Technology considerations relevant to an exobiology surface-science approach for Europa

If Europa is to be of primary exobiological interest, namely, as a habitat for extant life, it is obvious that (a) a hydrosphere must prevail beneath the cryosphere for a long time, (b) internal energy sources must be present in a sufficient state of activity, and (c) a reasonable technical means must be available for assessing if indeed life does exist in the hypothesized hydrosphere. This discussion focuses on the last point, namely, technological issues, because the trend of the compounding evidence about Europa indicates that the first two points are likely to be true. First, we present a consideration of time-of-flight mass spectroscopy conducted in situ on the cryosphere surface of Europa during a first landed robotic mission. We assert that this is a reasonable technical means not only for exploring the composition of the cryosphere itself, but also for locating any biomolecular indicators of extant life brought to the surface through cryosphere activity. Secondly, this work also addresses practical issues inherent in any kind of instrumental interrogation of a surface whose properties are governed by radiation chemistry. This includes advocating the construction of a Europan surface simulator to familiarize instrumental system developers with the spacecraft- and instrument-scale conditions under which such an interrogation would take place on Europa. Such a simulator is mandatory in certification of the functional utility of a flight instrument.     

Near-infrared detection of potential evidence for microscopic organisms on Europa

The possibility of an ocean within the icy shell of Jupiter's moon Europa has established that world as a primary candidate in the search for extraterrestrial life within our Solar System. This paper evaluates the potential to detect evidence for microbial life by comparing laboratory studies of terrestrial microorganisms with measurements from the Galileo Near Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (NIMS). If the interior of Europa at one time harbored life, some evidence may remain in the surface materials. Examination of laboratory spectra of terrestrial extremophiles measured at cryogenic temperatures reveals distorted, asymmetric nearinfrared absorption features due to water of hydration. The band centers, widths, and shapes of these features closely match those observed in the Europa spectra. These features are strongest in reddish-brown, disrupted terrains such as linea and chaos regions. Narrow spectral features due to amide bonds in the microbe proteins provide a means of constraining the abundances of such materials using the NIMS data. The NIMS data of disrupted terrains exhibit distorted, asymmetric near-infrared absorption features consistent with the presence of water ice, sulfuric acid octahydrate, hydrated salts, and possibly as much as 0.2 mg cm(-3) of carbonaceous material that could be of biological origin. However, inherent noise in the observations and limitations of spectral sampling must be taken into account when discussing these findings.     

Infrared spectra and radiation stability of H2O2 ices relevant to Europa

In this paper we present spectra of H2O2-containing ices in the near- and mid-infrared (IR) regions. Spectral changes on warming are shown, as is a comparison of near-IR bands of H2O and H2O2-containing ices. An estimate of the A-value (absolute intensity) for the largest near- IR feature of H2O2 is given. Radiation-decay half-lives are reported for 19 K and 80 K, and are related to the surface radiation doses on Europa. The radiation data show that H2O2 destruction is slower at 80 K than 19 K, and are consistent with the claim that icy material in the outermost micrometer of Europa's surface has been heavily processed by radiation.     

空间粒子辐射监测器用模拟信号源的实现

空间粒子辐射监测器需要有模拟信号源在其生产和测试、试验阶段对其进行电性能检测,并随其辗转于各测试场地。使用进口模拟信号源存在操作复杂、设备笨重及只有单路输出等问题,因此需要设计一种专用模拟信号源。根据空间粒子辐射监测器的要求自行研制的模拟信号源有多路模拟信号输出,且各路信号幅度可独立调节,并采用内部电源供电。经过测试验证,该模拟信号源可作为空间粒子辐射监测器的配套设备使用,性能优于原进口模拟信号源,其电路设计亦可为相关设备提供参考。     

Relationship of psychological and physiological parameters during an Arctic ski expedition.

Considerable data (primarily physiological) have been collected during expeditions in extreme environments over the last century. Physiological measurements have only recently been examined in association with the emotional or behavioral state of the subject. Establishing this psychophysiological relationship is essential to understanding fully the adaptation of humans to the stresses of extreme environments. This pilot study investigated the simultaneous collection of physiological, psychological and behavioral data from a two-man Greenland expedition in order to model how specific relationships between physiological and psychological adaptation to a polar environment may be identified. The data collected describes changes in adrenal and other hormonal activity and psychological functioning. Levels of cortisol and testosterone were calculated. Factors influencing the plasma profiles of the aforementioned included 24-hour sunlight, high calorific intake of more than 28 000 kJ/day and extreme physical exercise. There was a difference between individual psychological profiles as well as self-report stress and physiological stress.     

小型固体火箭发动机低压自毁效果研究

根据导弹自毁装置低爆炸危险性要求,开展了低压自毁效果研究,进行了2发φ60mm发动机自毁模拟试验。试验结果表明,低压状态下非点火发动机可以自毁,低压状态壳体全切开方案自毁效果及前封头切开方案自毁效果均能够满足安全自毁的要求。     

Deep Structure of the Arctic and Antarctic according to Component Magnetic and Gravitational Anomalies

Cosmic Research - The results of a study of the deep structure of the Earth’s polar regions based on the interpretation of gravitational anomalies, geomagnetic-field anomalies, and...     

