Rapid impactor sample return (RISR) mission scenario

Due to the long lead time and great expense of traditional sample return mission plans to Mars or other astronomical bodies, there is a need for a new and innovative way to return materials, potentially at a lower cost. The Rapid Impactor Sample Return (RISR) mission is one such proposal. The general mission scenario involves a single pass of Mars, a Martian moon or an asteroid at high speeds (7 km/s), with the sample return vehicle skimming just 1 or 2 m above a high point (such as a top ridge on Olympus Mons on Mars) and releasing an impactor. The impactor strikes the ground, throwing up debris. The debris with roughly the same forward velocity will be captured by the sample return vehicle and returned to Earth. There is no delay or orbit in the vicinity of Mars or the asteroid: RISR is a one-pass mission. This paper discusses some of the details of the proposal. Calculations are presented that address the question of how much material can be recovered with this technique. There are concerns about the effect of Mars tenuous atmosphere. However, it will be noted that such issues do not occur for RISR style missions to Phobos, Deimos, or asteroids and Near Earth Objects (NEOs). Recent test results in the missile defense community (IFTs 6–8 in 2001, 2002) have scored direct hits at better than 1 m accuracy with closing velocities of 7.6 km/s, giving the belief that accuracy and sensing issues are developed to a point that the RISR mission scenario is feasible.     

实践十号卫星蒸发对流箱地面科学实验结果分析

实践十号卫星蒸发对流实验旨在研究置于加热底板的蒸发液滴在相变过程中,表面蒸发与表面张力驱动对流的耦合机理及其不稳定性.为与空间实验结果进行对比,利用蒸发对流箱完成在轨工况的科学匹配实验,获得相应工况的地面科学数据、工程参数及实验图像.通过对地面科学匹配实验结果进行分析,得到不同工况下液滴形貌（体积、表面积、接触角、液滴高度、液滴直径）变化规律,以及液滴蒸发过程中温度、热流量、蒸发速率和蒸发流量的变化规律.依据实验结果分析研究了具有质量交换的复杂流体相变界面的热质传输规律.      

Observations of magnetospheric convection from low altitudes

Some of the observations and interpretive models that have provided a substantial increase in our knowledge of magnetospheric and ionospheric convection are discussed. While a two-cell convection pattern may be generally consistent with many ionospheric measurements, it is now clear that some significant departures from such a pattern must be considered. We can now specify more accurately the number of convection cells and their shape as well as the electrostatic potential distribution within the cells. All these factors can be shown to be sensitive functions of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). Interpretation of these findings in terms of the interaction of the earth's magnetosphere with the interplanetary medium has led to detailed consideration of the location of magnetic merging regions and the magnetic field topology of the outer magnetosphere. In addition, the relative importance of merging, viscous interaction and ionospheric processes in providing the driving force for convection has been considered. In general, the bulk of the driving force is magnetic reconnection; however, viscous processes play a significant role in times of northward interplanetary magnetic fields, and thermospheric drag may contribute to the maintainence of a convection pattern for several hours after such a northward turning.     

A sounding rocket experiment on the marangoni convection

During a 6-minutes free flight of a sounding rocket an experiment on the thermal Marangoni convection in a right circular cylindric floating zone was carried out to verify the thermal Marangoni convection by flow visualisation for the first time at 10^?4 g. From the motion picture analysis the velocity distributions are obtained. The interdependence between the two velocity maxima and the S-shaped temperature distribution on the free surface is discussed. The influence of the heat transfer caused by the flow of the surrounding air induced by the thermal Marangoni convection itself is considered briefly.     

A 2-D comparison of ionospheric convection derived from SuperDARN and DMSP measurements

Ion drift vectors measured by the DMSP satellites are compared with plasma convection vectors obtained by the SuperDARN HF radars through the standard Map Potential algorithm of Ruohoniemi and Baker [Ruohoniemi, M., Baker, K.B. Large-scale imaging of high-latitude convection with super dual auroral radar network HF radar observations. J. Geophys. Res. 103, 20797–20811, 1998]. Despite significant data spread, the agreement can be qualified as reasonable for a data set comprising of 149 satellite passes over the Northern Hemisphere at high latitudes. The slope of the best-fit line relating SuperDARN and DMSP velocity magnitudes is of the order of 0.3 with a tendency for the SuperDARN velocities to be smaller. The agreement between the azimuths of the ion drift and convection is better with the slope of the best-fit line being close to 1. It is shown that consistency between the radar and satellite measurements is much better if the SuperDARN line-of-sight velocities are compared with the DMSP cross-track ion drifts for events showing slow spatial and temporal variations of the convection. If areas of strong convection changes are included into comparison, the degree of agreement deteriorates drastically. This result implies that differences in the spatial and temporal resolutions of DMSP and SuperDARN measurements are crucial factors contributing to the observed discrepancies. In addition, some differences are introduced when the SuperDARN line-of-sight velocities are filtered and reprocessed into vectors with the application of a background convection model.     

