The fair and responsible use of space: An international perspective

Over 60 high-ranking professionals participated in ESPIs’ jointly organised November 2008 conference on “The Fair and Responsible Use of Space”. With space applications being central to modern interactions and more and more actors becoming involved in space activities, the conference investigated how an equitable and responsible utilisation of space can be achieved for all relevant actors. By outlining the current space security situation, it identified and analysed key challenges to the achievement of such use of outer space. The conference themes and discussions are reported here, as are the 10 steps identified as necessary for the achievement of an equitable use of space.     

Space weather forecast: Principles of the construction and boundaries of the implementation (experience of three cycles)

All significant short-term disturbances of the near-Earth space are caused exclusively by solar flare events and regions in the solar corona with the magnetic field open into the interplanetary space (coronal holes). Flare processes occur as a consequence of the interactions of new emerging magnetic fluxes within (flares) and outside (filament ejections) the active regions with already existing magnetic fields. The observation of emerging new magnetic fluxes and the estimate of their magnitude and the emerging rate allow one to forecast solar flares and filament ejections and estimate their degree of geoeffectiveness. The main agents that visualize the propagation of disturbance from solar flares and filaments in the solar corona and the interplanetary space are coronal mass ejections, the characteristics of which ideally allow one to estimate the possible disturbance of the geomagnetic field, the possible growth of high-energy charged particle fluxes in the near-Earth space. For successful forecast of geoeffective active phenomena on the Sun and their consequences in the near-Earth space, it is necessary to know the situation on the Sun for the last 3 days taking into account the development and characteristics of the current cycle and the epoch of solar activity.     

Human missions to Mars: new psychological challenges and research issues

Human exploratory missions to Mars represent the most exciting future vision of human space flight. With respect to the distance to travel and mission duration, these missions will provide unique psychological challenges that do not compare to any other endeavor humans ever have attempted. The present paper presents outcomes of two recent projects sponsored by the European Space Agency--Humex and Reglisse--where these challenges and risks have been analyzed in some detail, and where concepts for future research have been developed. This presentation involves three steps. At first, it will be shown that our current psychological knowledge derived from orbital spaceflight and analogue environments is not sufficient to assess the specific risks of mission into outer space. Secondly, new psychological challenges of missions to Mars will be identified with respect to three different areas: (1) individual adaptation and performance, (2) crew interactions, and (3) concept and methods of psychological countermeasures. Finally, different options and issues of preparatory psychological research will be discussed.     

Large eddy simulation based studies of jet–cavity interactions in a supersonic flow

Interactions of a cavity flameholder with an upstream injected jet in a Ma 2.52 supersonic flow are investigated numerically. A hybrid RANS/LES (Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes/Large Eddy Simulation) method acting as wall-modeled LES is adopted, for which the recycling/rescaling method is introduced to treat the unsteady turbulent inflow. Patterns of the fluid entrainment into the cavity and escape from the cavity are identified using a scalar-tracing method. It is found that the jet–cavity interactions remarkably enhanced the mass exchange between the fluids in and out of the cavity, resulting in reduced residence time of the cavity fluids. Increasing the distance between the fuel injection and the cavity leading edge tends to attenuate the jet–cavity interactions, leading to weaker mass exchange. Raising the injection pressure appears to enhance the jet–cavity interactions, resulting in a shorter residence time of the cavity fluids. Moreover, the mass decay processes for the fuel and air within the cavity are basically the same while the entrainment processes for the fuel and air into the cavity seem quite different.     

Biological induced corrosion of materials II: New test methods and experiences from mir station

During previous long-term manned missions, more than 100 species of microorganisms have been identified on surfaces of materials (bacteria and fungi). Among them were potentially pathogenic ones (saprophytes) which are capable of active growth on artificial substrates, as well as technophilic bacteria and fungi causing damages (destruction and degradation) to various materials (metals and polymers), resulting in failures and disruptions in the functioning of equipment and hardware.

Aboard a space vehicle some microclimatic parameters are optimal for microorganism growth: the atmospheric fluid condensate with its specific composition, chemical and/or antropogenic contaminants (human metobolic products, etc.) all are stimulating factors for the development of bacteria and mould fungi on materials of the interior and equipment of an orbital station during its operational phase(s).

Especially Russian long-term missions (SALJUT, MIR) have demonstrated that uncontrolled interactions of microorganisms with materials will ultimately lead to the appearence of technological and medical risks, significantly influencing safety and reliability characteristics of individual as well as whole systems and/ or subsystems.

For a first conclusion, it could be summarized, that countermeasures and anti-strategies focussing on Microbial Contamination Management (MCM) for the International Space Station (ISS, next long-term manned mission) at least require a new materials test approach.

Our respective concept includes a combined age-ing/biocorrosion test sequence. It is represented here, as well as current status of MCM program, e.g. continuous monitoring (microbiological analyses), long-term disinfection, frequent cleaning methods, mathematical modeling of ISS, etc.     

卫星表面放电效应模拟器研制

文章介绍了自行研制的卫星表面放电效应模拟器。根据模拟器基本原理和应实现的主要功能,提出了模拟器的技术指标和具体设计方案;研制了模拟器标定系统,并利用该标定系统对模拟器放电电压和放电电流脉冲特性进行了测试标定。结果表明所研制模拟器的放电特性符合卫星表面放电效应模拟试验的要求,可以用于表面放电效应评估。     

自旋弹道导弹动力学与控制

弹道导弹主动段自旋飞行是一种新的构想,旨在对抗激光武器拦截,实现主动段突防.导弹自旋飞行引起的运动耦合、控制耦合及其它效应可能导致弹体失稳,实现较强耦合作用下弹道导弹自旋飞行姿态稳定控制是亟待解决的问题.文中建立了自旋弹道导弹的动力学和控制频域模型,分析了几种主要耦合作用对系统的影响,将系统开环传递矩阵分解为动力学耦合和控制耦合两部分,结合古典和现代频域方法进行了姿态控制系统设计研究,采用根轨迹方法分析了运动耦合对自旋弹道导弹性能的影响,用动态预补偿技术实现姿态解耦控制.仿真结果表明,方法有效改善了低滚速较强耦合条件下自旋弹道导弹姿态控制性能.     

Transcultural group performance in extreme environment: Issues, concepts and emerging theory

A simulation for flight of international crew on space station took place in Moscow from July 1999 to April 2000 (SFINCS) at the State Biomedical Institute of Russia (IBMP) isolation chambers. Objectives of this study were to identify concepts of psychosocial adaptation and of social interactions to develop an explanation of the transcultural group performance. Method: constructivist epistemology with grounded theory research and fourth generation evaluation were used. Data on processes and interactions were gathered during 110 days of confinement as a subject and extended to 240 days as an outside scientist. Results indicate that coping is influenced by usual coping strategies and coping behaviors inside. Several stresses and human factor issues were identified altering well being and performance inside the chambers. Enabling and limiting forces are discussed. A theory on transcultural group performance is proposed. Issues are raised that appear critical to selection, training and group performance.     

冲压发动机进气道流场数值模拟

采用有限体积法对积分形式的Navier-Stokes方程组进行空间离散，所获得的常微分方程用多步Runge-Kutta方法求解。数值模拟了某导弹冲压发动机进气道的三维流场，给出了不同反压条件下该进气道的内外流场结构和表面压强分布，并分析了进气道内激波与附面层的相互作用现象。