一种深空粒子采样返回探测器构型设想

以太阳风粒子、深空尘埃等为目标的采样返回探测任务是空间科学与深空探测研究的热点方向之一。对“星尘号”“起源号”两个典型采样返回探测器的构型进行了分析,并梳理了其主要构型特点。结合我国月地高速再入返回飞行器的构型特点,提出了一种深空粒子采样返回探测器构型的设想：总体构型由长方形主体和流线型返回器组成,主体构型适应于承载返回器和其他装器设备,返回器构型适应于样品收集和再入返回气动外形。设计方案采用了充气式采样器进行粒子收集,具有体积小、重量轻、折叠效率高、展开可靠、工程实施简单等特点,并采用了可重复收拢展开的太阳翼,能够适应收集不同类型深空粒子的需求。     

Gamma-ray spectroscopy: Status and prospects

Contemporary gamma-ray spectroscopy instruments and their results are reviewed. Sensitivities of 10^?4 to 10^?3 ph/cm²-sec have been achieved for steady sources and 10^?2 to 1 ph/cm²-sec for transient sources. This has led to the detection of gamma-ray lines from more than 40 objects representing 6 classes of astrophysical phenomena. The lines carry model-independent information and are of fundamental importance to theoretical modeling and our understanding of the objects. These results indicate that gamma-ray spectroscopy is relevant to a wide range of astrophysical problems and is becoming a major part of astronomy. The objectives and anticipated results of future instruments are discussed. Several instruments in development will have a factor of ～ 10 sensitivity improvement to certain phenomena over contemporary instruments. A factor of ～ 100 improvement in sensitivity will allow the full potential of gamma-ray spectroscopy to be realized. Instrument concepts which would achieve this with both present and advanced techniques are discussed.     

Formation of bioorganic compounds in simulated planetary atmospheres by high energy particles or photons.

Various types of organic compounds have been detected in Jupiter, Titan, and cometary coma. It is probable that organic compounds were formed in primitive Earth and Mars atmospheres. Cosmic rays and solar UV are believed to be two major energy sources for organic formation in space. We examined energetics of organic formation in simulated planetary atmospheres. Gas mixtures including a C-source (carbon monoxide or methane) and a N-source (nitrogen or ammonia) was irradiated with the followings: High energy protons or electrons from accelerators, gamma-rays from 60Co, UV light from a deuterium lamp, and soft X-rays or UV light from an electron synchrotron. Amino acids were detected in the products of particles, gamma-rays and soft X-rays irradiation from each gas mixture examined. UV light gave, however, no amino acid precursors in the gas mixture of carbon monoxide, nitrogen and nitrogen. It gave only a trace of them in the gas mixture of carbon monoxide, ammonia and water or that of methane, nitrogen and water. Yield of amino acid precursors by photons greatly depended on their wavelength. These results suggest that nitrogen-containing organic compounds like amino acid precursors were formed chiefly with high energy particles, not UV photons, in Titan or primitive Earth/Mars atmospheres where ammonia is not available as a predominant N-source.     

Fundamental study on gas monitoring in CELSS.

A mass spectrometer and computer system was developed for conducting a fundamental study on gas monitoring in CELSS. Respiration and metabolism of the hamster and photosynthesis of the Spirulina were measured in a combination system consisting of a hamster chamber and a Spirulina cultivator. They are connected through a membrane gas exchanger. Some technical problems were examined. In the mass spectrometric gas monitoring, a simultaneous multi-sample measurement was developed by employing a rotating exchange valve. Long term precise measurement was obtained by employing an automatic calibration system. The membrane gas sampling probe proved to be useful for long term measurement. The cultivation rate of the Spirulina was effectively changed by controlling CO2 and light supply. The experimental results are helpful for improving the hamster-spirulina system.     

Advanced techniques for plasma composition and dynamics measurements

Magnetic and RF mass spectrometers have been used routinely in ionospheric research, while traditional ionospheric, magnetospheric, and interplanetary plasma measurements have been made with several types of electrostatic analyzers. Proper interpretation of these data is possible if the spectral peaks are well defined, although ambiguities between fast, light ions and slow, heavy ions cannot always be satisfactorily resolved. Recent and planned experiments involve the study of plasmas which are sufficiently energetic that the spectral peaks overlap. Furthermore, these studies of ionosphere/magnetosphere coupling and of the interaction of the solar wind with the atmospheres of Venus and comets require unambiguous identification of the ion masses with simultaneous mapping of the three-dimensional velocity distribution function of each ion species. This challenge has been partially met by several new types of instruments; the two most common types involve either (1) sequential electrostatic and magnetic analyses or (2) sequential electrostatic and time-of-flight analyses. Some new instruments have also incorporated measurements of total kinetic energy, electric charge, or secondary emission coefficients as diagnostic tools. This paper reviews these recent advances and points out areas where further development is expected and needed.     

