Missions to the outer solar system and beyond

A report on the second IAA symposium on realistic near-term advanced scientific space missions, held in Aosta, Italy, 29 June-1 July 1998. Though some might find the idea of interstellar travel far-fetched, the question it raises of the need for a space-based infra-structure and economy is pertinent to a growing number of today's activities.     

On biogenicity criteria for endolithic microborings on early Earth and beyond

Micron-sized cavities created by the actions of rock-etching microorganisms known as euendoliths are explored as a biosignature for life on early Earth and perhaps Mars. Rock-dwelling organisms can tolerate extreme environmental stresses and are excellent candidates for the colonization of early Earth and planetary surfaces. Here, we give a brief overview of the fossil record of euendoliths in both sedimentary and volcanic rocks. We then review the current understanding of the controls upon the distribution of euendolithic microborings and use these to propose three lines of approach for testing their biogenicity: first, a geological setting that demonstrates a syngenetic origin for the euendolithic microborings; second, microboring morphologies and distributions that are suggestive of biogenic behavior and distinct from ambient inclusion trails; and third, elemental and isotopic evidence suggestive of biological processing. We use these criteria and the fossil record of terrestrial euendoliths to outline potential environments and techniques to search for endolithic microborings on Mars.     

Prospects for conventional arms reduction in Europe : CFE and beyond

This is an edited version of an address given by the Minister of Defence of the Netherlands to a symposium held by the Technological and Aerospace Committee of the Western European Union Assembly in Rome, 27 March 1990. The Minister argues that there is a role for a European satellite surveillance system to help verify adherence to conventional forces reduction agreements and to support United Nations peacekeeping efforts. If its technical and financial feasibility are demonstrated, further steps in the direction of an independent European system should be taken as quickly as possible.     

Project Galileo: completing Europa, preparing for Io.

Galileo has completed the Europa leg of the Galileo Europa Mission, and is now pumping down the apojove in each succeeding orbit in preparation for the Io phase. Including three encounters earlier in the primary mission, the total of ten close passes by Europa have provided a wealth of interesting and provocative information about this intriguing body. The results presented include new and exciting information about Europa's interactions with Jupiter's magnetosphere, its interior structure, and its tantalizing surface features, which strongly hint at a watery subsurface layer. Additional data concerning Callisto, and its own outlook for a subsurface ocean are also presented. In addition the engineering aspects of operating the spacecraft during the past year are explored, as well as a brief examination of what will be the challenges to prepare for the Io encounters. The steadily increasing radiation dosage that the spacecraft is experiencing is well beyond the original design parameters, and is contributing to a number of spacecraft problems and concerns. The ability of the flight team to analyze and solve these problems, even at the reduced staffing levels of an extended mission, is a testament to their tenacity and loyalty to the mission. The engineering data being generated by these continuing radiation-induced anomalies will prove invaluable to designers of future spacecraft to Jupiter and its satellites. The lessons learned during this arduous process are presented.     

航天、宇航和光障(下)

空间监测数据表明,太阳系内空间微粒较多,大于1厘米的碎粒每平方米每年碰到1个的概率为10-6(见图1)。为防止与小行星或彗星相撞,飞船上应装有预警雷达,预先发现和改变轨道,避免直接碰撞。当飞出小行星带(5天文单位)和凯珀带(500天文单位)以后,这种撞击概率比过去估计的要小得多     

Astromedicine and astrolaw: Emerging issues for advanced missions beyond Earth orbit

It is generally agreed within the scientific community that provision of appropriate medical facilities and administration of quality health care to astronauts are of great importance. However, for the more complex and remote missions envisaged for the future, issues of liability, responsibility and damage relating to medical practice may take on a greater significance and will need to be addressed. The author briefly reviews potential issues which may arise in the context of medical emergencies, crew autonomy and environmentally altered physiological status which characterize some projected advanced space missions and argues that the law of outer space will need to be expanded to take account of them.     

