Composition of Interstellar Neutrals and the Origin of Anomalous Cosmic Rays

Knowledge of the elemental composition of the interstellar gas is of fundamental importance for understanding galactic chemical evolution. In addition to spectroscopic determinations of certain element abundance ratios, measurements of the composition of interstellar pickup ions and Anomalous Cosmic Rays (ACRs) have provided the principal means to obtain this critical information. Recent advances in our understanding of particle acceleration processes in the heliosphere and measurements by the Voyagers of the energy spectra and composition of energetic particles in the heliosheath provide us with another means of determining the abundance of the neutral components of the local interstellar gas. Here we compare the composition at the termination shock of six elements obtained from measurements of (a) pickup ions at ～5 AU, (b) ACRs in the heliosphere at ～70 AU, and (c) energetic particles as well as (d) ACRs in the heliosheath at ～100 AU. We find consistency among these four sets of derived neutral abundances. The average interstellar neutral densities at the termination shock for H, N, O, Ne and Ar are found to be 0.055±0.021 cm^?3, (1.44±0.45)×10^?5 cm^?3, (6.46±1.89)×10^?5 cm^?3, (8.5±3.3)×10^?6 cm^?3, and (1.08±0.49)×10^?7 cm^?3, respectively, assuming the He density is 0.0148±0.002 cm^?3.     

Landsat satellite imagery of the Qattara Depression area,Egypt

The Qattara Depression lies in the northern part of the Western Desert of Egypt at a distance of some tens of kilometers to the south of the Mediterranean Sea Coast. The depression in question is the largest one in the great Sahara extending across North Africa. It covers an area of some 19,000 km² at ? 60 m level and the absolute level of its lowest point is about ? 134 m. The depression extends for about 300 km in a roughly ENE-WSW direction, while its width is variable reaching to a maximum of about 145 km. Feasibility studies are currently carried out for the Qattara solar-hydro-electric project which aims at generating hydro-electric power by the drop of the Mediterranean Sea water into the depression after passing through a canal/tunnel system. Peak load electric power may be also generated by raising the water to the small hollow of Deir Kirayim, situated at a higher level near the depression, and allowing it to drop to a low level.For the purpose of assessing the regional criteria involved in the implementation of the project and the environmental impact of such implementation, the Qattara Depression and the surrounding area has been studied on a regional scale by the utilization of LANDSAT satellite imagery. The maps produced by the interpretation of the images in question include those of the geological and environmental units, structural lineations, drainage and vegetation cover. Lineation density and drainage density maps are derived by the computation of the structural lineation and drainage maps respectively. A map of groundwater conditions is worked out on the basis of the image interpretation, and the observations previously carried out on the groundwater aquifers in the Qattara Depression and the surrounding area. LANDSAT satellite image interpretation and computation are supported by intensive observations carried out in the field as well as chemical, petrological and mineralogical analyses of the samples collected.The LANDSAT satellite images proved to be of great importance in mapping the Qattara Depression floor which is hardly accessible to classical mapping, and especially in view of the large area which could be covered by imagery mapping in a reasonably short time compatible with the duration of the feasibility study. The special characters of the spaceborne multispectral imagery have been paramount in deciphering the major regional features of the investigated area.The overall synoptic picture of the regional setting of the geological and environmental units, faults, fractures and folds, drainage lines and plant cover in the large area studied has been clarified for the first time. It has been demonstrated that the Qattara Depression is actually constituted of several small depressions. The environmental impact of the project implementation has been visualized especially regarding the possible influence of the saline water on the fresh groundwater sources. The thick salt accumulation in the depression has been found to be of such extension as to increase the salinity of the Mediterranean Sea water stored in the depression following the implementation of the project. The lineation density map has been particularly of great help in the localization of sites subjected to intense crustal deformation, greater slope instability and run off surface water flooding.     

Ionization effect of solar protons in the Earth atmosphere – Case study of the 20 January 2005 SEP event

The cosmic ray ground level enhancement on January 20, 2005 is among the largest recorded events in the history of cosmic ray measurements. The solar protons of MeV energies cause an excess of ionization in the atmosphere, specifically over polar caps following major solar disturbances. The ionization effect in the Earth atmosphere is obtained for various latitudes on the basis of solar proton energy spectra, reconstructed from GOES 11 measurements and subsequent full Monte Carlo simulation of cosmic ray induced atmospheric cascade. The estimation of ionization rates is based on a numerical model for cosmic ray induced ionization. The evolution of atmospheric cascade is performed with the CORSIKA 6.52 code using FLUKA 2006b and QGSJET II hadron interaction models. The atmospheric ion rate ionization is explicitly obtained for 40°N, 60°N and 80°N latitudes. The time evolution of obtained ion rates is presented. It is demonstrated that ionization effect is negative for 40°N and small for 60°N, because of accompanying Forbush decrease. The ionization effect is significant only in sub-polar and polar atmosphere during the major ground level enhancement of 20 January 2005.     

