratory at room temperature for 7 days maintained their biological activity. (3) A decrease of induced interferon production and natural killer activity of lymphocytes isolated from peripheral blood of cosmonauts was observed on the 1st day on Earth after 7-days spaceflight.     

Spaceflight and clinorotation cause cytoskeleton and mitochondria changes and increases in apoptosis in cultured cells.

The cytoskeleton is a complex network of fibers that is sensitive to environmental factors including microgravity and altered gravitational forces. Cellular functions such as transport of cell organelles depend on cytoskeletal integrity; regulation of cytoskeletal activity plays a role in cell maintenance, cell division, and apoptosis. Here we report cytoskeletal and mitochondria alterations in cultured human lymphocyte (Jurkat) cells after exposure to spaceflight and in insect cells of Drosophila melanogaster (Schneider S-1) after exposure to conditions created by clinostat rotation. Jurkat cells were flown on the space shuttle in Biorack cassettes while Schneider S-1 cells were exposed to altered gravity forces as produced by clinostat rotation. The effects of both treatments were similar in the different cell types. Fifty percent of cells displayed effects on the microtubule network in both cell lines. Under these experimental conditions mitochondria clustering and morphological alterations of mitochondrial cristae was observed to various degrees after 4 and 48 hours of culture. Jurkat cells underwent cell divisions during exposure to spaceflight but a large number of apoptotic cells was also observed. Similar results were obtained in Schneider S-1 cells cultured under clinostat rotation. Both cell lines displayed mitochondria abnormalities and mitochondria clustering toward one side of the cells which is interpreted to be the result of microtubule disruption and failure of mitochondria transport along microtubules. The number of mitochondria was increased in cells exposed to altered gravity while cristae morphology was severely affected indicating altered mitochondria function. These results show that spaceflight as well as altered gravity produced by clinostat rotation affects microtubule and mitochondria organization and results in increases in apoptosis. Grant numbers: NAG 10-0224, NAG2-985.     

Redefining safety in commercial space: Understanding debates over the safety of private human spaceflight initiatives in the United States

In 2009 President Obama proposed a budget for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) that canceled the Constellation program and included the development of commercial crew transportation systems into low Earth orbit. This significant move to shift human spaceflight into the private sector sparked political debate, but much of the discourse has focused on impacts to “safety.” Although no one disputes the importance of keeping astronauts safe, strategies for defining safety reveal contrasting visions for the space program and opposing values regarding the privatization of U.S. space exploration. In other words, the debate over commercial control has largely become encoded in arguments over safety. Specifically, proponents of using commercial options for transporting astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) argue that commercial vehicles would be safe for astronauts, while proponents of NASA control argue that commercial vehicles would be unsafe, or at least not as safe as NASA vehicles. The cost of the spaceflight program, the technical requirements for designing a vehicle, the track record of the launch vehicle, and the experience of the launch provider are all incorporated into what defines safety in human spaceflight. This paper analyzes these contested criteria through conceptual lenses provided by fields of science and technology policy (STP) and science, technology, and society (STS). We ultimately contend that these differences in definition result not merely from ambiguous understandings of safety, but from intentional and strategic choices guided by normative positions on the commercialization of human spaceflight. The debate over safety is better considered a proxy debate for the partisan preferences embedded within the dispute over public or private spaceflight.     

Bone and body mass changes during space flight

Long duration space flight has shown us that humans have significant bone loss and mineral changes because they are living in microgravity. Skylab and the longer Salyut and Mir missions, are providing us useful data and allowing us to explore the mechanism involved in skeletal turnover. Bone redistribution occurs throughout space flight with bone loss predominately in the weight bearing bones of posture and locomotion. The primary health hazards which may occur during space flight induced by skeletal changes include signs and symptoms of hypercalcemia, and the risk of kidney stones and metastatic calcification. After flight lengthy recovery of bone mass and the possible increase in the risk of bone fracture should be considered. Continued research studies are being directed toward determining the mechanisms by which bone is lost in space and developing more effective countermeasures by both the US (Schneider and McDonald, 1984 and Schneider, LeBlanc & Huntoon, 1993) and Russian (Grigoriev et. al., 1989) space programs.     