Landing on small bodies: From the Rosetta Lander to MASCOT and beyond

Recent planning for science and exploration missions has emphasized the high interest in the close investigation of small bodies in the Solar System. In particular in-situ observations of asteroids and comets play an important role in this field and will contribute substantially to our understanding of the formation and history of the Solar System.The first dedicated comet Lander is Philae, an element of ESA's Rosetta mission to comet 67/P Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Rosetta was launched in 2004. After more than 7 years of cruise (including three Earth and one Mars swing-by as well as two asteroid flybys) the spacecraft has gone into a deep space hibernation in June 2011. When approaching the target comet in early 2014, Rosetta will be re-activated. The cometary nucleus will be characterized remotely to prepare for Lander delivery, currently foreseen for November 2014.The Rosetta Lander was developed and manufactured, similar to a scientific instrument, by a consortium consisting of international partners. Project management is located at DLR in Cologne/Germany, with co-project managers at CNES (France) and ASI (Italy). The scientific lead is at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Science (Lindau, Germany) and the Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale (Paris).Mainly scientific institutes provided the subsystems, instruments and the complete, qualified lander system. Operations are performed in two dedicated centers, the Lander Control Center (LCC) at DLR-MUSC and the Science Operations and Navigation Center (SONC) at CNES. This concept was adopted to reduce overall cost of the project and is foreseen also to be applied for development and operations of future small bodies landers.A mission profiting from experience gained during Philae development and operations is MASCOT, a surface package for the Japanese Hayabusa 2 mission. MASCOT is a small (∼10 kg) mobile device, delivered to the surface of asteroid 1999JU3. There it will operate for about 16 h. During this time a camera, a magnetometer, a thermal monitor and an IR analytical instrument will provide ground truth and thus will even be able to support the selection of possible sampling sites for the main spacecraft.MASCOT is a flexible design that can be adapted to a wide range of missions and possible target bodies. Also the payload is flexible to some extent (with an overall mass in the 3 kg range). For example, the surface package is part of the optional strawman payload for MarcoPolo-R, a European asteroid sample return mission, proposed for ESA Cosmic Vision M-class.     

Project space vision

This report represents the results of a survey of young space professionals, conducted on the Internet, with a view to giving them an opportunity to influence long-term space policy. The most important goals of space activity were considered to be achieving scientific progress, providing beneficial Earth applications and exploring the universe, but it was felt that these would not come about without efforts to lower the cost of access to space and regain political and public support. In terms of the latter, it was recommended that projects be pursued which bring space closer to people's everyday lives and examples of these are given.     

Innovations in mission architectures for exploration beyond low Earth orbit

Through the application of advanced technologies and mission concepts, architectures for missions beyond Earth orbit have been dramatically simplified. These concepts enable a stepping stone approach to science driven; technology enabled human and robotic exploration. Numbers and masses of vehicles required are greatly reduced, yet the pursuit of a broader range of science objectives is enabled. The scope of human missions considered range from the assembly and maintenance of large aperture telescopes for emplacement at the Sun-Earth libration point L2, to human missions to asteroids, the moon and Mars. The vehicle designs are developed for proof of concept, to validate mission approaches and understand the value of new technologies. The stepping stone approach employs an incremental buildup of capabilities, which allows for future decision points on exploration objectives. It enables testing of technologies to achieve greater reliability and understanding of costs for the next steps in exploration.     

软件项目估算与测量的工程实践

在开发过程中软件估算和测量非常重要,如果没有合理而准确的估算和实测数据,就不能对软件项目进行有效的管理和控制。本文阐述了在航天软件过程改进实施过程中工作产品规模、工作量和进度的估算和测量方法,分析了3个航天软件项目的测量结果,总结了项目的管理情况。并且证明基本的CO-COMO模型比较适合航天软件项目。     

From Earth's orbit to the outer planets and beyond: Psychological issues in space

