Short-term variation of cosmic ray diurnal anisotropy and solar activity

A correlative analysis has been made between cosmic ray intensity and solar activity (sunspot numbers) during high amplitude days for the period 1991–1995. The high amplitude days with the time of maximum in the corotational/azimuthal direction do not indicate any significant correlation with solar activity. The diurnal amplitude significantly remains constant and high (0.5%) during the entire period. Our observations suggest that the direction of the anisotropy of high amplitude anisotropic wave train events contribute significantly to the short-term behavior of the cosmic ray diurnal anisotropy. The correlation coefficient is found to remain positive during solar activity maximum for all the high amplitude anisotropic wave train events.     

Calculation of quasisynchronous orbits of a spacecraft around Phobos for solving the problem of landing on its surface

The problem of selecting quasi-synchronous orbits of a spacecraft around Phobos is considered. These quasi-synchronous orbits are far (with respect to the Hill’s sphere) quasi-satellite orbits with retrograde rotation in the restricted three body problem. The orbit should pass through a given point at a specified time instant. It should also possess a property of minimum distance from the Phobos surface at every passage above the region of planned landing. The equations of dynamics are represented in the form describing the orbit as a combination of motions in two drifting ellipses, inner and outer ellipses. The center of the outer ellipse is located on the inner ellipse. A formula is derived that relates averaged values of half-axes of the inner and outer ellipses. It is used for construction of the first approximation of numerically designed orbit, which makes it possible to simplify and speed up the computing process. The tables of initial conditions obtained as a result of calculations are presented.     

Determination of characteristic frequencies of elastic oscillations of the <Emphasis Type=Italic>International Space Station</Emphasis> construction

The results of investigating free oscillations of the International Space Station construction appearing during spacecraft docking and undocking are described. The study is carried out using the measurement data of the low-frequency MAMS accelerometer. Several intervals of measurements performed in 2005 and 2006 were chosen to be studied. For chosen intervals, only the data intervals corresponding to the process of free attenuation of the oscillations construction elements were analyzed. Characteristic frequencies of elastic oscillations of the station construction and attenuation coefficients corresponding to them are found. The comparative analysis of the results obtained for various docking ports (nodes) is carried out. The described study is performed as a part of the technical experiment “The ISS Environment” carried out onboard the station in accordance with the Russian program of scientific and engineering experiments.     

Attitude control system of the first Russian nanosatellite <Emphasis Type=Italic>TNS-0 no. 1</Emphasis>

The results of designing the attitude control system of the first Russian nanosatellite TNS-0 no. 1 providing orientation of its longitudinal axis along the local geomagnetic field induction vector are presented. The system consists of a permanent magnet and two sets of hysteresis rods. The magnetic and geometric parameters of the magnet and rods are calculated. The influence of the permanent magnet field on the hysteresis rods and mutual influence of the rods in the case of compact satellite packaging are analyzed. Examples of calculations of transient processes and steady-state angular satellite motion are presented.     

Rotational evolution of planetary systems under the action of gravitational and magnetic perturbations

Dynamics of planets around other stars that demonstrate a variety of possible characteristics is of interest from the point of view of realization of new scenarios of evolution which have not been realized in the Solar System. We consider the rotational evolution of exoplanets under the action of gravitational perturbations and magnetic disturbances using the methods of quality analysis and theory of bifurcation of multiparametric differential equations that describe evolution of non-resonant rotation of a dynamically symmetric planet magnetized along its symmetry axis. We analyze 64 phase portraits describing the evolution of angular momentum vector L for all possible values of planet parameters. The values of parameters are determined for the case when the direct rotation of a planet is changed for its retrograde rotation.     

A mission template for exploration and damage mitigation of potential hazard of Near Earth Asteroids

The Apophis Exploratory and Mitigation Platform (AEMP) concept was developed as a prototype mission to explore and potentially deflect the Near Earth Asteroid (NEA) 99942 Apophis. Deflection of the asteroid from the potential 2036 impact will be achieved using a gravity tractor technique, while a permanent deflection, eliminating future threats, will be imparted using a novel albedo manipulation technique. This mission will serve as an archetypal template for future missions to small NEAs and could be adapted to mitigate the threat of collision with other potential Earth-crossing objects.     