怀念恩师钱学森

作者从初见钱学森的印象、在工程力学研究班学习、从事早期卫星准备工作、合作进行远程星际航行后续研究、航天名词规范及航天科普宣传等多方面,回忆了钱学森对自己的引导、指导和教导。     

一种载人航天概率风险评价数据选用与分析方法

概率风险评价(PRA)方法是一项成熟的量化风险评估技术,而可靠性相关数据不足,制约着该方法在国内载人航天领域的应用。针对这一问题,结合NASA的PRA工作经验,提出了一种适合国内载人航天PRA数据选用与分析的方法,综合运用产品的通用数据与特定数据,采用贝叶斯等数据融合方法,对产品进行量化评价。通过航天典型产品案例,与经典评估方法进行对比分析,结果表明,此方法更能反映产品的失效特性。文章提出的方法,可用于载人航天等具有小子样特征的产品PRA数据的选用与分析,为我国载人航天开展PRA工作提供参考。     

Seeking justifications for human spaceflight

Traditionally cited benefits such as scientific and economic progress or political advantages have been widely recognized as insufficient to justify ongoing and future human spaceflight programmes in today's prevailing geopolitical and socioeconomic environment. A rationale for human spaceflight evoking visions such as exploitation of extraterrestrial resources and human exploration of space has to cope with an unavoidable dilemma: attractive as they may appear, those projects are fraught with many grave uncertainties and risks. The paper attempts to answer the question of which significance (if any) such visionary projects may assume in justifying the continuation of human spaceflight activities. We argue that, despite as yet unanswerable technological and economic questions and despite the extremely long time-frames involved, it seems reasonable and, hence, justified to keep the option alive to be able to solve — by means of humans in space — one of humankind's probable major problems in the coming century: the impending energy crisis.     

Project Icarus: A review of local interstellar medium properties of relevance for space missions to the nearest stars

I review those properties of the interstellar medium within 15 light-years of the Sun, which will be relevant for the planning of future rapid (v≥0.1c) interstellar space missions to the nearest stars. As the detailed properties of the local interstellar medium (LISM) may only become apparent after interstellar probes have been able to make in situ measurements, the first such probes will have to be designed conservatively with respect to what can be learned about the LISM from the immediate environment of the Solar System. It follows that studies of interstellar vehicles should assume the lowest plausible density when considering braking devices, which rely on transferring momentum from the vehicle to the surrounding medium, but the highest plausible densities when considering possible damage caused by the impact of the vehicle with interstellar material. Some suggestions for working values of these parameters are provided. This paper is a submission of the Project Icarus Study Group.     

The essential role of human spaceflight

The question is: should the United States and nations at large pursue a human spaceflight program (and if so, why)? I offer an unwavering positive answer to this question, and state the reasons for it while considering the broad challenges and benefits of (human) spaceflight. Space exploration is a human activity that is intrinsically forward-looking, and as such, has positive potential. Both national and international space programs can galvanize the population, inspire the youth, foster job-creation, and motivate the existing workforce. The nature of the enterprises involved—their scale, novelty, and complexity—requires a steady and continuous upward progression toward greater societal, scientific and technological development. That is, in order to overcome the challenges of human spaceflight, progress is required. More to the point, the survival of humanity depends on expanding beyond the confines of our planet. Human spaceflight, in short, presents us with an opportunity to significantly advance the nation and the global community.     