Changes in the radiative balance of the atmosphere due to increases in CO2 and trace gases

Increases in CO₂ and trace gases in the earth's atmosphere can lead to changes in the radiative balance of the earth's atmosphere in two ways. Changes in the amount of these constituents leads directly to changes in outgoing longwave radiation. This change in outgoing longwave radiation causes the thermal structure of the atmosphere to change. These changes in thermal structure can then alter the distribution of outgoing longwave radiation. Changes in the distribution and amount of outgoing radiation due to various increases in CO₂ and trace gases are presented from a model with a spectral resolution of 5 cm⁻¹. The effects of stratospheric aerosols, and the use of general circulation models for detecting changes in the radiative balance are discussed.     

Measurement of stratospheric trace constituent distributions from balloon-borne far infrared observations

Far infrared limb thermal emission spectra obtained from balloon borne measurements made as a part of the Balloon Intercomparison Campaign (BIC) have been analyzed for retrieval of stratospheric trace constituent distributions. The measurements were made with a high resolution Michelson Interferometer and covered the 15–180 cm⁻¹ spectral range with an unapodized spectral resolution of 0.0033 cm⁻¹. The retrieved vertical profiles of O₃, H₂O, HDO, HCN, CO and isotopes of O₃ are presented. The results are compared with the BIC measurements for O₃ and H₂O made from the same balloon gondola and with other published data. A comparison of the simultaneously retrieved profiles for several gases with the published data shows good agreement and indicates the validity of the far infrared data, the retrieval techniques and the accuracy of the inferred profiles.     

Chemical composition measurements of the atmosphere of Jupiter with the Galileo Probe mass spectrometer.

The Galileo Probe entered the atmosphere of Jupiter on December 7, 1995. Measurements of the chemical and isotopic composition of the Jovian atmosphere were obtained by the mass spectrometer during the descent over the 0.5 to 21 bar pressure region over a time period of approximately 1 hour. The sampling was either of atmospheric gases directly introduced into the ion source of the mass spectrometer through capillary leaks or of gas, which had been chemically processed to enhance the sensitivity of the measurement to trace species or noble gases. The analysis of this data set continues to be refined based on supporting laboratory studies on an engineering unit. The mixing ratios of the major constituents of the atmosphere hydrogen and helium have been determined as well as mixing ratios or upper limits for several less abundant species including: methane, water, ammonia, ethane, ethylene, propane, hydrogen sulfide, neon, argon, krypton, and xenon. Analysis also suggests the presence of trace levels of other 3 and 4 carbon hydrocarbons, or carbon and nitrogen containing species, phosphine, hydrogen chloride, and of benzene. The data set also allows upper limits to be set for many species of interest which were not detected. Isotope ratios were measured for 3He/4He, D/H, 13C/12C, 20Ne/22Ne, 38Ar/36Ar and for isotopes of both Kr and Xe.     

Recent measurements of trace constituents from rocket and balloon probes

During the past few years several field campaigns each employing a number of different experiments and of different experimental techniques have given new insights into the behaviour of trace constituent distributions in the middle atmosphere. Results from the MAP/WINE and from the Energy Budget Campaings are presented and compared with results previously obtained.The measured trace gas distributions are often very structured in time and/or space. These variations cannot be understood if photochemical equilibrium conditions are assumed. It is therefore concluded that dynamical processes are of major importance to the trace constituent distributions even at altitudes where gases are believed to be in photochemical equilibrium.     

Photospheric composition and structure in white dwarfs

One of the central mysteries of white dwarf studies has been the nature and abundance of trace elements in the atmospheres of these stars. It had been thought that the dominant trace element in otherwise pure hydrogen DA white dwarf atmospheres was helium. However, some spectroscopic and theoretical evidence suggested that, at least in some stars, heavier elements may be important. Prior to the launch of ROSAT the questions regarding the atmospheric composition of DA white dwarfs in general remained unresolved. The ROSAT mission has provided EUV and X-ray data for a large sample of DA white dwarfs with which we can study their photospheric composition and structure through the effect of trace opacity sources on the emergent fluxes. Contrary to expectations little (if any) helium is found and the main sources of opacity appear to be trace heavy elements. Support for these conclusions is found in recent EUV and far-UV spectra of several stars. However, photometric data do not allow us to determine the abundance of the individual elements and observations with the EUVE spectrometers will be essential for detailed composition measurements.     

