来自俄罗斯的火星报导：火卫一的使命和中国旅伴

早在2007年5月22日,中国第一次公布其研发的首颗火星探测器将同俄罗斯航天器“火卫一土壤”探测器一起发射飞往火星。中国首颗火星探测器命名为“萤火一号”。其模型曾在上海航展开幕前夕展出。     

太空，让我成为乐观主义者

“我是一名航天员。我的工作以及所见所闻,如果不能让自己成为一个乐观主义者,这简直是无法想象的事情。”     

Endolithic cyanobacteria in halite rocks from the hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert

In the driest parts of the Atacama Desert there are no visible life forms on soil or rock surfaces. The soil in this region contains only minute traces of bacteria distributed in patches, and conditions are too dry for cyanobacteria that live under translucent stones. Here we show that halite evaporite rocks from the driest part of the Atacama Desert are colonized by cyanobacteria. This colonization takes place just a few millimeters beneath the rock surface, occupying spaces among salt crystals. Our work reveals that these communities are composed of extremely resistant Chroococcidiopsis morphospecies of cyanobacteria and associated heterotrophic bacteria. This newly discovered endolithic environment is an extremely dry and, at the same time, saline microbial habitat. Photosynthetic microorganisms within dry evaporite rocks could be an important and previously unrecognized target for the search for life within our Solar System.     

今后十年的卫星遥感

1978年,航宇局将发射陆地卫星-C、海洋卫星-A和热容量绘图卫星。大约在1981年,还要发射陆地卫星-D。陆地卫星-D可能携带七个光谱段的主题绘图仪,也许还要装多光谱扫描器。美国地质勘探局提出了一种三个谱段的线性列阵遥感器。在出击式飞行的航天飞机上、在欧洲空间实验室和由航天飞机发射和维修的某些不载人飞行器上,都将带有大幅面测绘相机。到八十年代中期,可能会出现地球同步实时观测系统。     

中纬电离层理论模式研究

本文利用谱方法建立起一维时变中纬度电离层理论模式．模式比较周密地考虑了中纬度地区电离层的主要动力学过程和光化学过程．模式的突出优点是计算耗时少．我们对日本Wakkanai站进行了模拟计算,模拟结果同实验结果符合得较好．     

F100发动机发生故障后美空军考虑备用发动机

普惠公司的F100-229发动机的耐久性故障促使美国空军研究是否将该发动机从F-15E战斗机上拆下来,并更换GE公司的F110-129发动机.据军方称,去年夏末,英国莱肯希思基地的F-15E发生大量发动机故障后,在欧洲的美空军约翰江珀将军要求对该发动机进行研究.目前正     

军机雷达和机体升级增强了美国的电子战能力

为保护自己和盟军的攻击机、地面部队和舰队,美国军方通过军机雷达和机体升级来增强其电子战的能力。     

Survival of spores of the UV-resistant Bacillus subtilis strain MW01 after exposure to low-earth orbit and simulated martian conditions: data from the space experiment ADAPT on EXPOSE-E

In the space experiment "Molecular adaptation strategies of microorganisms to different space and planetary UV climate conditions" (ADAPT), bacterial endospores of the highly UV-resistant Bacillus subtilis strain MW01 were exposed to low-Earth orbit (LEO) and simulated martian surface conditions for 559 days on board the European Space Agency's exposure facility EXPOSE-E, mounted outside the International Space Station. The survival of B. subtilis MW01 spores from both assays (LEO and simulated martian conditions) was determined by a colony-formation assay after retrieval. It was clearly shown that solar extraterrestrial UV radiation (λ≥110?nm) as well as the martian UV spectrum (λ≥200?nm) was the most deleterious factor applied; in some samples only a few spore survivors were recovered from B. subtilis MW01 spores exposed in monolayers. However, if shielded from solar irradiation, about 8% of MW01 spores survived in LEO conditions, and 100% survived in simulated martian conditions, compared to the laboratory controls. The results demonstrate the effect of shielding against the high inactivation potential of extraterrestrial solar UV radiation, which limits the chances of survival of even the highly UV-resistant strain of B. subtilis MW01 in the harsh environments of outer space and the martian surface.     

The Aouda.X space suit simulator and its applications to astrobiology

We have developed the space suit simulator Aouda.X, which is capable of reproducing the physical and sensory limitations a flight-worthy suit would have on Mars. Based upon a Hard-Upper-Torso design, it has an advanced human-machine interface and a sensory network connected to an On-Board Data Handling system to increase the situational awareness in the field. Although the suit simulator is not pressurized, the physical forces that lead to a reduced working envelope and physical performance are reproduced with a calibrated exoskeleton. This allows us to simulate various pressure regimes from 0.3-1 bar. Aouda.X has been tested in several laboratory and field settings, including sterile sampling at 2800 m altitude inside a glacial ice cave and a cryochamber at -110°C, and subsurface tests in connection with geophysical instrumentation relevant to astrobiology, including ground-penetrating radar, geoacoustics, and drilling. The communication subsystem allows for a direct interaction with remote science teams via telemetry from a mission control center. Aouda.X as such is a versatile experimental platform for studying Mars exploration activities in a high-fidelity Mars analog environment with a focus on astrobiology and operations research that has been optimized to reduce the amount of biological cross contamination. We report on the performance envelope of the Aouda.X system and its operational limitations.     

Tolerance of anhydrobiotic eggs of the Tardigrade Ramazzottius varieornatus to extreme environments

Tardigrades are tiny (less than 1?mm in length) invertebrate animals that have the potential to survive travel to other planets because of their tolerance to extreme environmental conditions by means of a dry ametabolic state called anhydrobiosis. While the tolerance of adult tardigrades to extreme environments has been reported, there are few reports on the tolerance of their eggs. We examined the ability of hydrated and anhydrobiotic eggs of the tardigrade Ramazzottius varieornatus to hatch after exposure to ionizing irradiation (helium ions), extremely low and high temperatures, and high vacuum. We previously reported that there was a similar pattern of tolerance against ionizing radiation between hydrated and anhydrobiotic adults. In contrast, anhydrobiotic eggs (50% lethal dose; 1690 Gy) were substantially more radioresistant than hydrated ones (50% lethal dose; 509 Gy). Anhydrobiotic eggs also have a broader temperature resistance compared with hydrated ones. Over 70% of the anhydrobiotic eggs treated at either -196°C or +50°C hatched successfully, but all the hydrated eggs failed to hatch. After exposure to high-vacuum conditions (5.3×10(-4) Pa to 6.2×10(-5) Pa), the hatchability of the anhydrobiotic eggs was comparable to that of untreated control eggs.