Hubble Space Telescope at twelve years of age

The Hubble Space Telescope was deployed from the Space Shuttle Discovery into a 380-mile high Earth orbit on April 25, 1990. It subsequently made outstanding astronomical discoveries with its 8-foot (2.4-meter) telescope and other scientific instruments. Critical to the successful observations was continuous availability of power from its solar arrays during sunlit periods, and from nickel-hydrogen batteries when the satellite was in the Earth's shadow. The adopted nickel-hydrogen batteries were carefully selected and tested to confirm their depth-of-discharge and operating temperature that delivered the longest life in charge/discharge cycling service. These batteries had a design life of 7 years. At 12 years after launch the Hubble batteries have delivered more charge/discharge cycles than any other batteries in low-Earth orbit. However, the Hubble batteries have been subjected to many unexpected stresses, and peculiar reductions in battery capacity have been observed. Battery replacement requires a costly trip to the Hubble Space Telescope by astronauts, so the remaining useful life of the batteries must be predicted. Already in four servicing missions, astronauts have replaced or modified optics, solar arrays, a power control unit, and various science packages. A fifth servicing mission is scheduled in 2004. This paper discusses battery charging hardware and software controls, history of battery events in Hubble, cell performance model and spare battery tests, and capacity walkdown.     

Hubble Space Telescope solar array change-out, mission anomaliesand returned flight hardware

During the successful First Servicing Mission on the Hubble Space Telescope the two solar arrays were replaced with new and improved solar arrays. An electrical short and four solar array mechanical system anomalies occurred: (1) the upper outer bistem on the +V2 wing had developed kinks and then failed to retract; (2) additional friction between the solar array latch fitting and the aft latch berthing microswitch guard probably caused the failure of the primary deployment mechanism to deploy the solar array wings; (3) the secondary deployment mechanism retract limit microswitch activation is believed to be a result of the dynamic motion of the wings during the retraction event. Successful retraction took place after five attempts; and (4) additional torques induced during extra vehicular activity, flight support system and orbiter activities caused the wings to move from the latching destination. The physical appearance and durability of the materials on the solar array and the physical position of hardware indicators were investigated at Kennedy Space Center after the flight servicing mission. Evidence of micrometeoroid damage and the darkened silicone coatings were apparent. Isolation and continuity tests confirmed the location of shorts which occurred during the First Servicing Mission     

Hubble Space Telescope spectroscopy of massive hot stars in the Magellanic Clouds and M31

Using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and the Faint Object Spectrograph (FOS) high signal to noise spectrograms were obtained for 15 OB stars in the Magellanic Clouds^***, three of which are of spectral type O3. The data cover the spectral region from 1150 A – 2300 A with a resolution of /1 A. One O8.5 supergiant, OB78#231, in M31is also included in this work. These data are a substantial improvement on previous high resolution IUE observations in the Magellanic Clouds (Walborn et al. 1985 and references therein) because of the smaller aperture and the much better signal to noise ratio, while no high resolution UV spectra of O stars in M31 have been obtained before. In this paper we discuss various morphological aspects of the spectra, concerning metallicity and the stellar winds, compared to galactic analogues.     

C. C. Petersen and J. C. Brandt,Hubble Vision,Early Adventures with the Hubble Space Telescope

Space Science Reviews -     

M. Livio, S. M. Fall and P. Madau (eds.), The Hubble Deep Field, Space Telescope Conference Series 11

The proceedings of a conference dealing with only one piece of observational activity: the deepest optical image obtained by the HST during a 150 orbit observational program. The main result, presented in several papers, is that we are now able to witness the period of galaxy formation. Very readable too is Allan Sandage's historical review, being the introductory paper to the meeting. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

In-Situ Observations of Reconnection in Space

This paper gives an overview of the insights into the magnetic reconnection process obtained by in-situ measurements across current sheets found in planetary magnetospheres and the solar wind. Emphasis is placed on results that might be of interest to the study of reconnection in regions where no in-situ observations are available. These results include the role of symmetric versus asymmetric boundary conditions, the identification of the onset conditions, the reconnection rates, and the spatial and temporal scales. Special attention is paid to observations in the so-called diffusion region surrounding the reconnection sites, where ions and eventually also electrons become demagnetized and reconnection is initiated.     