A search for optical beacons: implications of null results

Over the past few years a series of searches for interstellar radio beacons have taken place using the Parkes radio telescope. Here we report hitherto unpublished results from a search for optical beacons from 60 solar-type stars using the Perth-Lowell telescope. We discuss the significance of the null results from these searches, all of which were based on the interstellar contact channel hypothesis. While the null results of all searches to date can be explained simply by the nonexistence of electromagnetically communicating life elsewhere in the Milky Way, four other possible explanations that do not preclude its existence are proposed: (1) Extraterrestrial civilizations desiring to make contact through the use of electromagnetic beacons have a very low density in the Milky Way. (2) The interstellar contact channel hypothesis is incorrect, and beacons exist at frequencies that have not yet been searched. (3) The search has been incomplete in terms of sensitivity and/or target directions: Beacons exist, but more sensitive equipment and/or more searching is needed to achieve success. (4) The search has occurred before beacon signals can be expected to have arrived at the Earth, and beacon signals may be expected in the future. Based on consideration of the technology required for extraterrestrial civilizations to identify target planets, we argue that the fourth possibility is likely to be valid and that powerful, easily detectable beacons could be received in coming centuries.     

The use of micro-worlds for human factors research in extended spaceflight.

This article provides an analysis of the utility of micro-worlds for human factors research in extended spaceflight. It outlines potential areas of application of the micro-world research paradigm in the context of spaceflight. While the research literature provides several examples of micro-worlds that simulate different work environments of high complexity, little work has been done with this tool in the operational environment of spaceflight. The author presents a micro-world, called CAMS, that has been especially developed for use in space-related research. The results from a research programme (comprising seven studies using CAMS) are presented. Based on a comparative analysis of the benefits and limitations of micro-worlds compared to other simulation types, the author argues that micro-worlds can be a very effective tool, provided their inherent limitations are taken into consideration.     

New challenges for life sciences flight project management

Scientists have conducted studies involving human spaceflight crews for over three decades. These studies have progressed from simple observations before and after each flight to sophisticated experiments during flights of several weeks up to several months. The findings from these experiments are available in the scientific literature. Management of these flight experiments has grown into a system fashioned from the Apollo Program style, focusing on budgeting, scheduling and allocation of human and material resources. While these areas remain important to the future, the International Space Station (ISS) requires that the Life Sciences spaceflight experiments expand the existing project management methodology. The use of telescience with state-of-the-art information technology and the multi-national crews and investigators challenges the former management processes. Actually conducting experiments on board the ISS will be an enormous undertaking and International Agreements and Working Groups will be essential in giving guidance to the flight project management Teams forged in this matrix environment must be competent to make decisions and qualified to work with the array of engineers, scientists, and the spaceflight crews. In order to undertake this complex task, data systems not previously used for these purposes must be adapted so that the investigators and the project management personnel can all share in important information as soon as it is available. The utilization of telescience and distributed experiment operations will allow the investigator to remain involved in their experiment as well as to understand the numerous issues faced by other elements of the program. The complexity in formation and management of project teams will be a new kind of challenge for international science programs. Meeting that challenge is essential to assure success of the International Space Station as a laboratory in space.     

Mission success regulations,their effect on ELV launch success and the applicability to regulating commercial human spaceflight

As the human spaceflight industry grows the agencies charged with regulating that industry meet significant challenges. An improvement in launch success would improve the safety for the crew and passengers of a commercial human spaceflight. With respect to ELV launches, NASA's regulations over civil launches are mission success oriented while commercial launches regulated by the FAA-AST, the agency that will also be charged with human spaceflight, takes a more public safety oriented stance. A comparison of the launch success between civil and commercial launches is used to inform the decision on whether or not mission success would be an appropriate regulatory stance for the FAA-AST. The results show that there is no significant difference in launch success between civil and commercial ELV launches. Because of this and because the industry is wary of over regulation, there is indication that a mission success oriented stance might not be appropriate for regulating commercial human spaceflight.     