Current planning for the first interplanetary expedition to Mars envisions a crew of 6 or 7 people and a mission duration of around 2.5 years. However, this time frame is much less than that expected on expeditions to the outer solar system, where total mission durations of 10 years or more are likely. Although future technological breakthroughs in propulsion systems and space vehicle construction may speed up transit times, for now we must realistically consider the psychological impact of missions lasting for one or more decades.Available information largely deals with on-orbit missions. In research that involved Mir and ISS missions lasting up to 7 months, our group and others have studied the effects of psychological and interpersonal issues on crewmembers and on the crew-ground relationship. We also studied the positive effects of being in space. However, human expeditions to the outer planets and beyond will introduce a number of new psychological and interpersonal stressors that have not been experienced before. There will be unprecedented levels of isolation and monotony, real-time communication with the Earth will not be possible, the crew will have to work autonomously, there will be great dependence on computers and other technical resources located on board, and the Earth will become an insignificant dot in space or will even disappear from view entirely.Strategies for dealing with psychological issues involving missions to the outer solar system and beyond will be considered and discussed, including those related to new technologies being considered for interstellar missions, such as traveling at a significant fraction of the speed of light, putting crewmembers in suspended animation, or creating giant self-contained generation ships of colonists who will not return to Earth.     

水电工程项目施工成本管理与控制

随着市场经济体制的逐步完善和国企改革的深入,强化企业管理,提高科学管理水平是水利水电施工企业转换经营机制、实现扭亏增盈的重要途径之一。水电工程施工项目作为水利水电施工企业经营管理的基点、效益的主体、信誉的窗口,加强项目成本管理是水利水电施工企业提高管理水平、经济效益和持续稳定发展的关键因素之一。     

中国掀起月球车研制热

随着月球探测系统工程的正式立项与实施．我国月球探测的二期工程蓝图也浮出水面。月球探测二期工程将发射月球探测器登陆月球．而实施这一目标的重要手段之一就是月球车。月球车又叫“登月机器人”、“月面自动探测器”等。据有关专家透露，目前国内已经有一批高校和     

Lao Telecommunications Satellite Project Initiated

CASC subsidiary CALT announced the formal beginning of the Lao telecommunications satellite project on December 1, 2012 in Vientiane. The satellite is planned to be launched in 2015 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the founding of Lao People’s Democratic Republic. The satellite will provide high definition television programs, remote medical treatment, remote education, and government emergency communications etc.. The project became firm after the inter-government     

论系统工程与项目管理(下)

<正>二系统工程与项目管理的现状和发展趋势1.系统工程发展启示纵观美、俄、欧洲等大国,可将各类系统工程技术的发展现状总结为以下三点:     

论系统工程与项目管理（上）

20世纪40年代。系统工程与项目管理相继问世。经过60多年的应用。已发展成为了一套独特而完善的学科体系,形成了一批系统工程和项目管理的理论与实践成果。但无论是学术界还是企业实践者,对两种方法的关系总有不同的看法。有人说,对于一个大型、复杂技术项目,项目管理和系统工程是“一个硬币的两个面”。也有人指出,系统工程可以认为是项目管理环境下的工程开发方法．即复杂技术项目管理包含系统工程。     

全总表彰载人航天工程首次飞行试验先进集体和个人

本刊讯　去年12月8日,中华全国总工会召开大会,表彰为载人航天工程第一次飞行试验做出突出贡献的先进集体和先进个人,向他们颁发了全国五一劳动奖状和全国五一劳动奖章。中共中央政治局常委、中央书记处书记、全国总工会主席尉健行出席大会,并向获奖者颁奖。会前,尉健行还...     

高分多模卫星星地一体化专项工程研究与应用

高分多模(GFDM-1)卫星是我国民用空间基础设施规划中的首颗高分辨率光学对地成像敏捷遥感卫星,其最高分辨率达到0.42 m,成像模式灵活且丰富.为实现卫星设计、研制与应用的紧密结合,确保卫星入轨后实现高成像质量、高成图效率、高应用效益,切实解决用户业务中的实际问题,开展了星地一体化专项工作,在卫星像质保证、任务定制、数据处理、在轨综合效能评估等方面部署了研究课题,在卫星工程研制和在轨测试阶段全程同步实施.通过技术研究、产品开发、测试与应用,并在卫星入轨后迅速支持卫星任务定制、载荷定标、数据处理与业务应用,实现了星地一体化同步协调发展,提高了空间基础设施应用效益.     

Chinese Universities and Institutes Competing for Lunar Rover Project

Along with the initialization and implementation of lunar exploration system project, the second stage blueprint of China's Chang'e Program comes into being. In the second stage China would send a lunar probe to the moon. The lunar rover is also called a lunar robot or a lunar surface vehicle in China. Experts say that