Mass spectrometry in the stratosphere

During the last few years a gas expansion system, combined with a mass spectrometer has been developed and successfully flown in the stratosphere. Neutral gas particles are formed into a molecular beam which traverses the ion source of the mass spectrometer without wall interactions. Vertical profiles of constituents such as H₂O, CO₂ and O₃ have been measured in the altitude range of 20 to 40 km during balloon descents. Isotopes of major atmospheric gases (N₂, O₂, Ar) provided in-flight calibration standards.Before each flight the mass spectrometer system was calibrated in the laboratory for many gases of interest, including ozone. Mixing ratios of ozone determined from recent flights have accuracies of better than 5%. The sensitivity of the system was sufficiently high to detect, in addition, the heavy isotope of ozone at mass 50. A pronounced enhancement of heavy ozone in the upper stratosphere has been found. The mass spectrometer system provides the unique opportunity to perform in the stratospherein-situ measurements combined with isotopic studies.     

Experimental measurement of particle deceleration and survival in multiple thin foil targets

Experimental results of deceleration of iron particles by means of a stack of thin Mylar foils are presented. The mass range of the iron particles is 3 × 10⁻¹² to 1 × 10⁻¹⁰8 the velocity ranges from 2.5 km/s to 5 km/s. Decelerations of up to ca. 70% were measured using 2 and 3 foils. The measured deceleration can be expressed over the whole velocity range studied as a function of the particle mass. Comparison with previous studies of thin foil penetration /1,2/ supports the approach to a scaling in terms of momentum conservation. We discuss limits for intact dust particle capture in space, and conclude that such techniques for deceleration and capture for comet flyby missions are effective. This is instanced already in Solar Max data where capture is effected at higher velocities and identifiable fragments of incident particles have been analysed.     

Development of a thin section device for space exploration: Overview and system performance estimates

In this paper we present a conceptual design of a spaceborne instrument for the in situ production of rock thin sections on planetary surfaces. The in situ Automated Rock Thin Section Instrument (IS-ARTS) conceptual design demonstrates that the in situ production of thin sections on a planetary body is a plausible new instrument capability for future planetary exploration. Thin section analysis would reduce much ambiguity in the geological history of a sampled site that is present with instruments currently flown. The technical challenge of producing a thin section device compatible with the spacecraft environment is formidable and has been thought too technically difficult to be practical. Terrestrial thin section preparation requires a skilled petrographist, several preparation instruments that individually exceed typical spacecraft mass and power limits, and consumable materials that are not easily compatible with spaceflight. In two companion papers we present research and development work used to constrain the capabilities of IS-ARTS in the technical space compatible with the spacecraft environment. For the design configuration shown we conclude that a device can be constructed that is capable of 50 sample preparations over a 2 year lifespan with mass, power, and volume constraints compatible with current landed Mars mission configurations. The technical requirements of IS-ARTS (mass, power and number of samples produced) depend strongly on the sample mechanical properties, sample processing rate, the sample size and number of samples to be produced.     

Ultraviolet emissions from the upper atmospheres of the planets

A large number of atoms and molecules have strong emission lines in the vacuum ultraviolet. As a result, this spectral region is particularly suited to studying the upper atmospheres of the planets. The observed emissions not only identify the constituents, but also provide information on the solar and magnetospheric excitation processes. Long term monitoring of these emissions, particularly with modest spatial resolution, can elucidate the effects of variations in the solar input as well as changes in magnetospheric conditions. Also, earth orbiting telescopes generally provide better spectral resolution than is available on flyby vehicles. A modest beginning in planetary upper atmospheric studies from earth orbit has been made using orbiting observatories designed primarily for stellar astronomy. As examples of the power of this technique, some recent results will be reviewed with an emphasis on Jupiter and the Io torus. The unusual scheduling requirements and the effects of scattered intense long wavelength radiation put demands on orbiting planetary observatories which are somewhat different from those of stellar astronomy. The implications of these demands for continued advances in this area are discussed.     

Measurements of trace contaminants in closed-type plant cultivation chambers.

