Lifetime total radiation risk of cosmonauts for orbital and interplanetary flights.

This paper presents results of calculations of total radiation risk for cosmonauts over their lifetimes and assessments of possible shortening of life expectancy on the basis of generalized doses calculated for cosmonauts after a long term interplanetary and orbital space missions on "MIR" station and International Space Station with the use of mathematical expressions coming from a model of change mortality rate of mammals after irradiation. Tumor risk assessments for cosmonauts over lifetime after flights are also given. Dependences of the delayed radiation consequences mentioned above on flight duration, spacecraft shielding thicknesses, solar activity and cosmonauts' age are analyzed.     

On the different approaches of Rayleigh optical depth determination

Rayleigh optical depth is an integral part of many radiative transfer problems. This paper discusses different elements and approaches of its determination. Then, it presents a method, which ensures more realistic estimate of Rayleigh optical depth by using refractive index and depolarization factor (including rotational Raman lines) adjusted according to the state and composition of the atmosphere. It is based on the published experimental and theoretical results. The Rayleigh optical depth calculations are compared with the Elterman’s model calculations for trend analysis purpose. Rayleigh optical depths are found to be around 3.4% lower than previous researchers, as they ignored the constraints of conservation of angular momentum in the rotational/vibrational transitions of the molecules during scattering.     

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。     

Mars Phobos and Deimos Survey (M-PADS) – A martian Moons orbiter and Phobos lander

We describe a Mars ‘Micro Mission’ for detailed study of the martian satellites Phobos and Deimos. The mission involves two ∼330 kg spacecraft equipped with solar electric propulsion to reach Mars orbit. The two spacecraft are stacked for launch: an orbiter for remote investigation of the moons and in situ studies of their environment in Mars orbit, and another carrying a lander for in situ measurements on the surface of Phobos (or alternatively Deimos). Phobos and Deimos remain only partially studied, and Deimos less well than Phobos. Mars has almost always been the primary mission objective, while the more dedicated Phobos project (1988–89) failed to realise its full potential. Many questions remain concerning the moons’ origins, evolution, physical nature and composition. Current missions, such as Mars Express, are extending our knowledge of Phobos in some areas but largely neglect Deimos. The objectives of M-PADS focus on: origins and evolution, interactions with Mars, volatiles and interiors, surface features, and differences. The consequent measurement requirements imply both landed and remote sensing payloads. M-PADS is expected to accommodate a 60 kg orbital payload and a 16 kg lander payload. M-PADS resulted from a BNSC-funded study carried out in 2003 to define candidate Mars Micro Mission concepts for ESA’s Aurora programme.     

Development of a gas chromatography compatible Sample Processing System (SPS) for the in-situ analysis of refractory organic matter in martian soil: preliminary results

In the frame of the 2009 Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission a new sample preparation system (SPS) compatible with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) has been developed for the in situ analysis of complex organic molecules in the Martian soil. The goal is to detect, if they exist, some of the key compounds that play an important role in life on Earth including carboxylic acids, amino acids and nucleobases.     

Nighttime cloud properties retrieval using MODIS and artificial neural networks

In this work a methodology for inferring water cloud macro and microphysical properties from nighttime MODIS imagery is developed. This method is based on the inversion of a theoretical radiative transfer model that simulates the radiances detected in each of the sensor infrared bands. To accomplish this inversion, an operational technique based on Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) is proposed, whose main characteristic is the ability to retrieve cloud properties much faster than conventional methods. Furthermore, a detailed study of input data is performed to avoid different sources of errors that appear in several MODIS infrared channels. Finally, results of applying the proposed method are compared with in-situ measurements carried out during the DYCOMS-II field experiment.     

Report on the Kiso cometary dust trail survey

Cometary dust trails were first observed by IRAS; they are widely known to be the origins of meteoric showers. A new window has been opened for the study of dust trails, using ground-based observations. We succeeded in obtaining direct images of the 22P/Kopff dust trail with the Kiso 1.05-m Schmidt telescope. Following this initial success, we have continued to perform a dust trail survey at Kiso. As a result of this survey, we have detected dust trails along the orbit of six periodic comets, between February 2002 and March 2004. The optical depth of these dust trails are 10⁻⁹ to 10⁻⁸, which is consistent with IRAS measurements. In this paper, we describe the observations and data reduction procedures, and report the brief result obtained between February 2002 and March 2004.     

Space storm measurements of the July 2005 solar extreme events from the low corona to the Earth

The Athens Neutron Monitor Data Processing (ANMODAP) Center recorded an unusual Forbush decrease with a sharp enhancement of cosmic ray intensity right after the main phase of the Forbush decrease on 16 July 2005, followed by a second decrease within less than 12 h. This exceptional event is neither a ground level enhancement nor a geomagnetic effect in cosmic rays. It rather appears as the effect of a special structure of interplanetary disturbances originating from a group of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) in the 13–14 July 2005 period. The initiation of the CMEs was accompanied by type IV radio bursts and intense solar flares (SFs) on the west solar limb (AR 786); this group of energetic phenomena appears under the label of Solar Extreme Events of July 2005. We study the characteristics of these events using combined data from Earth (the ARTEMIS IV radioheliograph, the Athens Neutron Monitor (ANMODAP)), space (WIND/WAVES) and data archives. We propose an interpretation of the unusual Forbush profile in terms of a magnetic structure and a succession of interplanetary shocks interacting with the magnetosphere.     

Magnetosphere response to the 2005 and 2006 extreme solar events as observed by the Cluster and Double Star spacecraft

The four identical Cluster spacecraft, launched in 2000, orbit the Earth in a tetrahedral configuration and on a highly eccentric polar orbit (4–19.6 R_E). This allows the crossing of critical layers that develop as a result of the interaction between the solar wind and the Earth’s magnetosphere. Since 2004 the Chinese Double Star TC-1 and TC-2 spacecraft, whose payload comprise also backup models of instruments developed by European scientists for Cluster, provided two additional points of measurement, on a larger scale: the Cluster and Double Star orbits are such that the spacecraft are almost in the same meridian, allowing conjugate studies. The Cluster and Double Star observations during the 2005 and 2006 extreme solar events are presented, showing uncommon plasma parameters values in the near-Earth solar wind and in the magnetosheath. These include solar wind velocities up to ∼900 km s⁻¹ during an ICME shock arrival, accompanied by a sudden increase in the density by a factor of ∼5 and followed by an enrichment in He⁺⁺ in the secondary front of the ICME. In the magnetosheath ion density values as high as 130 cm⁻³ were observed, and the plasma flow velocity there reached values even higher than the typical solar wind velocity. These resulted in unusual dayside magnetosphere compression, detection of penetrating high-energy particles in the magnetotail, and ring current development following several successive injections of energetic particles in the inner magnetosphere, which “washed out” the previously formed nose-like ion structures.