某型火箭发动机起动过程实时故障检测算法研究

以某型火箭发动机为研究对象,针对其起动工作过程,利用Matlab和LabWin-dows/CVI等编程语言,结合神经网络理论,开发了其起动工作过程的实时故障检测算法。使用了多次试车数据进行离线检验,结果证明该算法能够及时、有效地检测出该型火箭发动机起动过程的已有故障,并能够满足实时性的要求,没有出现误报警和漏报警。     

A non-earthcentric approach to life detection

The ultimate goal of a comprehensive life detection strategy is never to miss life when we encounter it. To accomplish this goal, we must define life in universal, that is, non-Earthcentric, measurable terms. Next, we must understand the nature of biosignatures observed from the measured parameters of life. And finally, we must have a clear idea of the end-member states for the search--what does life, past life, or no life look like (in terms of the measured parameters) at multiple spatial and temporal scales? If we can approach these problems both in the laboratory and in the field on Earth, then we have a chance of being able to detect life elsewhere in our solar system. What are the required limits of detection at each of those scales? What spatial, spectral, and temporal resolutions are necessary to detect life? These questions are actively being investigated in our group, and in this report, we present our strategy and approach to non-Earthcentric life detection.     

深圳宝安机场天气雷达故障检测与分析

引言深圳机场于2008年1月率先启用了安徽四创电子有限公司自主开发生产的民航多普勒天气雷达(ADWR)。本文就出现的接收机频率源故障进行分析,供大家参考和交流。此次故障在四创公司C波     

一款新研制ASIC器件的单粒子效应检测与故障定位

针对一款国产新研ASIC器件抗单粒子能力评估的需要,研制了ASIC器件单粒子效应检测系统。通过单粒子效应评估试验,得到了该器件在Kr离子辐照下的单粒子翻转数据。采用故障树分析和电路仿真技术,对ASIC器件内部单粒子翻转敏感模块进行定位。研究成果可为器件厂家后续设计改进和卫星型号系统级抗辐射加固设计提供依据。     

MPT在探月中的应用方案初探

借鉴“东方红3号”卫星的推进系统组成和“SMART-1”探月器的飞行轨道,提出了2种微波等离子体推力器(MPT)应用于月球探测器的推进系统方案(即复合推进方案和统一推进方案),分析计算了MPT用于姿态控制时对推进剂耗量的影响及用于主推进变轨时推进剂耗量和飞行时间的变化,并讨论了MPT的电源系统带来的附加质量。结果表明,在付出一定飞行时间代价的条件下,MPT的引入将大大增加有效载荷质量。     

地月平动点尘埃动力学特性原位探测方法研究

为考察在地月平动点EML4、EML5可能存在的尘埃云的动力学特性,需研究能够覆盖较宽速度范围的尘埃颗粒动力学原位探测方法及技术。针对国内即将实施的Kordylewski尘埃云（KDC）探测任务,已有的栅网式尘埃速度矢量探测方法难以满足对高速颗粒的探测需求。作者提出通过在栅网式探测装置最后增加靶标以同时获得高速和低速颗粒的动力学特性参数,并对气凝胶靶标、电阻丝靶标、金属板靶标、电容式靶标、薄膜靶标及光帘式靶标等的适用性和优缺点进行分析比较后,建议采用栅网‒金属电离复合式探测方法。     

双流机场气象雷达故障原因检测与分析

引言 汶川大地震过后,成都双流机场的多谱勒气象雷达出现了回波强度急剧减弱且探测范围很小,无法正常运行的现象;经过检测,发现雷达的峰值发射功率已由正常的250kW衰减至5kW左右。经过和美国EEC工厂联系,EEC厂家希望能够把雷达调制器及电源送回美国进行检测维修,这就意味着机场气象雷达将处于较长的停机状态。为了能够尽快解决故障,使气象雷达投入运行,我们希望能够立足国内厂家进行修复工作。     

Application of the Mars Organic Analyzer to nucleobase and amine biomarker detection

The Mars Organic Analyzer (MOA), a portable microfabricated capillary electrophoresis instrument being developed for planetary exploration, is used to analyze a wide variety of fluorescamine-labeled amine-containing biomarker compounds, including amino acids, mono and diaminoalkanes, amino sugars, nucleobases, and nucleobase degradation products. The nucleobases cytosine and adenine, which contain an exocyclic primary amine, were effectively labeled, separated, and detected at concentrations <500 nM. To test the general applicability of the MOA for biomarker detection, amino acids and mono- and diamines were extracted from bacterial cells using both hydrolysis and sublimation followed by analysis. The extrapolated limit of detection provided by the valine biomarker was approximately 4 x 10(3) cells per sample. Products of an NH(4)CN polymerization that simulate a prebiotic synthesis were also successfully isolated via sublimation and analyzed. Adenine and alanine/serine were detected with no additional sample cleanup at 120 +/- 13 microM and 4.1 +/- 1 microM, respectively, corresponding to a reaction yield of 0.04% and 0.0003%, respectively. This study demonstrates that the MOA provides sensitive detection and analysis of low levels of a wide variety of amine-containing organic compounds from both biological and abiotic sources.     

