Growth and development of plants flown on the STS-3 Space Shuttle mission

Pre-germinated pine seedlings and germinating oat and mung bean seeds were flown on the STS-3 Space Shuttle mission. Overall, the seedlings grew and developed well in space. Some oat and mung bean roots, however, grew upward. Lignin content was slightly lower in flight tissues and protein content was higher.     

孔、轮廓和表面(七)

第五章座标定位系统座标定位系统,是用座标镗床或座标磨床工作台的直线运动控制工件位置的一种手段。其中,工作台是由测量系统来控制的,这个系统是建立在第三章提到过的基准平面、垂直度和线值测量基础上的。这个系统与在图板上标定的工件尺寸系统是相同的。为了易于理解这一点,可举一例来说明这个系统本质上是何等的简单和适用。图纸上的尺寸一经注出,这些     

标准物质的现况和发展

标准物质——经美国国家标准局(NBS)就其一个或几个化学或物理性能进行测定并获得证书的物质是一种非常重要的传递手段,已得到愈来愈广泛的应用。到1980年初,NBS 已发布了70大类标准物质,共计900多种,工业质量控制采用了其中的700多种。销售量最大的类目用在工业质量控制中,销售量发展最快的类目用在医疗和环境领域。在美国,标准物质的用途如下:     

缩比固体火箭发动机试车中出现的内弹道畸变

在全尺寸和缩比固体火箭发动机试车中,出现被认为是由燃速变化而引起的内弹道曲线中部畸变。预测的和实际的压力——时间曲线、推力——时间曲线之间的差别,既不能预测,又没有完全了解。但是,用手工方法和自动化方法已描述了这种中部畸变特征。在以过氯酸铵为氧化剂的烃类推进剂中观察到上述现象。为改善工艺性能而降低了粘度的这类推进剂可使这种畸变扩大。为了找出这种畸变的可能来源,分析了缩比试验发动机试车的压力—时间曲线、推力——时间曲线和推力压力比与时间的关系曲线。对发动机尺寸、工作条件和推进剂配方进行了研究,以确定发生畸变的可能原因和验证畸变的可能机理。     

用变量分析法对固体火箭发功机作可靠性评定

本文介绍 Thiokol 化学公司 Wasatch 分公司在评定大型全尺寸固体发动机可靠性中,使用变量分析方法的一些新经验。可靠性评定是依据发动机各分系统设计鉴定试验和一次全尺寸发动机静止试车中得到的变量数据来进行的。本文介绍了各变量参数的确定、数据收集、变量分析和将若干分系统的变量数据综合得到系统可靠性评定值的全过程。     

可回收的数字存贮遥测仪在炮弹中的应用

当引信和导引系统变得越来越先进时,炮弹遥测的应用随之增加。在某些应用中,数据性质简单、体积受限,而且硬件回收成功率较高时,采用微功耗数字存贮器系统比普通的价格较高的射频系统更加理想。本文介绍数字存贮器遥测系统的能力和限制、设计依据以及外场和实验室试验的结果。还讨论某些极端环境和抗冲击的封装技术。     

Vestibular function in the space environment

Adaptation to the weightless state and readaptation after space flight to the 1-G environment on the ground are accompanied by various transitory symptoms of vestibular instability, kinetosis, and illusory sensations. Aside from the problem of how to treat and if possible prevent such symptoms, they offer a clue to a better understanding of normal vestibular functions. Weightlessness is a powerful new "tool" of vestibular research. Graybiel reported as early as 1952 that human subjects observed the illusion that a real target and the visual afterimage seemed to raise in the visual field during centrifugation when the subjects were looking toward the axis of rotation (oculogravic illusion). In aircraft parabolic-flight weightlessness, human subjects observed that fixed real targets appeared to have moved downward while visual afterimages appeared to have moved upward (oculoagravic illusion). It can be shown by electronystagmography as well as by a method employing double afterimages that part of this illusion is caused by eye movements that are triggered by the changing input from the otolith system. Another part of the illusion is based on a change of the subjective horizontal and must be caused by convergence of vestibular and visual impulses "behind" the eyes. This part was measured independently of the first one by using a new method. Eye movements could be prevented during these experiments by optical fixation with the right eye on a target at the end of a 24-in. long tube which was rigidly attached parallel to the longitudinal axis of an aircraft. At the same time the subject tried to line up a shorter tube, which was pivoting around his left eye, with the subjective horizon.     

Immobilization induces a very rapid increase in osteoclast activity

We studied in a randomized, strictly controlled cross-over design, the effects of 6 days 6 degrees head-down tilt bed rest (HDT) in eight male healthy subjects in our metabolic ward. The study consisted of two periods (phases) of 11 days each in order to allow for the test subjects being their own controls. Both study phases were identical with respect to environmental conditions, study protocol and diet. Two days before arriving in the metabolic ward the subjects started with a diet. The diet was continued in the metabolic ward. The metabolic ward period (1l days) was divided into three parts: 4 ambulatory days, 6 days either HDT or control and 1 recovery day. Continuous urine collection started on the first day in the metabolic ward to analyze calcium excretion and bone resorption markers. On the 2nd ambulatory day in the metabolic ward and on the 5th day in HDT or control blood was drawn to analyze serum calcium, parathyroid hormone, and bone formation markers. Urinary calcium excretion was, as early as the first day in immobilization, increased (p<0.01). CTX- and NTX-excretion stayed unchanged in the first 24 h in HDT compared to the control. But already on the 2nd day of immobilization, both bone resorption markers significantly increased. We conclude from these results--pronounced rise of bone resorption markers--that already 24 h of immobilization induce a significant rise in osteoclast activity in healthy subjects. Thus, it appears possible to use short-term bed rest studies as a first step for the development of countermeasures to immobilization.     

Experimental support for an immunological approach to the search for life on other planets

We propose a three-phase approach to test for evidence of life in extraterrestrial samples. The approach capitalizes on the flexibility, sensitivity, and specificity of antibody-antigen interactions. Data are presented to support the first phase, in which various extraction protocols are compared for efficiency, and in which a preliminary suite of antibodies are tested against various antigens. The antigens and antibodies were chosen on the basis of criteria designed to optimize the detection of extraterrestrial biomarkers unique to living or once-living organisms.     

Recurrent isolation of hydrogen peroxide-resistant spores of Bacillus pumilus from a spacecraft assembly facility

While the microbial diversity of a spacecraft assembly facility at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Pasadena, CA) was being monitored, H2O2-resistant bacterial strains were repeatedly isolated from various surface locations. H2O2 is a possible sterilant for spacecraft hardware because it is a low-temperature process and compatible with various modern-day spacecraft materials, electronics, and components. Both conventional biochemical testing and molecular analyses identified these strains as Bacillus pumilus. This Bacillus species was found in both unclassified (entrance floors, anteroom, and air-lock) and classified (floors, cabinet tops, and air) locations. Both vegetative cells and spores of several B. pumilus isolates were exposed to 5% liquid H2O2 for 60 min. Spores of each strain exhibited higher resistance than their respective vegetative cells to liquid H2O2. Results indicate that the H2O2 resistance observed in both vegetative cells and spores is strain-specific, as certain B. pumilus strains were two to three times more resistant than a standard Bacillus subtilis dosimetry strain. An example of this trend was observed when the type strain of B. pumilus, ATCC 7061, proved sensitive, whereas several environmental strains exhibited varying degrees of resistance, to H2O2. Repeated isolation of H2O2-resistant strains of B. pumilus in a clean-room is a concern because their persistence might potentially compromise life-detection missions, which have very strict cleanliness and sterility requirements for spacecraft hardware.