Comets and life.

Some of the chemical species which have been detected in comets include H2O, HCN, CH3CN, CO, CO2, NH3, CS, C2 and C3. All of these have also been detected in the interstellar medium, indicating a probable relationship between interstellar dust and gas clouds and comets. Laboratory experiments carried out with different mixtures of these molecules give rise to the formation of the biochemical compounds which are necessary for life, such as amino acids, purines, pyrimidines, monosaccharides, etc. However, in spite of suggestions to the contrary, the presence of life in comets is unlikely. On the other hand, the capture of cometary matter by the primitive Earth is considered essential for the development of life on this planet. The amount of cometary carbon-containing matter captured by the Earth, as calculated by different authors, is several times larger than the total amount of organic matter present in the biosphere (10(18)g). The major classes of reactions which were probably involved in the formation of key biochemical compounds are discussed. Our tentative conclusions are that: 1) comets played a predominant role in the emergence of life on our planet, and 2) they are the cosmic connection with extraterrestrial life.     

Human Factors R&D Requirements for Future Aerospace Cockpit Systems

Cockpits are rapidly changing from dedicated instruments to multifunction displays, integrated controls, and computer controlled subsystems. Solid-state displays, voice recognition, and artificial intelligence are just a few of the emerging technologies that will help the pilot perform his mission in the future. Early investigations involving mission analysis, sensor data, software development, and evaluations will be required to insure total integration. These new technologies will require extensive human factors research in the areas of anthropometry, displays, controls, human/computer interface, automation, and workload assessment to support the integration process. This research will help provide weapons systems that have increased survivability and reduced pilot workload. This paper addresses some of the human factors research that will be needed to help develop future cockpit systems. It also reviews the basic evolution of the crew station and some of the emerging technologies that will drive human factors research in the 1990s. In the past, crew systems were designed to provide each aircraft function with a corresponding instrument display, such as airspeed indicator, altimeter, attitude direction indicator, vertical velocity indicator, etc. The bulk of the information had to be integrated by the pilot. Present systems are in a state of transition. We are rapidly moving from individual instruments to multifunction displays. The C-17, HH-60, F-15E, B-1B, F-111D, and F-16C/D aircraft use multifunction, cathode-ray tube displays, some of which are color. Another trend is the continued increase in the use of integrated controls.     

Chemical protection against ionizing radiation.

Some of the problems related to chemical protection against ionizing radiation are discussed with emphasis on: definition, classification, degree of protection, mechanisms of action and toxicity. Results on the biological response modifyers (BRMs) and on the combination of nontoxic (i.e. low) doses of sulphydryl radioprotectors and BRMs are presented.     

Instrumentation for investigation of the depth-dose distribution by the Liulin-5 instrument of a human phantom on the Russian segment of ISS for estimation of the radiation risk during long term space flights.

Described is the Liulin-5 experiment and instrumentation, developed for investigation of the space radiation doses depth distribution in a human phantom on the Russian Segment of the International Space Station (ISS). Liulin-5 experiment is a part of the international project MATROSHKA-R on ISS. The experiment MATROSHKA-R is aimed to study the depth dose distribution at the sites of critical organs of the human body, using models of human body-anthropomorphic and spherical tissue-equivalent phantoms. The aim of Liulin-5 experiment is long term (4-5 years) investigation of the radiation environment dynamics inside the spherical tissue-equivalent phantom, mounted in different places of the Russian Segment of ISS. Energy deposition spectra, linear energy transfer spectra, flux and dose rates for protons and the biologically-relevant heavy ion components of the galactic cosmic radiation will be measured simultaneously with near real time resolution at different depths of the phantom by a telescope of silicon detectors. Data obtained together with data from other active and passive dosimeters will be used to estimate the radiation risk to the crewmembers, verify the models of radiation environment in low Earth orbit, validate body transport model and correlate organ level dose to skin dose. Presented are the test results of the prototype unit. The spherical phantom will be flown on the ISS in 2004 year and Liulin-5 experiment is planned for 2005 year.     

Utilization of white potatoes in CELSS.

Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) have a strong potential as a useful crop species in a functioning CELSS. The cultivar Denali has produced 37.5 g m-2 d-1 when grown for 132 days with the first 40 days under a 12-h photoperiod and a light:dark temperature cycle of 20 degrees C:16 degrees C, and then 92 days under continuous irradiance and a temperature of 16 degrees C. Irradiance was at 725 micromoles m-2 s-1 PPF and carbon dioxide at 1000 micromoles mol-1. The dried tubers had 82% carbohydrates, 9% protein and 0.6% fat. Other studies have shown that carbon dioxide supplementation (1000 micromoles mol-1) is of significant benefit under 12-h irradiance but less benefit under 24 h irradiance. Irradiance cycles of 60 minutes light and 30 minutes dark caused a reduction of more than 50% in tuber weight compared to cycles of 16 h light and 8 h dark. A diurnal temperature change of 22 degrees C for the 12-h light period to 14 degrees C during the 12-h dark period gave increased yields of 30% and 10% for two separate cultivars, compared with plants grown under a constant 18 degrees C temperature. Cultivar screening under continuous irradiance and elevated temperatures (28 degrees C) for 8 weeks of growth indicated that the cvs Haig, Denali, Atlantic, Desiree and Rutt had the best potential for tolerance to these conditions. Harvesting of tubers from plants at weekly intervals, beginning at 8 weeks after planting, did not increase yield over a single final harvest. Spacing of plants on 0.055 centers produced greater yield per m2 than spacing at 0.11 or 0.22 m2. Plants maintained 0.33 meters apart (0.111 m2 per plant) in beds produced the same yields when separated by dividers in the root matrix as when no separation was made.     

A Method of Constructing a Pair of Pseudorandom Sequences with a Useful Crosscorrelation Function

The synthesizing of pseudorandom signals which possess an odd crosscorrelation function of useful characteristics is presented. The characteristics are applicable for signal tracking systems such as those associated with ranging instrumentation and spread-spectrum communication. Another property of these signals is that they possess a zero dc component which may be applied for radiating useful carrierless signals.     

The effect of radiation on the long term productivity of a plant based CELSS.

Mutations occur at a higher rate in space than under terrestrial conditions, primarily due to an increase in radiation levels. These mutations may effect the productivity of plants found in a controlled ecological life support system (CELSS). Computer simulations of plants with different ploidies, modes of reproduction, lethality thresholds, viability thresholds and susceptibilities to radiation induced mutations were performed under space normal and solar flare conditions. These simulations identified plant characteristics that would enable plants to retain high productivities over time in a CELSS.     

Testing the Stability of the Fine Structure Constant in the Laboratory

In this review we discuss the progress of the past decade in testing for a possible temporal variation of the fine structure constant α. Advances in atomic sample preparation, laser spectroscopy and optical frequency measurements led to rapid reduction of measurement uncertainties. Eventually laboratory tests became the most sensitive tool to detect a possible variation of α at the present epoch. We explain the methods and technologies that helped to make this possible.     

Detection of Thin Lines using Low-Quality Video from Low-Altitude Aircraft in Urban Settings

A novel thin line detection algorithm for use in low-altitude aerial vehicles is presented. This algorithm is able to detect thin obstacles such as cables, power lines, and wires. The system is intended to be used during urban search and rescue operations, capable of dealing with low-quality images, robust to image clutter, bad weather, and sensor artifacts. The detection process uses motion estimation at the pixel level, combined with edge detection, followed by a windowed Hough transform. The evidence of lines is tracked over time in the resulting parameter spaces using a dynamic line movement model. The algorithm's receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) is shown, based on a multi-site dataset with 86 videos with 10160 wires spanning in 5576 frames.     

Service Orientation Principles in Integrated Communication Environments

Today, every modern organization aspires to improve its performance through better use of information technology. As communication technology improves, organizations can operate over wider distances and can even assemble operational components on an ad-hoc basis to meet requirements of a specific objective. Future air traffic communication studies are already discussing whether to operate IP networks that are combining voice and data transport. The problem is that although voice and data are using a common infrastructure, they remain separate at the application level. Probably, some service providers have already enjoyed reduced network infrastructure and operational costs by merging voice and data transport, but the majority may have failed to realize the significant cost, productivity, and service differentiation capabilities that converged, collaborative applications could bring. This elaborates mechanisms needed for a robust and globally interconnected network environment (including infrastructure, systems, processes, and people) in which data is shared timely and seamlessly among users, applications, and platforms. Such an environment enables substantially improved situational awareness and shortened decision-making cycles. Stepping ahead, our contribution discusses standards making application or service convergence a reality.