Space flight experiment on Chinese silkworm on board the Russian 10th Biosatellite.

Space flight experiments on Chinese silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) were conducted on board the Russian 10th Biosatellite for 12 days. The samples included silkworm eggs, larvae, cocoons, pupae and moths. The processes of spinning, cocooning, mating, oviposition, larval hatching, pupation and moth emergence all completed well in space. The following effects of space flight on silkworm development were observed: The times of hatching and oviposition in the flight group were 2 to 3 days earlier than in the control group; the hatching rate of diapause eggs during space flight seemed higher than that of the control group; the life span of 2 of the 7 varieties flown was shortened; genetical variations appeared in 3 varieties. The results showed that the embryonic stage was probably the period most sensitive to the space flight environment.     

NASDA aquatic animal experiment facilities for Space Shuttle and ISS.

National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) has developed aquatic animal experiment facilities for NASA Space Shuttle use. Vestibular Function Experiment Unit (VFEU) was firstly designed and developed for physiological research using carp in Spacelab-J (SL-J, STS-47) mission. It was modified as Aquatic Animal Experiment Unit (AAEU) to accommodate small aquatic animals, such as medaka and newt, for second International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-2, STS-65) mission. Then, VFEU was improved to accommodate marine fish and to perform neurobiological experiment for Neurolab (STS-90) and STS-95 missions. We have also developed and used water purification system which was adapted to each facility. Based on these experiences of Space Shuttle missions, we are studying to develop advanced aquatic animal experiment facility for both Space Shuttle and International Space Station (ISS).     

Study of cosmic rays and light flashes on board Space Station MIR: the SilEye experiment.

The SilEye experiment aims to study the cause and processes related to the anomalous Light Flashes (LF) perceived by astronauts in orbit and their relation with Cosmic Rays. These observations will be also useful in the study of the long duration manned space flight environment. Two PC-driven silicon detector telescopes have been built and placed aboard Space Station MIR. SilEye-1 was launched in 1995 and provided particles track and LF information; the data gathered indicate a linear dependence of FLF(Hz) ( 4 2) 10(3) 5.3 1.7 10(4) Fpart(Hz) if South Atlantic Anomaly fluxes are not included. Even though higher statistic is required, this is an indication that heavy ion interactions with the eye are the main LF cause. To improve quality and quantity of measurements, a second apparatus, SilEye-2, was placed on MIR in 1997, and started work from August 1998. This instrument provides energetic information, which allows nuclear identification in selected energy ranges; we present preliminary measurements of the radiation field inside MIR performed with SilEye-2 detector in June 1998.     

Preparation of the Biochip experiment on the EXPOSE-R2 mission outside the International Space Station

Biochips might be suited for planetary exploration. Indeed, they present great potential for the search for biomarkers – molecules that are the sign of past or present life in space – thanks to their size (miniaturized devices) and sensitivity. Their detection principle is based on the recognition of a target molecule by affinity receptors fixed on a solid surface. Consequently, one of the main concerns when developing such a system is the behavior of the biological receptors in a space environment. In this paper, we describe the preparation of an experiment planned to be part of the EXPOSE-R2 mission, which will be conducted on the EXPOSE-R facility, outside the International Space Station (ISS), in order to study the resistance of biochip models to space constraints (especially cosmic radiation and thermal cycling). This experiment overcomes the limits of ground tests which do not reproduce exactly the space parameters. Indeed, contrary to ground experiments where constraints are applied individually and in a limited time, the biochip models on the ISS will be exposed to cumulated constraints during several months. Finally, this ISS experiment is a necessary step towards planetary exploration as it will help assessing whether a biochip can be used for future exploration missions.     

Exobiology research on Space Station Freedom.

The Gas-Grain Simulation Facility (GGSF) is a multidisciplinary experiment laboratory being developed by NASA at Ames Research Center for delivery to Space Station Freedom in 1998. This facility will employ the low-gravity environment of the Space Station to enable aerosol experiments of much longer duration than is possible in any ground-based laboratory. Studies of fractal aggregates that are impossible to sustain on Earth will also be enabled. Three research areas within exobiology that will benefit from the GGSF are described here. An analysis of the needs of this research and of other suggested experiments has produced a list of science requirements which the facility design must accommodate. A GGSF design concept developed in the first stage of flight hardware development to meet these requirements is also described.     

