Temperature and moisture conditions for life in the extreme arid region of the Atacama desert: four years of observations including the El Niño of 1997-1998

The Atacama along the Pacific Coast of Chile and Peru is one of the driest and possibly oldest deserts in the world. It represents an extreme habitat for life on Earth and is an analog for life in dry conditions on Mars. We report on four years (September 1994-October 1998) of climate and moisture data from the extreme arid region of the Atacama. Our data are focused on understanding moisture sources and their role in creating suitable environments for photosynthetic microorganisms in the desert surface. The average air temperature was 16.5 degrees C and 16.6 degrees C in 1995 and 1996, respectively. The maximum air temperature recorded was 37.9 degrees C, and the minimum was -5.7 degrees C. Annual average sunlight was 336 and 335 W m(-2) in 1995 and 1996, respectively. Winds averaged a few meters per second, with strong f?hn winds coming from the west exceeding 12 m s(-1). During our 4 years of observation there was only one significant rain event of 2.3 mm, which occurred near midnight local time. We suggest that this event was a rainout of a heavy fog. It is of interest that the strong El Ni?o of 1997-1998 brought heavy rainfall to the deserts of Peru, but did not bring significant rain to the central Atacama in Chile. Dew occurred at our station frequently following high nighttime relative humidity, but is not a significant source of moisture in the soil or under stones. Groundwater also does not contribute to surface moisture. Only the one rain event of 2.3 mm resulted in liquid water in the soil and beneath stones for a total of only 65-85 h over 4 years. The paucity of liquid water under stones is consistent with the apparent absence of hypolithic (under-stone) cyanobacteria, the only known primary producers in such extreme deserts.     

一种改进的推进剂燃速预示方法

把Beckstead-Derr-Price(BDP)模式用于推进剂燃速计算，文中对燃速预测的某些改进使计算的结果更为合理。对单规格AP－HTPB推进剂，为计算方便起见与方中只采用了单一规格的平均粒度的AP，所预测的燃速值与文献[2]中的实验结果进行了比较，其间良好吻合。     

固体推进剂裂缝弹道结构分析

本文采用一种计算机程序来预测燃烧时固体推进剂药柱裂缝内的弹道压力相互作用效应及压力引起的裂缝增长问题。本分析系统成功地将断裂力学有限元程序与弹道和裂缝燃烧计算程序结合起来,通过计算机程序,求出燃烧过程中每一时刻的变形和燃烧分布图。本法考虑了药柱表面和裂缝内侧面由燃烧引起的压力载荷,相应地提出了推进剂药柱因燃烧引起的断裂问题。本程序的设计区别了裂缝的燃完和裂缝的失控扩展。本程序业已改进,可用来处理由于点火器的变化和火焰传播效应引起的点火瞬变现象。     

Challenges of assuring crew safety in space shuttle missions with international cargoes

The top priority in America's manned space flight program is the assurance of crew and vehicle safety. This priority gained greater focus during and after the Space Shuttle return-to-flight mission (STS-26). One of the interesting challenges has been to assure crew safety and adequate protection of the Space Shuttle, as a national resource, from increasingly diverse cargoes and operations. The control of hazards associated with the deployment of complex payloads and cargoes has involved many international participants. These challenges are examined in some detail along with examples of how crew safety has evolved in the manned space program and how the international partners have addressed various scenarios involving control and mitigation of potential hazards to crew and vehicle safety.     

多孔药柱燃气发生器的燃速变化和重现性

研完了多孔药柱燃气发生器的燃速变化特性。对几种装药量为0.5～150kg、有19～235个平行圆孔的药柱的设计进行了评价。主要讨论了多孔药柱与通常的中孔内部燃烧药柱燃速变化曲线的形状和大小的差别,不同的多孔药柱之间的差别,这些效应与弹道预测的关系,多孔药柱的压力一时间曲线重现性分析。分析采用了燃速和燃面的点火前及点火后的弹道性能评估,也考虑了侵蚀燃烧、侵蚀和沉积引起的喉面变化及特性速度变化的影响。从多孔药柱燃气发生器的点火后分析,推导出多孔药柱一般燃速变化曲线,使性能预测精度提高达3%。多孔药柱燃气发生器的性能重现性很好。高燃速发生器最大压力偏差小于3%,低燃速发生器最大压力偏差小于5%。     

航天发动机用的低密度绝热层的研制

业已公认,减轻航天发动机的消极重量是十分必要的。其中的一项措施是研制和应用先进的复合材料发动机壳体,如计划于八十年代初期发射的MAGE欧洲远地点发动机所做的那样。但是,通过降低壳体内绝热层材料密度,还可以进一步降低发动机消极重量。由于认识到了这样做的必要性,从而开展了本文所述的新型低密度橡胶复合材料的研制工作。这些橡胶材料,大体上都以三元乙丙橡胶(EPDM)为基体,以石棉为填料,以过氧化物为固化剂,适用于装丁羧推进剂和丁羟推进剂的发动机。所述的研制计划除研究了配方技术,调整热性能、烧蚀性能和力学性能以满足发动机要求外,还研究了加工工艺的最佳化,包括易于固化以及和壳体推进剂的粘接性能。     

Blood volume regulating hormones, fluid and electrolyte modifications during 21 and 198-day space flights (Altair-MIR 1993)

During the Altair MIR' 93 mission we studied several parameters involved in blood volume regulation. The experiment was done on two cosmonauts before (B-60, B-30), during (D6, D12, D18 for French and D7, D12, D17 for Russian) and after the flight (R+1, R+3 and R+7). Space flight durations were different for two cosmonauts: for the Russian the flight duration was 198 days and for the French 21 days. On board the MIR station only urinary (volume and electrolytes, atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) and catecholamines) and salivary (cGMP and cortisol) samples were collected, centrifuged and stored in freezer. Lithium was used as a tracer to know exactly the 24 h urine output (CNES urine collection Kit). Before and after flight, blood was drawn with an epicite needle and vacutainer system for hormonal assays (renin, antidiuretic hormone, cGMP, ANP and aldosterone) in two positions: after 30 min rest in upright seated position and after 90 min of supine position. Salivary samples were collected simultaneously. During flight a decrease of diuresis and ANP and an increase of osmolality were found. No modifications of hematocrit, but an increase of salivary cGMP and cortisol were also observed. The decrease of urinary ANP is in favor of hypovolemia as described in previous flights. The postflight examinations revealed changes in fluid-electrolyte metabolism which indicate a hypohydration status and a stimulation of hormonal system responsible for water and electrolyte retention in order to readapt to the normal gravity.     

PHYSIOLAB: a new laboratory for the study of the cardio-vascular system

On the basis of the experience gained during the previous french-russian missions on board MIR about the adaptation processes of the cardio-vascular system, a new laboratory has been designed. The objective of this “PHYSIOLAB” is to have a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the changes in the cardio-vascular system, with a special emphasis on the phenomenon of cardio-vascular deconditioning after landing.

Beyond these scientific objectives, it is also intended to use PHYSIOLAB to help in the medical monitoring on-board MIR, during functional tests such as LBNP.

PHYSIOLAB will be set up in MIR by the French cosmonaut during the next french-russian CASSIOPEE mission in 1996. Its architecture is based on a central unit, which controls the experimental protocols, records the results and provides an interface for transmission to the ground via telemetry. Different specific modules are used for the acquisition of various physiological parameters.

This PHYSIOLAB under development for the CASSIOPEE mission should evolve towards a more ambitious laboratory, whose definition would take into account the results obtained with the first version of PHYSIOLAB. This “second generation” laboratory should be developed in the frame of wide international cooperation.