关于固体推进剂燃烧不稳定性研究

本文介绍了英国火箭推进研究院进行固体推进剂燃烧不稳定性研究的工作计划。 文中讨论了数据采集和处理的技术,并例举了实用发动机燃烧的不稳定性。还描述了研究不稳定性的发动机和测量在振荡压力和速度条件下固体推进剂试样的燃烧速率系统。给出一些实测结果的例子。     

阿里安运载火箭推进系统的下一步改进

一、引论阿里安运载火箭下一步改进的目标是:——对于进入转移轨道的双星发射,有效载荷能力约增加20%(2×900公斤);——对于进入低轨道的重型卫星,可将有效载荷提高约50～100%(7～10吨);——降低每公斤有效载荷入轨的发射费用;——进一步发展可用于未来空间计划的技术。     

可延伸喷管出口锥的缩比级间分离加载试验

级间分离试验的目的是改善关于在收叠位置的可延伸喷管出口锥(以下简称“ENEC”)在级分离期间的受载情况予测。缩比的固体火箭试验发动机系统带有收叠的 ENEC 和模拟级间分离的试验设备。海平面实验数据由发动机的短时间静态点火中获得。试验测到的点火瞬变状态和初始条件被输入到计算机编码,以模拟级间分离影响,用于与试验数据进行比较。结果表明,级间段平均压力、发动机推力,以及两级的相对轴向位移相当接近。测量的级间压力峰值高于计算值10%,作用在 ENEC 内外表面上的最大平均压力差是5磅/英寸~2。在缩比的级间分离环境中,通过 ENEC 载荷和级间压力的明显波动,指出了与气体流动现象有关 ENCE重要的动态加载条件。     

利用导航星全球定位系统鉴定下一代远程导弹

导航星(NAVSTAR)全球定位系统是一项三军联合计划,目前正在作方案验证。该计划由空军掌管,并有海军、陆军、海军陆战队和国防测绘局参加。当该系统全面投入工作后,它将为各种用户提供高精度定位和测速能力。美乐华(Mag-navox)公司先进产品部根据数个有偿合同,参与了几种用户设备的研制工作,并参与了其它部门应用全球定位系统的研究工作。本文介绍了为航天和导弹试验中心(SAMTEC)范登堡空军基地(西靶场)进行研究的结果,该项研究是要确定导航星全球定位系统用作下一代弹道导弹的外测和制导鉴定系统的可能性和能力。本文研究了利用全球导航系统跟踪导弹的三种主要方法,基于对导弹飞行方案、环境因素、系统要求和约束条件以及布局分析等方面的研究,提出了一些有关导弹外测的建议。     

喷管进口和喉道几何形状对固体火箭发动机比冲的影响

本文介绍在火箭喷管进口和喉道区域计算完全耦合的燃气——粒子混合物流场的计算机化模型。定常态的燃气流场是作为长时间渐近解计算的,而粒子流场是假定准定常流来计算。对于超音速燃气粒子流场,这一模型则与特征线法结合进行计算。计算表明喷管进口角度、喷管喉道曲率半径比、喉道尺寸以及粒子大小对比冲的影响。文中也介绍了一些发动机试验数据的比较。     

Thoracic sonography for pneumothorax: the clinical evaluation of an operational space medicine spin-off

The recent interest in the use of ultrasound (US) to detect pneumothoraces after acute trauma in North America was initially driven by an operational space medicine concern. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are at risk for pneumothoraces, and US is the only potential medical imaging available. Pneumothoraces are common following trauma, and are a preventable cause of death, as most are treatable with relatively simple interventions. While pneumothoraces are optimally diagnosed clinically, they are more often inapparent even on supine chest radiographs (CXR) with recent series reporting a greater than 50% rate of occult pneumothoraces. In the course of basic scientific investigations in a conventional and parabolic flight laboratory, investigators familiarized themselves with the sonographic features of both pneumothoraces and normal pulmonary ventilation. By examining the visceral–parietal pleural interface (VPPI) with US, investigators became confident in diagnosing pneumothoraces. This knowledge was subsequently translated into practice at an American and a Canadian trauma center. The sonographic examination was found to be more accurate and sensitive than CXR (US 96% and 100% versus US 74% and 36%) in specific circumstances. Initial studies have also suggested that detecting the US features of pleural pulmonary ventilation in the left lung field may offer the ability to exclude serious endotracheal tube malpositions such as right mainstem and esophageal intubations. Applied thoracic US is an example of a clinically useful space medicine spin-off that is improving health care on earth.     

Vanguard--a European robotic astrobiology-focussed Mars sub-surface mission proposal

We present a new European Mars mission proposal to build on the UK-led Beagle2 Mars mission and continue its astrobiology-focussed investigation of Mars. The small surface element to be delivered to the Martian surface--Vanguard--is designed to be carried by a Mars Express-type spacecraft bus to Mars and adopts a similar entry, descent and landing system as Beagle2. The surface element comprises a triad of robotic devices--a lander, a micro-rover of the Sojourner class for surface mobility, and three ground-penetrating moles mounted onto the rover for sub-surface penetration to 5 m depth. The major onboard instruments on the rover include a Raman spectrometer/imager, a laser plasma spectrometer, an infrared spectrometer--these laser instruments provide the basis for in situ "remote" sensing of the sub-surface Martian environment within a powerful scientific package. The moles carry the instruments' sensor head array to the sub-surface. The moles are thus required to undergo a one-way trip down the boreholes without the need for recovery of moles or samples, eliminating much of the robotic complexity invoked by such operations.