商业航天是美国太空探索的新动力

商业航天是指以商业为目的并用市场化的模式运行的航天活动。实际上,在应用卫星领域,如通信卫星和遥感卫星等,早就开始了市场化过程,并取得了很大成效。在西方成熟的市场经济体制下,这个进程并未引起人们的过度关注。当一个行业的技术和产品已足够成熟,把它推向市场和进行商业运作是顺理成章的事情。然而最近几年,商业航天的话题再次引起国际航天界的关注,则是因为美国在载人航天领域首先引入了商业和市场机制。     

第26届美国国家航天大会见闻

美国多如牛毛的会议中,最为出彩的当属美国国家航天大会。     

Seed-to-seed growth of Arabidopsis thaliana on the International Space Station.

The assembly of the International Space Station (ISS) as a permanent experimental outpost has provided the opportunity for quality plant research in space. To take advantage of this orbital laboratory, engineers and scientists at the Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robotics (WCSAR), University of Wisconsin-Madison, developed a plant growth facility capable of supporting plant growth in the microgravity environment. Utilizing this Advanced Astroculture (ADVASC) plant growth facility, an experiment was conducted with the objective to grow Arabidopsis thaliana plants from seed-to-seed on the ISS. Dry Arabidopsis seeds were anchored in the root tray of the ADVASC growth chamber. These seeds were successfully germinated from May 10 until the end of June 2001. Arabidopsis plants grew and completed a full life cycle in microgravity. This experiment demonstrated that ADVASC is capable of providing environment conditions suitable for plant growth and development in microgravity. The normal progression through the life cycle, as well as the postflight morphometric analyses, demonstrate that Arabidopsis thaliana does not require the presence of gravity for growth and development.     

Advanced biostack: experiment 1 ES 027 on Spacelab-1.

The radiobiological properties of the heavy ions of cosmic radiation were investigated on Spacelab 1 by use of biostacks, monolayers of biological test organisms sandwiched between thin foils of different types of nuclear track detectors. Biostacks were exposed to cosmic radiation at several locations with different shielding environments in the module and on the pallet. Evaluations of the physical and biological components of the experiment to date indicate that in general they survived the spaceflight in good condition. Dosimetric data are presented for the different shielding environments.     

Space radiobiology program in Russia.

The space radiobiology program in Russia is aimed at obtaining fundamental data for developing radiation safety criteria. These criteria are necessary for long-term space missions. This program includes : -substantiation of radiation hazard estimation principles based on the radiation risk conception, -investigation of the radiation affection regularities under the combined influence of the spaceflight factors, -experimental investigation of the HZE-particle delayed effects and acute somatic effects induced by protons and electrons, -individual radiosensitivity investigation, -mathematic modeling of radiobiological effects , -radiobiological basis of control and forecast of radiation influence in space, -development of methods and means of an organism's radioresistance increase.     

美国在“国际空间站”上的技术开发与验证应用研究

正作为全球最大的在轨航天器,"国际空间站"(ISS)已实现连续有人驻留超过15年,并在空间应用领域取得了众多成果。"国际空间站"成员国一致认为,最大限度地提高"国际空间站"研究能力可能带来新的探索机遇、促进商业发展并对教育事业产生积极影响。"国际空间站"已在人体学研究、生物学与生物技术、物理科学、技术开发与验证、地球与空间科学、教育等六大领域发挥了重要作用,技术开发领域的应用是其重点。由于美国对"国际空间站"应用的组织管理、项目规划和实施最为系统,因此本文以美国为主,介绍应用情况。     

“阿特兰蒂斯”号航天飞机的谢幕之旅

<正>美国东部时间5月14日14时20分(北京时间15日2时20分),"阿特兰蒂斯"号航天飞机载着6名航天员从美国佛罗里达州的肯尼迪航天中心发射升空,8分半钟之后进入预定轨道,这是它第32次执行太空飞行任务。如果"发现"号和"奋进"号航天飞机能够顺利地完成接下来的太空飞行任务,那么这次飞行将成为"阿特兰蒂斯"号航天飞机的谢幕之旅。     

Observations and predictions of secondary neutrons on Space Shuttle and aircraft.

