Caenorhabditis elegans survives atmospheric breakup of STS-107, space shuttle Columbia

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, a popular organism for biological studies, is being developed as a model system for space biology. The chemically defined liquid medium, C. elegans Maintenance Medium (CeMM), allows axenic cultivation and automation of experiments that are critical for spaceflight research. To validate CeMM for use during spaceflight, we grew animals using CeMM and standard laboratory conditions onboard STS-107, space shuttle Columbia. Tragically, the Columbia was destroyed while reentering the Earth's atmosphere. During the massive recovery effort, hardware that contained our experiment was found. Live animals were observed in four of the five recovered canisters, which had survived on both types of media. These data demonstrate that CeMM is capable of supporting C. elegans during spaceflight. They also demonstrate that animals can survive a relatively unprotected reentry into the Earth's atmosphere, which has implications with regard to the packaging of living material during space flight, planetary protection, and the interplanetary transfer of life.     

多路SAR高分辨率3-D成像

星载／机载合成孔径雷达(SAR)系统提供了高分辨率二维地形图像。本文提出一种组合多路SAR图像(在稍微偏离仰角方向的飞行航线上所得到的)来生成高分辨率三维图像的技术。可以把这项技术看作是干涉SAR(InSAR)的扩展，用这种技术能产生多维分辨率的地形图像。3-D多路SAR成像系统在仰角方向一般由相对比较短的模糊长度表征。为了使有关模糊度减至最小值，利用了一组图像内的相关相位信息来跟踪地面景物。然后，在以“主要”地形地面为中心的窄(仰角方向)体积范围内，采用非均匀DFT对SAR图像进行相干组合。本文详细介绍了该技术的基础理论，并提供了该技术可达到的分辨率和实验研究结果。     

固体火箭发动机喷管型面最佳化技术的研究

本文分析了喷管型面结构对固体推进剂火箭发动机性能和效率的影响。本研究使用三种分析方法,它们是:赫克力斯的Ⅰ_(SP)法(HIMET),固体性能程序(SPP)和普度大学 Jo-seph Hoffman 博士的直接寻求法。这些分析方法确定发动机中的流动和热损失,并以比冲(I_(SP))损失表示。在本分析中,分别考虑了扩散、摩擦、热、粒子滞后、侵蚀和化学不平衡等方面带来的损失。对采用抛物线、园弧线和特征线的喷管型面的发动机进行了性能比较。在固定喷管外轮廓(长和直径)不变的条件下研究了典型的低空和高空工作的发动机。这些计算结果对喷管型面设计有了有益的深入理解。本研究指出:第一,最佳起始扩散角随所采用的喷管型面和分析方法而变;第二,对于给定的喷管外轮廓,不论是抛物线型面、园弧线型面还是特征线型面,所获得的最大比冲基本上是相同的;第三,如果喷管型面不是最佳,就会出现明显的性能损失;第四,分析的Ⅰ(SP)预示方法能有效地用于固体推进剂火箭发动机的喷管型面设计;第五,可延伸出口锥能改进主喷管的性能。     

航天发动机推进—现状报告

自1974年以来,根据赛奥科尔公司提出的计划,用静态点火试车验证了顶级火箭发动机设计的主要进展。发动机弹道性能的改进和质量比的提高,在装药量为450—1650公斤,直径为0.7、0.9和1.2米的几种发动机上得到了验证。大多数技术改进都用设计的每种发动机进行几台静态点火试验验证过,并且根据合同正在研制的近地点和远地点发动机采用了这些技术。这些改进包括:端羟基聚丁二烯(HTPB)复合推进剂;柱槽型的药柱设计;碳—碳出口锥的深潜入喷管;在喷管潜入部分周围安装一个环形的小火箭式点火器和低密度三元乙丙橡胶(EPDM)壳体绝热层。     

侦察兵运载火箭先进的第三级发动机的研制

前言侦察兵运载火箭第三级发动机将采用天蝎座——Ⅲ(Antares—Ⅲ)发动机。侦察兵是一种四级固体推进剂运载火箭,由国家航宇局兰利研究中心抓总,沃特(Vought)公司主要负责系统研制。1977年初,为了至少增加18公斤有效载荷,着手寻求一种高性能第三级发动机。这种性能经改进后的发动机仍必须维持原先发动机的外形尺寸,并能保持或提高原先发动机的设计安全系数。1977年3月,赛奥科尔公司承包了沃特公司的合同,负责设计、研制和质量鉴定代号为     

