英国防部发起新型航空母舰的竞争

日前，英国国防部向全球航空航天制造商发起了价值244亿美元、为英国海军制造两艘航空母舰的竞标活动。有6家公司参与了竞标，它们是波音、英国宇航防御系统、洛克希德、马丁、马可尼电子系统、雷神和汤姆逊一CSF公司。这6家公司都具有较强的海军系统综合能力。但英国政府坚持，新型航空母舰必须在英国制造。计划的第一阶段是在今年秋季选出3家承包商进行初步研究，台问价值830万美元。然后再从中选出两家公司进行减少风险的研究，台同价值3300万美元。最终承包商的确定预计将在2001年，第一艘航空母舰计划于2012年投入使用。该项目由国防…     

B-2隐身轰炸机面对海外服役的挑战

据称,单机价格为22亿美元的B-2隐身轰炸机若到海外基地部署,就不能很好地维持其隐身特性,这是因为几乎每次飞行都会使飞机的表层造成一定的磨损,故每次飞行后都要对飞机表层的雷达波吸收材料进行修整,而新涂上的材料必须在特定的气候条件下逐步干燥固化才行.但是,现在只有B-2的驻地——密     

美国空军关注下一代电子战飞机

USAFSizesUpNextElectronicCombatAircraft美国一些制造商现在又开始忙于向空军提出用来替代EA—6B“徘徊者”老龄电于战飞机的后继机方案了。其中一种是“联合攻击战斗机”（JS）的派生型，还有就是考虑将F—22改装为具有电子战能力，使其能偷偷突防到敌空防区纵深，并将目标摧毁之。新电子战飞机计划被如此关注的主要原因是对科索沃冲突详细评估的结果。美国空军认为这场冲突显示对于各种信息收集和电子战飞机的需求要大大增加，特别是像EA—6B的后继机，并要大大扩展战术干扰空中力量，以保护隐身和常规的攻击飞机。如果能在2001…     

靶场标准化及自动化计划第二阶段

一、靶场背景 美国主要的航天发射场,包括东靶场(位于弗罗里达州卡纳维拉尔角)和西靶场(位于加利福尼亚州范登堡空军基地)起源于50年代,在随后的几十年内进行了逐步扩展和改进。直到前不久移交给空军空间司令部时,这些靶场才更多地用作研究和开发单位,而不只是操作运行单位。逐步改造使它们具备了支持发射新型航天器、弹道导弹以及逐步发展起来的     

欧洲的研究和发展计划旨在更清洁的发动机

AVIATIONWEEK》》&SPACETECHNOLOGYEuropeanRεDprojectsTargetCleanerEngines为在未来的民用发动机市场上占更多的份额，欧洲发动机公司正在实施环保型发动机研究计划，目标是大大减少CO。和NOX的排放，并降低拥有费用欧洲委员会已同意投资两项研究计划，旨在为商用飞机研究更清洁和更高效的发动机。这些称为技术平台的飞机发动机计划是根据欧洲委员会研究指挥部第5框架计划进行的，这些计划从2000年到2004年实施，是提高欧洲航字工业竞争性的一系列主要研究和发展计划的首批计划。根据第5框架计划投资的其他技术平台计划…     

机械师短缺,航空安全令人堪忧

AVIATIONWEEK&SPACETECHNOLOGYMechanicShortageRaisesGrowth，SafetyConcernsEdwaPdHPhilips据预测，在今后几年，除非采取快捷有效的方法改变现状，否则美国飞机机械师和航电技术人员的人力资源的短缺会威胁到航空运输的发展和安全问题据美国劳工部所作的统计表明，在今后几年需要12000名新的飞机、发动机机械师（A＆P）加盟，以保持现有的航空运输业发展速度和补充退休的有经验的机械师，几乎每年缺4000名机械师。到2006年，全美维修业应达到155000名机械师，比现有人员增加13％。航空技术教育委员会（ATEC）的总裁文…     

A viable microbial community in a subglacial volcanic crater lake, Iceland

We describe a viable microbial community in a subglacial lake within the Grímsv?tn volcanic caldera, Iceland. We used a hot water drill to penetrate the 300-m ice shelf and retrieved lake water and volcanic tephra sediments. We also acquired samples of borehole water before and after penetration to the lake, overlying glacial ice and snow, and water from a nearby subaerial geothermal lake for comparative analyses. Lake water is at the freezing point and fresh (total dissolved solids = 260 mg L(-1)). Detectable numbers of cells were found in samples of the lake water column and tephra sediments: 2 x 10(4) ml(-1) and 4 x 10(7) g(-1), respectively. Plate counts document abundant cold-adapted cultivable organisms in the lake water, but not in the borehole (before penetration) or glacial ice. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of 16S rRNA gene fragments amplified from genomic DNA extracted from Grímsv?tn samples indicates that the lake community is distinct from the assemblages of organisms in borehole water (before penetration) and the overlying ice and snow. Sequencing of selected DGGE bands revealed that many sequences are highly similar to known psychrophilic organisms or cloned DNA from other cold environments. Significant uptake of 14C-labeled bicarbonate occurred in dark, low-temperature incubations of lake water samples, indicating the presence of autotrophs. Acetylene reduction assays under similar incubation conditions showed no significant nitrogen fixation potential by lake water samples. This may be a consequence of the inhibition of diazotrophy by nitrogen in the lake.     

Microcolonial fungi: survival potential of terrestrial vegetative structures

So far mainly spores or other "differentiated-for-survival" structures were considered to be resistant against extreme environmental constraints (including extraterrestrial challenges). Microcolonial fungi (MCF) are unique growth structures formed by eukaryotic microorganisms inhabiting rock varnish surfaces in terrestrial deserts. They are here proposed as a new object for exobiological study. Sun-exposed desert rocks provide surface habitats with intense solar radiation, a scarce water supply, drastic changes in temperature, and episodic to sporadic availability of nutrients. These challenging conditions reduce the diversity of life to MCF, whose resistance to desiccation and tolerance for ultraviolet (UV) radiation make them survival specialists. Based upon our studies of MCF, we propose that the following mechanisms are universally employed for survival on rock surfaces: (1) compact tissue-like colony organization formed by thermodynamically optimal round cells embedded in extracellular polymeric substances, (2) the presence of several types of UV-absorbing compounds (melanins and mycosporines) and antioxidants (carotenoids, melanins, and mycosporines) that convey multiple stress resistance to desiccation, temperature, and irradiation changes, and (3) intracellular developmental mechanisms typical for these structures.     

Automation and Robotics for Human Mars Exploration (AROMA)

Automation and Robotics (A&R) systems are a key technology for Mars exploration. All over the world initiatives in this field aim at developing new A&R systems and technologies for planetary surface exploration. From December 2000 to February 2002 Kayser-Threde GmbH, Munich, Germany lead a study called AROMA (Automation and Robotics for Human Mars Exploration) under ESA contract in order to define a reference architecture of A&R elements in support of a human Mars exploration program. One of the goals of this effort is to initiate new developments and to maintain the competitiveness of European industry within this field.