The Cosmic Radiation Effects and Activation Monitor has flown on six Shuttle flights between September 1991 and February 1995 covering the full range of inclinations as well as altitudes between 220 and 570 km, while a version has flown at supersonic altitudes on Concorde between 1988 and 1992 and at subsonic altitudes on a SAS Boeing 767 between May and August 1993. The Shuttle flights have included passive packages in addition to the active cosmic ray monitor which comprises an array of pin diodes. These are positioned at a number of locations to investigate the influence of shielding and local materials. Use of both metal activation foils and scintillator crystals enables neutron fluences to be inferred from the induced radioactivity which is observed on return to Earth. Supporting radiation transport calculations are performed to predict secondary neutron spectra and the energy deposition due to nuclear reactions in silicon pin diodes and the induced radioactivity in the various scintillator crystals. The wide variety of orbital and atmospheric locations enables investigation of the influence of shielding on cosmic ray, trapped proton and solar flare proton spectra.     

美国载人太空探索的艰难进程

正奥巴马政府中止了重返月球的载人航天计划以后,其提出的载人登火星构想给美国载人航天出了一个大难题。虽然咬住了低地球轨道以远的大方向未曾放松,但遥远的火星如何去,美国经历了关于未来载人航天的争论和艰难抉择。现在,以载人登火星为背景的小行星探索计划又遇到了新问题—2016年4月提出的"太空复兴"法案对该计划提出了质疑,特朗普政府的决策仍很艰难。1"灵活性途径"显示美国低地球轨道以远载人航天的无奈过渡     

航天育种 太空农业风光旖旎——聚焦甘肃天水航天育种基地

一提起甘肃,人们眼前往往会浮现出干燥少雨的黄土高原印象.但实际上,这种印象并不全面.甘肃的第二大城市天水,自古是丝绸之路必经之地,因气候宜人和物产丰富素有西北"小江南"之美称.中国西部航天育种基地(甘肃天水航天育种基地)就坐落在此.     

美国内部争论:航天部队是否独立成军

正2017年6月,由众议员罗杰斯和库珀领导的众议院军事战略力量小组委员会提出了一项法律草案,决定设立太空部队(类似海军陆战队),将太空军事行动与空军其他军事行动分开。罗杰斯和库珀希望尽快促成此事。如果这一草案成为法律,空军将在2019年1月1日之前建立新的军种,司令官将在国防部参谋长联席会议上得到席位,并直接向空军部长汇报。2017年3月以来,美国空军部长希瑟·威尔逊和空军参谋长大卫·古德芬已在参议院拨款委员会、众议院     

Model analysis of Space Shuttle dosimetry data.

An extensive model analysis of plastic track detector measurements of high-LET particles on the Space Shuttle has been performed. Three shuttle flights: STS-51F (low-altitude, high-inclination), STS-51J (high-altitude, low-inclination), and STS-61C (low-altitude, low-inclination) are considered. The model includes contributions from trapped protons and galactic cosmic radiation, as well as target secondary particles. Target secondaries, expected to be of importance in thickly shielded space environments, are found to be a significant component of the measured LET (linear energy transfer) spectra.     

Space weathering on Mercury

Space weathering is a process where formation of nanophase iron particles causes darkening of overall reflectance, spectral reddening, and weakening of absorption bands on atmosphereless bodies such as the moon and asteroids. Using pulse laser irradiation, formation of nanophase iron particles by micrometeorite impact heating is simulated. Although Mercurian surface is poor in iron and rich in anorthite, microscopic process of nanophase iron particle formation can take place on Mercury. On the other hand, growth of nanophase iron particles through Ostwald ripening or repetitive dust impacts would moderate the weathering degree. Future MESSENGER and BepiColombo mission will unveil space weathering on Mercury through multispectral imaging observations.