The NASA astrobiology program

The new discipline of astrobiology addresses fundamental questions about life in the universe: "Where did we come from?" "Are we alone in the universe?" "What is our future beyond the Earth?" Developing capabilities in biotechnology, informatics, and space exploration provide new tools to address these old questions. The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has encouraged this new discipline by organizing workshops and technical meetings, establishing a NASA Astrobiology Institute, providing research funds to individual investigators, ensuring that astrobiology goals are incorporated in NASA flight missions, and initiating a program of public outreach and education. Much of the initial effort by NASA and the research community was focused on determining the technical content of astrobiology. This paper discusses the initial answer to the question "What is astrobiology?" as described in the NASA Astrobiology Roadmap.     

单通道SAR对任意运动目标的检测和成像

在合成孔径雷达（SAR）图像中，运动目标会引起散焦和／或移位之类的成像误差，这与目标运动方向有关。为了得到准确而清晰的运动目标的图像，目标位置和速度参数是必须知道的。这里提出了一种对任意方向运动的地面目标进行探测、参数估计和成像的算法。该算法主要是评估由常规单通道SAR雷达数据生成的一系列单视SAR图像。用两个观察模型来估计运动目标的位置和速度，考虑了由于运动导致多普勒频谱的混叠。用这种方法，运动目标可以不受其运动方向的影响而被检测到，估计参数被用来补偿SAR图像中的成像误差。最后，目标在场景中的真实运动情况可以在补偿过的图像序列中显现。     

Biosignatures from Earth-like planets around M dwarfs

Coupled one-dimensional photochemical-climate calculations have been performed for hypothetical Earth-like planets around M dwarfs. Visible/near-infrared and thermal-infrared synthetic spectra of these planets were generated to determine which biosignature gases might be observed by a future, space-based telescope. Our star sample included two observed active M dwarfs-AD Leo and GJ 643-and three quiescent model stars. The spectral distribution of these stars in the ultraviolet generates a different photochemistry on these planets. As a result, the biogenic gases CH4, N2O, and CH3Cl have substantially longer lifetimes and higher mixing ratios than on Earth, making them potentially observable by space-based telescopes. On the active M-star planets, an ozone layer similar to Earth's was developed that resulted in a spectroscopic signature comparable to the terrestrial one. The simultaneous detection of O2 (or O3) and a reduced gas in a planet's atmosphere has been suggested as strong evidence for life. Planets circling M stars may be good locations to search for such evidence.     

Anthropic selection for the Moon's mass

This paper investigates whether anthropic selection explains the unusually large size of our Moon. It is shown that obliquity stability of the Earth is possible across a wide range of different starting conditions for the Earth-Moon system. However, the lunar mass and angular momentum from the actual Earth-Moon system are remarkable in that they very nearly produce an unstable obliquity. This may be because the particular properties of our Earth-Moon system simultaneously allow a stable obliquity and a slow rotation rate. A slow rotation rate may have been anthropically selected because it minimizes the equator-pole temperature difference, thus minimizing climatic fluctuations. The great merit of this idea is that it can be tested using extrasolar planet search programs planned for the near future. If correct, such anthropic selection predicts that most extrasolar planetary systems will have significantly larger perturbation frequencies than our own Solar System.     

The flight experiment ANITA--a high performance air analyser for manned space cabins

Analysing Interferometer for Ambient Air (ANITA) is a flight experiment as precursor for a permanent continuous trace gas monitoring system on the International Space Station (ISS). For over 10 years, under various ESA contracts the flight experiment was defined, designed, breadboarded and set up. For the safety of the crew, ANITA can detect and quantify quasi on-line and simultaneously 32 trace gases with ppm or sub-ppm detection limits. The self-standing measurement system is based on Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR) technology. The system represents a versatile air monitor allowing for the first time the detection and monitoring of trace gas dynamics of a spacecraft atmosphere. It is envisaged to accommodate ANITA in a Destiny (US LAB) Express Rack on the ISS. The transportation to the ISS is planned with the first ATV 'Jules Verne'. The options are either the Space Shuttle or the Automated Transfer Vehicle.