“北京一号”小卫星图像分析

20世纪80年代中期开始,世界航天界兴起了发展小卫星的热潮,特别是小卫星星群或星座的发展,将取代部分现代大型应用卫星的功能。文章提出并总结了图像综合品质评价技术指标,对中国的“北京一号”（DMC＋4灾难监测星座）小卫星图像进行评价,从图像的空间分辨率、光谱分辨率和时间分辨率几个方面对中国“北京一号”小卫星图像进行分析。     

航天器多功能结构的研究现状及其应用前景

减轻航天器的质量是21世纪航空航天技术发展的战略目标之一，发展多功能结构是实现轻质化，降低成本的重要技术手段且为航天器的设计提供了一种新的方法。多功能结构的核心是传统的机箱、电缆和连接器被柔性系统取代，印制配线板等航空电子设备被缩减为多芯片模块，并运用协作工程学的方法，把电的功能和热控制功能集成到航天器的壁（板）结构中。本文对国外先进复合材料多功能结构的研究现状进行了总结和评述，阐述了多功能结构的概念，基本组成以及各种类型多功能结构的特点及适用范围，并对复合材料多功能结构的应用前景和有待解决的问题进行了讨论。     

Ultraviolet studies of the interplanetary and local interstellar medium

A review of the last results of UV observations in the interplanetary space of neutral hydrogen and neutral helium in resonance lines HI λ1215.7 Å and HeI λ584 Å is presented. The history of discovery of the interstellar wind effect is expounded in the review, and interaction of the solar wind with the interstellar medium is briefly described. Models of the inner-heliospheric distribution of emissivity in the lines HI λ1215.7 Å and HeI λ584 Å are discussed, and possibilities of getting the solar wind parameters from UV observations in the L _α line are considered. Currently accepted parameters of the local interstellar medium are presented. The parameters obtained are compared with those derived from non-optical measurements.     

Plant molecular biology in the space station era: utilization of KSC fixation tubes with RNAlater

Spaceflight experiments involving biological specimens face unique challenges with regard to the on orbit harvest and preservation of material for later ground-based analyses. Preserving plant material for gene expression analyses requires that the tissue be prepared and stored in a manner that maintains the integrity of RNA. The liquid preservative RNAlater (Ambion) provides an effective alternative to conventional freezing strategies, which are limited or unavailable in current spaceflight experiment scenarios. The spaceflight use of RNAlater is enabled by the Kennedy space center fixation tube (KFT), hardware designed to provide the necessary containment of fixatives during the harvest and stowage of biological samples in space. Pairing RNAlater with the KFT system provides a safe and effective strategy for preserving plant material for subsequent molecular analyses, a strategy that has proven effective in several spaceflight experiments. Possible spaceflight scenarios for the use of RNAlater and KFTs are explored and discussed.     

The search for extraterrestrial artifacts (SETA)

The rationale for the use of interstellar artifacts by intelligent life in the universe is described. The advantages of using interstellar probes as a means of exploration and communication are presented and shown to be significant enough to counter the time, energy, and technology arguments generally raised against contact via extraterrestrial artifacts. Four classes of artifacts are defined: Those seeking contact, those seeking to avoid contact, those intended to provide a passive technological threshold for detection, and those for which detection is irrelevant. The Search for Extraterrestrial Artifacts (SETA) is based on the latter two classes. Under the assumption that an extraterrestrial probe will be interested in life in our solar system, a near-Earth search space is defined. This search space is accessible to us now with ground and satellite observing facilities. The current observational status of SETA is reviewed and contrasted with the achievable detection limits for the different parts of the search space.     

When will we see a Golden Age of Spaceflight?

The supposed parallels between the development of aviation and of spaceflight are not as great as believed. The most significant differences are the public expectation that spaceflight, unlike aviation, is a matter for governments and the notion that, because it is so technically challenging, it must always be expensive. Early aviation was massively spurred on by the offer of lucrative prizes for the achievement of certain feats and by the activities of private barnstormers. The successfully attained X Prize has been the first attempt to do the same for spaceflight. The creation of further prizes could be the best way of promoting greater public involvement in space and commercially developing the sector.