Lunar habitat concept employing the space shuttle external tank

The space shuttle external tank, which consists of a liquid oxygen tank, an intertank structure, and a liquid hydrogen tank, is an expendable structure used for approximately 8.5 min during each launch. A concept for outfitting the liquid oxygen tank-intertank unit for a 12-person lunar habitat is described. The concept utilizes existing structures and openings for both man and equipment access without compromising the structural integrity of the tank. Living quarters, instrumentation, environmental control and life support, thermal control, and propulsion systems are installed at Space Station Freedom. The unmanned habitat is then transported to low lunar orbit and autonomously soft landed on the lunar surface. Design studies indicate that this concept is feasible by the year 2000 with concurrent development of a space transfer vehicle and manned cargo lander for crew changeover and resupply.     

A technique of shaping the barrel-type parts

In this paper, a new technique for shaping the thin-walled barrel-type parts is presented.     

Precise line-of-sight modelling for angles-only relative navigation

This work presents a precise analytical model to reconstruct the line-of-sight vector to a target satellite over time, as required by angles-only relative navigation systems for application to rendezvous missions. The model includes the effects of the geopotential, featuring: the analytical propagation in the mean relative orbital elements (up to second-order expansion), the analytical two-way osculating/mean orbital elements’ conversion (second-order in $J_2$ and up to a given degree and order of the geopotential), and a second-order mapping from the perturbed osculating elements’ set to the local orbital frame. Performances are assessed against the line-of-sight reconstructed out of the precise GPS-based positioning products of the PRISMA mission. The line-of-sight modelled over a far-range one day long scenario can be fitted against the true one presenting residuals of the order of ten arc-seconds, which is below the typical sensor noise at far-range.     

Coronal mass ejection detection using wavelets,curvelets and ridgelets: Applications for space weather monitoring

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are large-scale eruptions of plasma and magnetic field that can produce adverse space weather at Earth and other locations in the Heliosphere. Due to the intrinsic multiscale nature of features in coronagraph images, wavelet and multiscale image processing techniques are well suited to enhancing the visibility of CMEs and suppressing noise. However, wavelets are better suited to identifying point-like features, such as noise or background stars, than to enhancing the visibility of the curved form of a typical CME front. Higher order multiscale techniques, such as ridgelets and curvelets, were therefore explored to characterise the morphology (width, curvature) and kinematics (position, velocity, acceleration) of CMEs. Curvelets in particular were found to be well suited to characterising CME properties in a self-consistent manner. Curvelets are thus likely to be of benefit to autonomous monitoring of CME properties for space weather applications.     

Study of GNSS-measured ionospheric total electron content variations generated by powerful HF-heating

The purpose of this work is to report the experimental evidences for the influence of perturbations in the electron density in the dayside mid-latitude ionosphere, that are caused by high-frequency heating of the F2 layer, on the GNSS signals. The experiments were carried out at the Sura heater (Radio Physical Research Institute, N. Novgorod). During the sessions of ionospheric heating with different time modulations of the radiated power the rays linking the navigational satellites with the ground receiver intersected the heated region. Variations in the total electron content (TEC) were studied; these variations are proportional to the reduced phases of navigational signals. It is shown that with the square-wave modulation of the radiated power (with periods of 1, 6, 10 and 15 min), perturbations with periods of the main modulation of heating and its harmonics appear in the spectrum of TEC variations. Examples are presented of identification of the heating-induced variations in TEC, including determination of the amplitudes and time characteristics of these variations.     

On Relationship of Flow Swirl Parameters and Gas-Dynamic Efficiency of Gas Turbine Engine Interturbine Transition Duct

The paper highlights significance of the interturbine transition duct as part of the high pressure and low pressure turbine spool. The correlations have been suggested allowing us to estimate variation of the average cross section flow swirl while its passing the interturbine transition duct.     

Experimental analysis of the breakage of a liquid bridge under microgravity conditions

The experimental results obtained in experiment “STACO” made on board the Spacelab D-2 are re-visited, with image-analysis tools not then available. The configuration consisted of a liquid bridge between two solid supporting discs. An expected breakage occurred during the experiment. The recorded images are analysed and the measured behaviour compared with the results of a three dimensional model of the liquid dynamics, obtaining a much better fit than with linear models.     

Contamination of short GRBs by giant magnetar flares: Significance of downward revision in distance to SGR 1806–20

We highlight how the downward revision in the distance to the star cluster associated with SGR 1806–20 by Bibby et al. (2008) reconciles the apparent low contamination of BATSE short GRBs by intense flares from extragalactic magnetars without recourse to modifying the frequency of one such flare per 30 years per Milky Way galaxy. We also discuss the variety in progenitor initial masses of magnetars based upon cluster ages, ranging from ∼50 M_⊙ for SGR 1806–20 and AXP CXOU J164710.2–455216 in Westerlund 1 to ∼17 M_⊙ for SGR 1900+14 according to Davies et al. (2009) and presumably also 1E 1841–045 if it originated from one of the massive RSG clusters #2 or #3.