Implications of X-ray Observations for Electron Acceleration and Propagation in Solar Flares

High-energy X-rays and ??-rays from solar flares were discovered just over fifty years ago. Since that time, the standard for the interpretation of spatially integrated flare X-ray spectra at energies above several tens of keV has been the collisional thick-target model. After the launch of the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) in early 2002, X-ray spectra and images have been of sufficient quality to allow a greater focus on the energetic electrons responsible for the X-ray emission, including their origin and their interactions with the flare plasma and magnetic field. The result has been new insights into the flaring process, as well as more quantitative models for both electron acceleration and propagation, and for the flare environment with which the electrons interact. In this article we review our current understanding of electron acceleration, energy loss, and propagation in flares. Implications of these new results for the collisional thick-target model, for general flare models, and for future flare studies are discussed.     

天体测量与空间科学中的时间尺度及其转换

针对时间尺度及其转换方法进行了综述、归纳和分类。从建立的基础出发,将时间尺度划分为原子时尺度和世界时尺度2个大类,其中,原子时尺度的彼此转换基于广义相对论框架,世界时尺度的彼此转换基于地球自转和岁差章动模型,而协调世界时是连接这2类时间尺度的桥梁。根据各类时间尺度间的转换公式,计算了原子时彼此间的差值序列,以及世界时在IERS(International Earth Rotation and reference systems Service,国际地球自转与参考系服务)1996、2003、2010这3个规范间的差值序列,并分析了这些差值序列的特征。结果表明:地心坐标时与质心坐标时、质心坐标时与质心力学时、地球时与地心坐标时之间的差值序列均随时间呈线性变化关系,且后者差值的增幅远小于前2个差值的增幅;协调世界时与国际原子时之间的差值是不连续的,且增幅逐渐减小;地球时与质心力学时之间的差值序列是以年为周期进行变化的,差值大小在±1.7 ms以内;格林尼治(平)恒星时、赤经章动及其补充项在IERS 2003、2010规范间的差异较小,而在IERS 1996与另外2个规范间的差异较大。这些结论可为相关研究及工程计算中的时间尺度选取提供参考依据。     

Type II Solar Radio Bursts: Theory and Space Weather Implications

Recent data and theory for type II solar radio bursts are reviewed, focusing on a recent analytic quantitative theory for interplanetary type II bursts. The theory addresses electron reflection and acceleration at the type II shock, formation of electron beams in the foreshock, and generation of Langmuir waves and the type II radiation there. The theory's predictions as functions of the shock and plasma parameters are summarized and discussed in terms of space weather events. The theory is consistent with available data, has explanations for radio-loud/quiet coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and why type IIs are bursty, and can account for empirical correlations between type IIs, CMEs, and interplanetary disturbances. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

航天材料空间环境效应损伤机制及关联性研究

基于航天材料在轨将遭遇多种空间环境的作用且不同空间环境对航天材料的损伤存在一定的关联性,本文首先对航天材料的空间环境及效应进行了介绍,接着对真空、温度、微重力、等离子体、粒子辐射、太阳电磁辐射、空间大气、空间碎片及微流星体、空间污染、空间动力学、腐蚀及空间生物等环境对航天材料的损伤机制及不同损伤机制之间的关联性进行了研究,最后对需要进一步研究和关注的方向进行了讨论并给出了发展建议。     

Simultaneous Observations of Solar Energetic Particle Events by imp 8 and the Ulysses Cospin High Energy Telescope at High Solar Latitudes

With Ulysses approaching the south solar polar latitudes during a period of high solar activity, it is for the first time possible to study the distribution of solar energetic particles (SEPs) in solar latitude as well as in radius and longitude. From July 1997 to August 2000, Ulysses moved from near the solar equator at ∼5 AU to ∼67° S latitude at ∼3 AU. Using observations of >∼30 MeV protons from Ulysses and IMP-8 at Earth we find good correlation between large SEP increases observed at IMP and Ulysses, almost regardless of the relative locations of the spacecraft. The observations show that within a few days after injection of SEPs, the flux in the inner heliosphere is often almost uniform, depending only weakly on the position of the observer. No clear effect of the increasing solar latitude of Ulysses is evident. Since the typical latitudinal extent of CMEs, which most likely accelerate the SEPs, is only ∼30°, this suggests that the enhanced cross-field propagation for cosmic rays and CIR-accelerated particles deduced from Ulysses’ high latitude studies near solar minimum is also true for SEPs near solar maximum. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The Morphologies and Kinematics of Supernova Remnants

We review the major advances in understanding the morphologies and kinematics of supernova remnants (SNRs). Simulations of SN explosions have improved dramatically over the last few years, and SNRs can be used to test models through comparison of predictions with SNRs’ observed large-scale compositional and morphological properties as well as the three-dimensional kinematics of ejecta material. In particular, Cassiopeia A—the youngest known core-collapse SNR in the Milky Way—offers an up-close view of the complexity of these explosive events that cannot be resolved in distant, extragalactic sources. We summarize the progress in tying SNRs to their progenitors’ explosions through imaging and spectroscopic observations, and we discuss exciting future prospects for SNR studies, such as X-ray microcalorimeters.     