Trace contaminants generated in closed facilities can cause abnormal plant growth. We present measurement data of trace contaminants released from soils, plants, and construction materials. We mainly used two closed chambers, a Closed-type Plant and Mushroom Cultivation Chamber (PMCC) and Closed-type Plant Cultivation Equipment (CPCE). Although trace gas budgets from soils obtained in this experiment are only one example, the results indicate that the budgets of trace gases, as well as CO2 and O2, change greatly with the degree of soil maturation and are dependent on the kind of substances in the soil. Both in the PMCC and in the CPCE, trace gases such as dioctyl phthalate (DOP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), toluene and xylene were detected. These gases seemed to be released from various materials used in the construction of these chambers. The degree of increase in these trace gas levels was dependent on the relationship between chamber capacity and plant quantity. Results of trace gas measurement in the PMCC, in which lettuce and shiitake mushroom were cultivated, showed that ethylene was released both from lettuce and from the mushroom culture bed. The release rates were about 90 ng bed-1 h-1 for the shiitake mushroom culture bed (volume is 1700 cm3) and 4.1 approximately 17.3 ng dm-2 h-1 (leaf area basis) for lettuce. Higher ethylene release rates per plant and per unit leaf area were observed in mature plants than in young plants.     

A new approach for pulse amplitude measurement using Lagrange’s interpolation for radiation or particle detectors

In radiation detector signal processing, usually, the charge-sensitive preamplifier converts the small charge signal coming from the semiconductor-based detector into voltage form and then the signal is further amplified to measure the energy of the incoming radiation. The voltage pulse from a charge-sensitive preamplifier (CSPA) is amplified using a shaping amplifier which reduces the signal bandwidth. To achieve better energy resolution, precise measurement of the peak amplitude of shaping amplifier output is required. The signal processing methods are available in which the signal from the charge-sensitive preamplifier can be directly digitized using high-speed Analog to Digital Converters (ADC), and then further signal processing such as gain and shaping is carried out inside the Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA). For multiple detector systems, digital signal processing methods are quite difficult to implement in Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA). In this context, The development of an alternative technique is initiated that uses a charge-sensitive preamplifier, shaping amplifier, low sampling analog-to-digital converter, and FPGA, where LaGrange’s interpolation technique is implemented in FPGA to precisely measure the peak of the analog pulse. In this paper, the comparison of the proposed method with other pulse amplitude measurement techniques is discussed. Results show that the implemented technique gives similar energy resolution compared to digital pulse processing and standard peak detector-based techniques.     

Characterization of complex organic compounds formed in simulated planetary atmospheres by the action of high energy particles.

A wide variety of organic compounds, which are not simple organics but also complex organics, have been found in planets and comets. We reported that complex organics was formed in simulated planetary atmospheres by the action of high energy particles. Here we characterized the experimental products by using chromatographic and mass spectrometric techniques. A gaseous mixture of CO, N2 and H2O was irradiated with high energy protons (major components of cosmic rays). Water-soluble non-volatile substances, which gave amino acids after acid-hydrolysis, were characterized by HPLC and mass spectrometry. Major part of the products were complex compounds with molecular weight of several hundreds. Amino acid precursors were produced even when no water was incorporated with the starting materials. It was suggested that complex molecules including amino acid precursors were formed not in solution from simple molecules like HCN, but directly in gaseous phase.     

自动倒码式力标准机技术及其应用

静重式力标准机是最重要的力值计量、传递仪器之一。采用倒换砝码的加载方法,只需少量的砝码,可以实现大范围测量应用,并减小设备体积。理论上,一台较大规格的自动倒码式力标准机可以替代其容量以下所有规格的设备。分析了加载过程中砝码倒换的力学原理,论述了所研制的自动倒码式力标准机的工作原理及其自动监控问题,并进行了应用实验。结果表明,关于砝码倒换的力学原理的理论分析和力标准机的监控方法是正确和有效的。自动倒码式力标准机非常适合于包括宇航推力计量器具在内的各种测力仪的标定和校准。     

基于Fabry-Perot干涉仪的闭环微光机电加速度计

设计了一种闭环反馈差动式双FP腔的微光机电(MOEMS)加速度计,介绍了其工作原理及系统构成.利用惯性敏感单元将对载体加速度的测量转变为对载体位移的测量,利用光纤自聚焦透镜的端面与质量块组成的FP腔测量载体位移.为了提高系统的测量灵敏度和抑制温度等环境因素的影响,设计了一种差动式双FP腔测量机构.为提高微加速度计的输出线性度和动态测量范围,提出了采用静电力平衡技术构成闭环加速度计.建立了其数学模型,对所设计的加速度计重要参数指标——灵敏度、敏感头受载、固有频率等一一进行了详细计算和分析.在此基础上完成了设计背景要求下加速度计参数的优化设计,结果表明:该系统精度可以达到5×10-6g以上.