基于振动检测的发动机故障诊断算法研究

基于振动检测的发动机故障诊断算法,分析发动机发生故障时振动信号所具有的特征和故障诊断指标选择,对振动信号预处理、特征提取、状态识别和诊断决策分别进行了介绍,研究出采用振幅和频率两参量包络曲线法诊断发动机故障的算法,通过发动机热试车验证了采用发动机振动检测来判断发动机故障的算法的正确性。     

Microbial fuel cells applied to the metabolically based detection of extraterrestrial life

Since the 1970s, when the Viking spacecrafts carried out experiments to detect microbial metabolism on the surface of Mars, the search for nonspecific methods to detect life in situ has been one of the goals of astrobiology. It is usually required that a methodology detect life independently from its composition or form and that the chosen biological signature point to a feature common to all living systems, such as the presence of metabolism. In this paper, we evaluate the use of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) for the detection of microbial life in situ. MFCs are electrochemical devices originally developed as power electrical sources and can be described as fuel cells in which the anode is submerged in a medium that contains microorganisms. These microorganisms, as part of their metabolic process, oxidize organic material, releasing electrons that contribute to the electric current, which is therefore proportional to metabolic and other redox processes. We show that power and current density values measured in MFCs that use microorganism cultures or soil samples in the anode are much larger than those obtained with a medium free of microorganisms or sterilized soil samples, respectively. In particular, we found that this is true for extremophiles, which have been proposed as potential inhabitants of extraterrestrial environments. Therefore, our results show that MFCs have the potential to be used for in situ detection of microbial life.     

Immunological detection of small organic molecules in the presence of perchlorates: relevance to the life marker chip and life detection on Mars

The proposed ExoMars mission, due to launch in 2018, aims to look for evidence of extant and extinct life in martian rocks and regolith. Previous attempts to detect organic molecules of biological or abiotic origin on Mars have been unsuccessful, which may be attributable to destruction of these molecules by perchlorate salts during pyrolysis sample extraction techniques. Organic molecules can also be extracted and measured with solvent-based systems. The ExoMars payload includes the Life Marker Chip (LMC) instrument, capable of detecting biomarker molecules of extant and extinct Earth-like life in liquid extracts of martian samples with an antibody microarray assay. The aim of the work reported here was to investigate whether the presence of perchlorate salts, at levels similar to those at the NASA Phoenix landing site, would compromise the LMC extraction and detection method. To test this, we implemented an LMC-representative sample extraction process with an LMC-representative antibody assay and used these to extract and analyze a model sample that consisted of a Mars analog sample matrix (JSC Mars-1) spiked with a representative organic molecular target (pyrene, an example of abiotic meteoritic infall targets) in the presence of perchlorate salts. We found no significant change in immunoassay function when using pyrene standards with added perchlorate salts. When model samples spiked with perchlorate salts were subjected to an LMC-representative liquid extraction, immunoassays functioned in a liquid extract and detected extracted pyrene. For the same model sample matrix without perchlorate salts, we observed anomalous assay signals that coincided with yellow coloration of the extracts. This unexpected observation is being studied further. This initial study indicates that the presence of perchlorate salts, at levels similar to those detected at the NASA Phoenix landing site, is unlikely to prevent the LMC from extracting and detecting organic molecules from martian samples.     

深度交叉遗传神经网络在液体火箭发动机故障检测中的应用

将遗传算法与BP神经网络深度交叉融合,即采用遗传算法对BP神经网络的权值和阈值进行多点优化,而在进化的每一代中随机取少量染色体进行单一BP网络训练,训练结果再返回染色体,经过若干代的进化后得到稳定的权值和阈值,再将它们赋给BP神经网络,作为初始值,按误差前向反馈算法沿负梯度搜索重新训练,最终得到最优解。这种算法既避免BP算法易陷入局部最优解的不足,又克服遗传算法以类似穷举的形式寻找最优解而引起的搜索时间长、速度慢的缺点。并且经过仿真分析,深度交叉遗传BP神经网络的收敛性和故障诊断能力优于传统BP神经网络和单一使用遗传算法,可有效应用于液体火箭发动机故障检测中。     

An approach to the detection of microbe life in planetary environments through charge-coupled devices

The use of charge-coupled devices is suggested as a means for detecting growth of micro-organism colonies. The accuracy of the method is determined by channel width and the sensitivity by the signal/noise ratio. The method was tested on a dense nutrient medium, which is to be considered more suitable to micro-organisms of the dry Martian soil than the water solution of nutrients employed in the Viking's strategy.