Cosmic Ray Isotopic Composition Studies with the Ulysses High Energy Telescope: Implications for Origin and Distribution in the Galaxy

The isotopic abundances of the Galactic cosmic radiation measured in the Heliosphere provide unique information on acceleration, propagation modes and containment times in the Galactic magnetic fields. Nuclear interactions with interstellar matter lead to observable γ-radiation production and, thus, to direct information on cosmic ray distribution throughout the Galaxy and its magnetic halo. The COSPIN High Energy Telescope (HET) has excellent isotopic resolution from hydrogen to nickel over the ten year period of Ulysses in space. Based on our recent work, we discuss the implications for modeling the acceleration and propagation of the cosmic radiation. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Observations of the Sun at Vacuum-Ultraviolet Wavelengths from Space. Part II: Results and Interpretations

In Part I of this review, the concepts of solar vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) observations were outlined together with a discussion of the space instrumentation used for the investigations. A section on spectroradiometry provided some quantitative results on the solar VUV radiation without considering any details of the solar phenomena leading to the radiation. Here, in Part II, we present solar VUV observations over the last decades and their interpretations in terms of the plasma processes and the parameters of the solar atmosphere, with emphasis on the spatial and thermal structures of the chromosphere, transition region and corona of the quiet Sun. In addition, observations of active regions, solar flares and prominences are included as well as of small-scale events. Special sections are devoted to the elemental composition of the solar atmosphere and theoretical considerations on the heating of the corona and the generation of the solar wind.     

Observations of the Sun at Vacuum- Ultraviolet Wavelengths from Space. Part I: Concepts and Instrumentation

Space Science Reviews - Studies of the high-temperature solar atmosphere are to a large extent based on spectroscopic observations of emission lines and continuum radiation in the...     

空间的文化 文化的空间——走近忆苑掌门人 韦志青

东方文化内敛含蓄,西方文化外向热烈,这是东西方文化的不同之处。而东方文化最主要的特征是追求精神层面的价值达到由内而外的统一,"心若止水,万物皆空。"凡事只是溯本求源的一场修行,是清静的禅心。人生的修行如此,生命的本源亦如是。     

Observations of loops and prominences

We review recent observations by the Yohkoh-SXT in collaboration with other spacecraft and ground-based observatories of coronal loops and prominences. These new results point to problems that SoHO will be able to address. With a unique combination of rapid-cadence digital imaging (32 s full-disk and 2 s partial-frame images), high spatial resolution (2.5 arcsec pixels), high sensitivity (EM 10⁴² cm^–3), a low-scatter mirror, and large dynamic range, SXT can observe a vast range of targets on the Sun. Over the first 21 months of Yohkoh operations, SXT has taken over one million images of the corona and so is building up an invaluable long-term database on the large-scale corona and loop geometry. The most striking thing about the SXT images is the range of loop sizes and shapes. The active regions are a bright tangle of magnetic field lines, surrounded by a network of large-scale quiet-Sun loops stretching over distances in excess of 10⁵ km. The cross-section of most loops seems to be constant. Loops displaying significant increase in the ratio of the footpoint to loop-top diameter () are the exception, not the rule, implying the presence of widespread currents in the corona.All magnetic structures show changes. Time scales range from seconds to months. The question of how these structures are formed, become filled with hot plasma, and are maintained is still open. While we see the propagation of brightenings along the length of active-region loops and in X-ray jets with velocities of several hundred km/s, much higher velocities are seen in the quiet Sun. In XBP flares, for example, velocities of over 1000 km/s are common. Active-region loops seem to be in constant motion, moving slowly outward, carrying plasma with them. During flares, loops often produce localized brightenings at the base and later at the apex of the loop. Quiescent filaments and prominences have been observed regularly. Their coronal manifestation seems to be an extended arcade of loops overlying the filament. Reliable alignment of the ground-based data with the X-ray images make it possible to make a detailed intercomparison of the hot and cold plasma structures over extended periods. Hence we are able to follow the long-term evolution of these structures and see how they become destabilized and erupt.