Low-energy ion fluxes and magnetic field on the inner boundary of the heliosphere

A comparison of temporal profiles of low-energy ion intensity and magnetic field magnitude in different periods of solar activity in the outer heliosphere is carried out using the data of the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft. It is shown that temporal, spectral, and statistical characteristics of particle fluxes and magnetic field in the heliospheric regions before and after the terminal shock in 2002–2008 had similar dynamics in different hemispheres. This similarity allowed one to assume that, in the region of the inner heliospheric boundary, a quasistable spatial structure existed moving together with the terminal shock in accordance with the solar wind pressure, as well as, probably, under the action of the interstellar medium. It was revealed that the spatial dimensions of most details of this structure are less on Voyager 2, which, probably, is due to variation of the solar activity level, difference in latitude of spacecraft disposition, and also the influence of the interstellar magnetic field.     

The Mawrth Vallis region of Mars: A potential landing site for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission

The primary objective of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission, which will launch in 2011, is to characterize the habitability of a site on Mars through detailed analyses of the composition and geological context of surface materials. Within the framework of established mission goals, we have evaluated the value of a possible landing site in the Mawrth Vallis region of Mars that is targeted directly on some of the most geologically and astrobiologically enticing materials in the Solar System. The area around Mawrth Vallis contains a vast (>1?×?10? km2) deposit of phyllosilicate-rich, ancient, layered rocks. A thick (>150?m) stratigraphic section that exhibits spectral evidence for nontronite, montmorillonite, amorphous silica, kaolinite, saponite, other smectite clay minerals, ferrous mica, and sulfate minerals indicates a rich geological history that may have included multiple aqueous environments. Because phyllosilicates are strong indicators of ancient aqueous activity, and the preservation potential of biosignatures within sedimentary clay deposits is high, martian phyllosilicate deposits are desirable astrobiological targets. The proposed MSL landing site at Mawrth Vallis is located directly on the largest and most phyllosilicate-rich deposit on Mars and is therefore an excellent place to explore for evidence of life or habitability.     

Setting a standard: the limulus amebocyte lysate assay and the assessment of microbial contamination on spacecraft surfaces

Historically, colony-forming units as determined by plate cultures have been the standard unit for microbiological analysis of environmental samples, medical diagnostics, and products for human use. However, the time and materials required make plate cultures expensive and potentially hazardous in the closed environments of future NASA missions aboard the International Space Station and missions to other Solar System targets. The Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL) assay is an established method for ensuring the sterility and cleanliness of samples in the meat-packing and pharmaceutical industries. Each of these industries has verified numerical requirements for the correct interpretation of results from this assay. The LAL assay is a rapid, point-of-use, verified assay that has already been approved by NASA Planetary Protection as an alternate, molecular method for the examination of outbound spacecraft. We hypothesize that standards for molecular techniques, similar to those used by the pharmaceutical and meat-packing industries, need to be set by space agencies to ensure accurate data interpretation and subsequent decision making. In support of this idea, we present research that has been conducted to relate the LAL assay to plate cultures, and we recommend values obtained from these investigations that could assist in interpretation and analysis of data obtained from the LAL assay.     

Microbial fuel cells applied to the metabolically based detection of extraterrestrial life

Since the 1970s, when the Viking spacecrafts carried out experiments to detect microbial metabolism on the surface of Mars, the search for nonspecific methods to detect life in situ has been one of the goals of astrobiology. It is usually required that a methodology detect life independently from its composition or form and that the chosen biological signature point to a feature common to all living systems, such as the presence of metabolism. In this paper, we evaluate the use of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) for the detection of microbial life in situ. MFCs are electrochemical devices originally developed as power electrical sources and can be described as fuel cells in which the anode is submerged in a medium that contains microorganisms. These microorganisms, as part of their metabolic process, oxidize organic material, releasing electrons that contribute to the electric current, which is therefore proportional to metabolic and other redox processes. We show that power and current density values measured in MFCs that use microorganism cultures or soil samples in the anode are much larger than those obtained with a medium free of microorganisms or sterilized soil samples, respectively. In particular, we found that this is true for extremophiles, which have been proposed as potential inhabitants of extraterrestrial environments. Therefore, our results show that MFCs have the potential to be used for in situ detection of microbial life.