Radiative and hybrid cooling of infrared space telescopes

The designs of cold space telescopes, cryogenic and radiatively cooled, are similar in most elements and both benefit from orbits distant from the Earth. In particular such orbits allow the anti-sunward side of radiatively-cooled spacecraft to be used to provide large cooling radiators for the individual radiation shields. Designs incorporating these features have predictedT _tel near 20 K. The attainability of such temperatures is supported by limited practical experience (IRAS, COBE). Supplementary cooling systems (cryogens, mechanical coolers) can be advantageously combined with radiative cooling in hybrid designs to provide robustness against deterioration and yet lower temperatures for detectors, instruments, and even the whole telescope. The possibility of such major additional gains is illustrated by the Very Cold Telescope option under study forEdison, which should offerT _tel5 K for a little extra mechanical cooling capacity.     

中俄联合火星电离层星-星掩星探测

中俄联合火星星-星掩星探测是人类首次在火星空间环境进行此类的联合试验。用于探测火星电离层的星-星掩星技术较以前星地间的探测技术相比,有可接收高信噪比信号,反演精度高,可探测火星上太阳天顶角大于43°,或者小于138°的区域电离层等优点。本文介绍了中俄联合火星星-星掩星探测方案、基本原理,给出了主要技术指标、地面模拟测试结果。     

Deorbiting with electrodynamic tethers: comparison between different tether configurations

Electrodynamic tethers have been recently proposed for satellite and rocket upper stage deorbiting to mitigate the debris problem at Low Earth Orbits (LEOs). The deorbiting performance of several electrodynamic tethers, where the electron collection from the ionosphere is obtained with either simple bare wires or bare wires terminated with conducting spherical collectors, was analyzed and compared. Our results indicate that the use of the spherical collectors at the positive termination of the system significantly enhances the deorbiting capabilities of the electrodynamic bare tethers.     

Mercury Ion Analyzer (MIA) onboard Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter: MMO

The Mercury Magnetopsheric Orbiter (MMO) is one of the spacecraft of the BepiColombo mission; the mission is scheduled for launch in 2014 and plans to revisit Mercury with modern instrumentation. MMO is to elucidate the detailed plasma structure and dynamics around Mercury, one of the least-explored planets in our solar system. The Mercury Plasma Particle Experiment (MPPE) on board MMO is a comprehensive instrument package for plasma, high-energy particle, and energetic neutral particle atom measurements. The Mercury Ion Analyzer (MIA) is one of the plasma instruments of MPPE, and measures the three dimensional velocity distribution of low-energy ions (from 5 eV to 30 keV) by using a top-hat electrostatic analyzer for half a spin period (2 s). By combining both the mechanical and electrical sensitivity controls, MIA has a wide dynamic range of count rates for the proton flux expected around Mercury, which ranges from 10⁶ to 10¹² cm⁻² s⁻¹ str⁻¹ keV⁻¹, in the solar wind between 0.3 and 0.47 AU from the sun, and in both the hot and cold plasma sheet of Mercury’s magnetosphere. The geometrical factor of MIA is variable, ranging from 1.0 × 10⁻⁷ cm² str keV/keV for large fluxes of solar wind ions to 4.7 × 10⁻⁴ cm² str keV/keV for small fluxes of magnetospheric ions. The entrance grid used for the mechanical sensitivity control of incident ions also work to significantly reduce the contamination of solar UV radiation, whose intensity is about 10 times larger than that around Earth’s orbit.     

Harnessing functional food strategies for the health challenges of space travel—Fermented soy for astronaut nutrition

Astronauts face numerous health challenges during long-duration space missions, including diminished immunity, bone loss and increased risk of radiation-induced carcinogenesis. Changes in the intestinal flora of astronauts may contribute to these problems. Soy-based fermented food products could provide a nutritional strategy to help alleviate these challenges by incorporating beneficial lactic acid bacteria, while reaping the benefits of soy isoflavones. We carried out strain selection for the development of soy ferments, selecting strains of lactic acid bacteria showing the most effective growth and fermentation ability in soy milk (Streptococcus thermophilus ST5, Bifidobacterium longum R0175 and Lactobacillus helveticus R0052). Immunomodulatory bioactivity of selected ferments was assessed using an in vitro challenge system with human intestinal epithelial and macrophage cell lines, and selected ferments show the ability to down-regulate production of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-8 following challenge with tumour necrosis factor-alpha. The impact of fermentation on vitamin B1 and B6 levels and on isoflavone biotransformation to agluconic forms was also assessed, with strain variation-dependent biotransformation ability detected. Overall this suggests that probiotic bacteria can be successfully utilized to develop soy-based fermented products targeted against health problems associated with long-term space travel.