航天器舱内气体对流换热的地面模拟试验方法

对航天器舱内气体对流换热的地面模拟试验方法进行了系统地理论分析,包括热缩比模型法、降压法和浓度比拟法三种。分别给出了各种方法的相似律或相似准则及其应用的约束条件,并从原理上定性比较这三种方法的优缺点。分析表明,热缩比模型法在保持Ｒｅｙｎｏｌｄｓ数不变的前提下可明显减弱自然对流的影响,但这种方法不能用于工程原型;降压法可用工程原型进行模拟试验,但不能用于液体流动问题;然而这两种方法的共同缺点是都不能完全消除自然对流;浓度比拟法理论上可以完全消除自然对流,但约束条件多,工程实现困难。     

Field-aligned currents and ion convection at high altitudes

Hot plasma observations from Dynamics Explorer 1 have been used to investigate solar-wind ion injection, Birkeland currents, and plasma convection at altitudes above 2 R_E in the morning sector. The results of the study, along with the antiparallel merging hypothesis, have been used to construct a B_Y-dependent global convection model. A significant element of the model is the coexistence of three types of convection cells (“merging cells,” “viscous cells,” and “lobe cells”). As the IMF direction varies, the model accounts for the changing roles of viscous and merging processes and makes testable predictions about several magnetospheric phenomena, including the newly-observed theta aurora in the polar cap.     

蒸发效应与热毛细对流耦合现象的实验研究

实验研究了矩形液池中蒸发薄液居中蒸发效应与热毛细对流的耦合机理. 对于单纯的热毛细对流稳定性从实验和理论上已有深入研究,但目前国际上对带有菇发界面的热毛细对流问题尚缺乏研究. 特别是近来的研究发现,气液界面的蒸发对热毛细对流稳定性有很大的影响. 本实验以温度为主要控制参数,测量了不同工况下蒸发界面不同点的蒸发速率和表层温度,并利用 PIV 方法分析得到了液体内的嘛场分布. 实验结果发现,随着沿界面的温差增加,蒸发液体内的流型从稳定的单涡胞结构变为稳定的多祸胞结构,并最终演变为紊流结构. 综合分析以上测量结果并与理论分析结果进行了比较。      

Laboratory experiments and space phenomena

Two types of convection were observed in the laboratory model of the magnetosphere: viscous convection and convection due to field lines common to both the magnetosphere and artificial solar wind. With a southward field component in the solar wind, convection from the Sun is observed in the polar cap, while with a large northward component, convection is directed toward the Sun. Merging of the field lines occurs in the cleft. With the southward component, a visor appears in front of the magnetosphere boundary. The decay of the visor into small magnetic structure is observed. The formation of an induced magnetosphere with a magnetic tail is shown in the experiments of the simulated conditions near non-magnetic bodies with a plasma shell (Venus, comets). A combined induced-intrinsic magnetosphere also was investigated.     

The magnitude of thermocapillary convection in larger melt volumes

Thermocapillary convection (TC) has been studied experimentally in a NaNO₃-melt of some cm³ volume. TC has been identified, its streamlines and flow velocities have been visualized and measured. TC dominated over natural convection in this ground based experiment and will be a very significant flow phenomenon in the relevant μ-g materials science experiments with melts with free surfaces. The sensitivity of TC to surface perturbations is pointed out. TC is very difficult to control.     

IMF effect on ionospheric trough occurrence at equinoxes

Previous observations have shown that there is a relationship between the F region trough and both B_z and B_y components of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). Since IMF governs the polar cap convection, we investigate here if this relationship can be explained by means of polar cap convection. The study is limited to equinox seasons. The poleward and equatorward edges of the trough are determined from satellite tomographic observations and their locations are plotted in magnetic coordinates together with the convection pattern given by Papitashvili and Rich [Papitashvili, V.O., Rich, F.J. High-latitude ionospheric convection models derived from DMSP ion drift observations and parameterized by the IMF strength and direction. J. Geophys. Res. 107, 2002, doi:10.1029/2001JA000264] using IMF measurements coincident with trough observations. The results indicate a close relationship between the troughs and convection. Most of the troughs are seen within the dusk cell and the pattern of trough observations rotates with the convection pattern, when B_y changes its sign. More dayside troughs are observed when B_z is negative than in the opposite case, i.e. fast convective flow favours the dayside trough occurrence. Nightside troughs are observed more frequently when B_y is negative. In both evening and morning sectors the trough is situated close to the edges of convection cells, which partly contradicts previous results showing that the troughs are associated with the convection reversal. It is concluded that plasma convection has an important role in trough generation, although the effect of a strong electric field and other mechanisms like precipitation certainly have a role of their own.     

