Gamow and the physics and evolution of stars

The high temperature sensitivity of thermonuclear reactions and the neurrino emission at the final stages of stellar evolution (urca process) are the most crucial Gamow's contribution to the physics and evolution of stars. G. Gamow made one of a few first attempts in astrophysics to get a comprehensive picture of stellar evolution from the main sequence (thenormal stars in his terminology) through the formation of white dwarfs, gravitational collapse of stellar cores and supernova explosions.     

Venus Express: Scientific goals, instrumentation, and scenario of the mission

The first European mission to Venus (Venus Express) is described. It is based on a repeated use of the Mars Express design with minor modifications dictated in the main by more severe thermal environment at Venus. The main scientific task of the mission is global exploration of the Venusian atmosphere, circumplanetary plasma, and the planet surface from an orbiting spacecraft. The Venus Express payload includes seven instruments, five of which are inherited from the missions Mars Express and Rosetta. Two instruments were specially designed for Venus Express. The advantages of Venus Express in comparison with previous missions are in using advanced instrumentation and methods of remote sounding, as well as a spacecraft with a broad spectrum of capabilities of orbital observations.     

The Motion of Coaxial Bodies of Varying Composition on the Active Leg of Descent

The motion of a spacecraft (SC) with double rotation and variable mass on the active leg of its descent is considered. The SC consists of two coaxial bodies. The coaxial scheme is used for gyroscopic stabilization of the SC longitudinal axis by the method of partial spin-up. The equations of spatial motion of coaxial bodies of varying composition are derived and approximate solutions for the angles of spatial orientation are found. The condition of decreasing amplitude of nutation oscillations is obtained, which allows the estimation of efficiency of the stabilization by partial spin-up. The errors in the magnitude and direction of the vector of braking thrust are also determined.__________Translated from Kosmicheskie Issledovaniya, Vol. 43, No. 3, 2005, pp. 224–232.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Aslanov, Doroshin, Kruglov.     

Chromosomal intrachanges induced by swift iron ions.

We measured the induction of structural aberrations in human chromosome 5 induced by iron ions using the novel technique of multicolor banding in situ hybridization (mBAND). Human lymphocytes isolated from whole blood were exposed in vitro to 500 MeV/n (LET=200 keV/micrometers, doses 1 or 4 Gy) Fe nuclei at the HIMAC accelerator in Chiba (Japan). Chromosomes were prematurely condensed by calyculin A after 48 h in culture and slides were painted by mBAND. We found a frequency of 0.11 and 0.57 residual breakpoints per chromosome 5 after 1 and 4 Gy Fe-ions, respectively. Inter-chromosomal exchanges were the prevalent aberration type measured at both doses, followed by terminal deletions, and by intra-chromosomal exchanges. Among intra-chromosomal exchanges, intra-arm events were more frequent than inter-arm, but a significant number of intra-changes was associated to inter-changes involving the same chromosome after 4 Gy of iron ions. These events show that the complexity of chromosomal exchanges induced by heavy ions can be higher than expected by previous FISH studies.     

A 6 D.O.F. opto-inertial tracker for virtual reality experiments in microgravity.

Gravity plays a role in many different levels of human motor behavior. It dictates the laws of motion of our body and limbs, as well as of the objects in the external world with which we wish to interact. The dynamic interaction of our body with the world is molded within gravity's constraints. The role played by gravity in the perception of visual stimuli and the elaboration of human movement is an active research theme in the field of Neurophysiology. Conditions of microgravity, coupled with techniques from the world of virtual reality, provide a unique opportunity to address these questions concerning the function of the human sensorimotor system. The ability to measure movements of the head and to update in real time the visual scene presented to the subject based on these measurements is a key element in producing a realistic virtual environment. A variety of head-tracking hardware exists on the market today, but none seem particularly well suited to the constraints of working with a space station environment. Nor can any of the existing commercial systems meet the more stringent requirements for physiological experimentation (high accuracy, high resolution, low jitter, low lag) in a wireless configuration. To this end, we have developed and tested a hybrid opto-inertial 6 degree-of-freedom tracker based on existing inertial technology. To confirm that the inertial components and algorithms will function properly, this system was tested in the microgravity conditions of parabolic flight. Here we present the design goals of this tracker, the system configuration and the results of 0g and 1g testing.     

Local-area helioseismology as a diagnostic tool for solar variability

Dynamical and thermal variations of the internal structure of the Sun can affect the energy flow and result in variations in irradiance at the surface. Studying variations in the interior is crucial for understanding the mechanisms of the irradiance variations. “Global” helioseismology based on analysis of normal mode frequencies, has helped to reveal radial and latitudinal variations of the solar structure and dynamics associated with the solar cycle in the deep interior. A new technique, - “local-area” helioseismology or heliotomography, offers additional potentially important diagnostics by providing three-dimensional maps of the sound speed and flows in the upper convection zone. These diagnostics are based on inversion of travel times of acoustic waves which propagate between different points on the solar surface through the interior. The most significant variations in the thermodynamic structure found by this method are associated with sunspots and complexes of solar activity. The inversion results provide evidence for areas of higher sound speed beneath sunspot regions located at depths of 4–20 Mm, which may be due to accumulated heat or magnetic field concentrations. However, the physics of these structures is not yet understood. Heliotomography also provides information about large-scale stable longitudinal structures in the solar interior, which can be used in irradiance models. This new diagnostic tool for solar variability is currently under development. It will require both a substantial theoretical and modeling effort and high-resolution data to develop new capabilities for understanding mechanisms of solar variability.     

Relaxation of electron and proton radiation belts of the earth after strong magnetic storms

During strong magnetic storms in July and November of 2004 the fluxes of trapped particles (protons and electrons of MeV energies) in the Earth’s radiation belts have increased by orders of magnitude and then decreased remaining on an enhanced level for several months. These enhancements allowed us to study the processes of relaxation of the radiation belts. Measurements of energetic particles by low-altitude satellites Coronas-F and Servis-1 have shown that predictions of the theory about the rate of pitch-angle diffusion are not always correct, giving both overestimated and underestimated values for the lifetime of energetic particles.     

The observation of the galactic anticenter region by the balloon borne gamma-ray telescope Natalya-I

This paper presents the results of measurements of gamma radiation with energies above 5 MeV, from the galactic anticenter region. The balloon-borne gamma ray telescope “Natalya-I”, was launched on 6 November, 1980 from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research's Balloon Facility (Hyderabad, India) and reached ceiling altitude of 35 km. The results on the accelerator calibration of the telescope, using a “tagged” gamma ray beam are also presented.     

Interaction of growth-determining systems with gravity

The experiments have been carried out with lettuce shoots on board the Salyut-7 orbital station, the Kosmos-1667 biological satellite and under ground conditions at 180° plant inversion. By means of the centrifuge Biogravistat-1M the threshold value of gravitational sensitivity of lettuce shoots has been determined on board the Salyut-7 station. It was found to be equal to 2.9 × 10⁻³g for hypocotyls and 1.5 × 10⁻⁴g for roots. The following results have been received in the experiment performed on board the Kosmos-1667 satellite: a) under microgravity the proliferation of the meristem cells and the growth of roots did not differ from the control; b) the growth of hypocotyls in length was significantly enhanced in microgravity; c) under microgravity transverse growth of hypocotyls (increase in cross sectional area) was significantly increased due to enhancement of cortical parenchyma cell growth. At 180° inversion in Earth's gravity root extension growth and rate of cell division in the root apical meristem were decreased. The determination of DNA-fuchsin value in the nuclei of the cell root apexes showed that inversion affected processess of the cell cycle preceeding cytokinesis.