单框架控制力矩陀螺系统的构型分析和对比研究

根据实际情况限定了大型航天器单框架控制力矩陀螺 (SGCMG)构型分析研究的对象 ;根据构型分析的主要指标 ,对常用的双平行构型、三平行构型、金字塔构型、四棱锥构型、五面锥构型和五棱锥构型等六种构型进行了分析 ,对比了相互的优缺点 ,得出了最优构型为五棱锥构型的结论 ,为大型航天器SGCMG系统选型提供了理论基础     

基于脊线校准的指纹细节点匹配算法

对自动指纹识别系统(AFIS, Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems)中居于重要地位的细节点匹配算法进行研究,对基于校准的细节匹配算法进行了修正.在细节点相关脊线信息的提取阶段,提取分叉点相关脊线的拓扑信息,并将其引入后续的校准和匹配算法.采用一种半可变的限界盒以适应指纹图像的非线性形变.引入一个新的参考量计算并比较脊线相似度,以更低的计算代价解决匹配中参考细节点对的选择问题,加快匹配算法的收敛速度.将脊线校准和细节点匹配两个阶段结合起来,采用一种新的更简单有效的方法进行细节匹配.测试结果表明,改进的匹配算法能够在使用较少资源的前提下,提高指纹匹配速度,改善系统的匹配性能.      

微重力与电磁场对凝固过程的影响

欧洲空间局两项材料领域课题MICAST和CETSOL均涉及微重力科学相关研究.通过等轴晶柱状晶转变（CET）分析了微重力环境对材料凝固过程的影响;介绍了一项在地面施加行波电磁场的标准（Benchmark）凝固实验,其温度场演化及微观凝固组织和浓度偏析均展示了磁控受迫对流对金属材料凝固过程的显著作用.      

An in-situ technique for the determination of electrotransport in liquid metallic alloys

In this paper we will describe an experimental equipment, for in-situ measurements of electrotransport in liquid metals.Electrotransport in liquid metals are always to some extent disturbed by convection on ground but the origin of this convection is not definitely known. We also describe a procedure that can be used to find out if the convection is gravity driven or not.     

电导率分布、对流电场转向区与场向电流形态(模式分析)

本文利用一些简单模式讨论对流转向区形态、电离层电导率的分布变化对场向电流形态的影响。结果表明,一区场向电流是最基本的,与对流转向区直接相联。二区场向电流的产生不仅与对流电场的屏蔽相联,也与电导率变化有关。电导率的变化还可产生一区电流高纬侧的零区电流和二区电流低纬侧的反向电流。此外,剪切转向区和旋转转向区所对应的场向电流分布也有所不同。本文结果有助于理解观测的场向电流之复杂形态,也可以解释同样的行星际磁场状况下,场向电流的不同变化。      

相变材料熔化过程中自然对流振荡现象数值计算研究

为了解自然对流对相变材料熔化过程的影响,对相变材料液相区自然对流振荡现象进行了研究,建立了固/液相统一的控制方程,采用焓-孔隙度法和Boussinesq假设,模拟了重力条件下熔化过程,结果表明:当瑞利数(Ra)较小时,液相自然对流具有稳定解,随着Ra数增大,自然对流从稳定流动向周期振荡过渡。     

环形浅液池内低Prandtl数流体超临界热毛细对流演化

为研究低Prandtl数（Pr）流体热毛细对流演化过程，对环形浅液池内Pr=0.011的流体热毛细对流进行三维数值模拟.研究发现:当Marangoni数较小时，流动为轴对称稳态流动；当Marangoni数超过某一临界值后，流动失稳并转变为热流体波，其波数随Marangoni数增加而减小，而波动主频增大；随着Marangoni数增加，流动加强，沿周向运动的热流体波演变为沿径向运动的径向波，其波数大大减小；当Marangoni数继续增加时，波动频谱曲线噪声增加，呈广谱特性.因此，在计算范围内热毛细对流的演化过程为:轴对称稳态流动-热流体波-单周期径向波-多周期三维振荡流动.      

Oscillatory thermocapillary convection in floating zones under normal- and micro-gravity

The thermocapillary convection in a floating zone becomes oscillatory, exceeding a Marangoni number of approximately 10⁴. The oscillatory state of thermocapillary convection has been verified under 1 g and 10^?4 g and the features seem to be fairly independent of the gravity level. The transition point from the laminar to the oscillatory state (critical Marangoni number), however, depends on the magnitude and direction of the buoyant force.