Microbial life in a liquid asphalt desert

Pitch Lake in Trinidad and Tobago is a natural asphalt reservoir nourished by pitch seepage, a form of petroleum that consists of mostly asphaltines, from the surrounding oil-rich region. During upward seepage, pitch mixes with mud and gases under high pressure, and the lighter portion evaporates or is volatilized, which produces a liquid asphalt residue characterized by low water activity, recalcitrant carbon substrates, and noxious chemical compounds. An active microbial community of archaea and bacteria, many of them novel strains (particularly from the new Tar ARC groups), totaling a biomass of up to 10(7) cells per gram, was found to inhabit the liquid hydrocarbon matrix of Pitch Lake. Geochemical and molecular taxonomic approaches revealed diverse, novel, and deeply branching microbial lineages with the potential to mediate anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation processes in different parts of the asphalt column. In addition, we found markers for archaeal methane metabolism and specific gene sequences affiliated with facultative and obligate anaerobic sulfur- and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. The microbial diversity at Pitch Lake was found to be unique when compared to microbial communities analyzed at other hydrocarbon-rich environments, which included Rancho Le Brea, a natural asphalt environment in California, USA, and an oil well and a mud volcano in Trinidad and Tobago, among other sites. These results open a window into the microbial ecology and biogeochemistry of recalcitrant hydrocarbon matrices and establish the site as a terrestrial analogue for modeling the biotic potential of hydrocarbon lakes such as those found on Saturn's largest moon Titan.     

A microbial oasis in the hypersaline Atacama subsurface discovered by a life detector chip: implications for the search for life on Mars

The Atacama Desert has long been considered a good Mars analogue for testing instrumentation for planetary exploration, but very few data (if any) have been reported about the geomicrobiology of its salt-rich subsurface. We performed a Mars analogue drilling campaign next to the Salar Grande (Atacama, Chile) in July 2009, and several cores and powder samples from up to 5?m deep were analyzed in situ with LDChip300 (a Life Detector Chip containing 300 antibodies). Here, we show the discovery of a hypersaline subsurface microbial habitat associated with halite-, nitrate-, and perchlorate-containing salts at 2?m deep. LDChip300 detected bacteria, archaea, and other biological material (DNA, exopolysaccharides, some peptides) from the analysis of less than 0.5?g of ground core sample. The results were supported by oligonucleotide microarray hybridization in the field and finally confirmed by molecular phylogenetic analysis and direct visualization of microbial cells bound to halite crystals in the laboratory. Geochemical analyses revealed a habitat with abundant hygroscopic salts like halite (up to 260?g kg(-1)) and perchlorate (41.13?μg g(-1) maximum), which allow deliquescence events at low relative humidity. Thin liquid water films would permit microbes to proliferate by using detected organic acids like acetate (19.14?μg g(-1)) or formate (76.06?μg g(-1)) as electron donors, and sulfate (15875?μg g(-1)), nitrate (13490?μg g(-1)), or perchlorate as acceptors. Our results correlate with the discovery of similar hygroscopic salts and possible deliquescence processes on Mars, and open new search strategies for subsurface martian biota. The performance demonstrated by our LDChip300 validates this technology for planetary exploration, particularly for the search for life on Mars.     

升力面上升力和诱导阻力的准确计算

本文给出了计算机翼亚音速气动特性的高阶板元方法，这里偶极子只分布在升力面上而不是整个机翼表面。     

一块蹩脚的铺路石：深析印度LCA计划的成功与失败

20世纪80年代初，巴基斯坦从美国获得了当时非常先进的F-16A／B型战机。邻邦印度在震惊之余．发誓要研制一种全新的作战飞机，要在性能上全面超越F-16。1983年，印度LCA轻型作战飞机项目正式上马。虽然包括飞机发动机在内的关键部件都从国外引进，但受国力及航空科技水平的限制，研制工作始终进展缓慢。一架战斗机从研制到投产前后历时30多年，这在航空史上实属罕见，而其最初目标是否达到，待我们慢慢道来。[编者按]     

NASA任务操作与控制结构项目

航天任务复杂性的增加与航天任务预算的急剧削减之间的矛盾造成了要求迅速降低卫星的设计与操作费用的巨大压力。为实现这些费用的降低,一种主要的方法是降低支持任务操作系统的开发和操作费用。 NASA总部通信与数据系统部用以解决该难题的一个策略是其任务操作控制结构(MOCA)项目。该项目的技术方面授权哥达德航天中心(GSFC)的任务操作部(MOD)负责。MOCA将开发出一种任务控制与数据获取结构及可支持标准,以引导未来卫星和GSFC的任务控制设施的开发。该结构将降低对全天24小时操作的需求,实现飞行与地面软件组件在不同任务间的高级别重复应用,并通过实现相应功能从地面到卫星的转移来增强整个系统的适应能力。 最终的结果是为GSFC自己开发的卫星的星地系统接口设计形成一种确定的方式,以及包括数据结构、接口和协议等在内的端一端卫星控制过程的规范。这些方式和规范都适宜于包含在对未来的空间卫星的征购文件中。如在征购文件中飞行软件核作为政府提供设备供给的话,将可得到开发和维护。 本文介绍了MOCA项目,包括其当前状态和未来结果。     

BAFFLE EFFECT OF SLOSHING INDUCEDFLOWS IN RESPONSE TO AXIAL IMPULSE IN MICROGRAVITY

Inordertocarryoutscientificexperiments,someexperimentalspacecraftusecryogeniccooIingforobservationinstrumentationandtelescope,superconductingsensorsforgyroread-outandmaintainverylowtemperaturesnearabsolutezeroformechanicalstability.Theap-proachestobothcoollngandcontrolinvolvetheuseofsuperfluidliquidheliumn.Inthisstudy,theresponseofcryogenicsystemstosloshingdynamicsassociatedwithaxialimpulseisinvestigated.cryogenicheliumn,atatemperatureofl.8K,isconsideredinthisstudy.withitssu-perfluidbehavior,t…     

AMR航空公司集团/美利坚航空公司总裁——Donald J.Carty先生答本刊记者问

1996年3月27日,美国 AMR 航空公司集团/美利坚航空公司总裁 Donald J.Carty 先生在达拉斯美利坚航空公司总部接受了本刊记者刘平、张立华的采访,就 AMR 航空公司集团的发展及当前空运业的一些重要问题回答了记者的提问。记者:1995年 AMR 和美利坚航空公司的经营情况怎样?您作何评价?Carty:1995年是我们非常好的一年,我们解决了几个主要问题,特别是我们加强丁达拉斯枢纽,另外我们也加强     

基于GPS跟踪技术的TDRS星测轨

本文评述了利用GPS和GPS有关技术确定TDRS星轨道的二种不同方法。第一种TDRS星上装GPS接收机,直接测得到GPS卫星的距离,以此确定TDRS星历,不需要地面测控网;第二种TDRS星发一适当的信标信号,地面多台接收机同时跟踪GPS和TDRS卫星。这两种方法都能满足未来TDRS—Ⅱ的测轨精度要求。     

小型低成本地面站的性能

本文探讨了用于小卫星的小型低成本半机动S波段地面站的性能极限。首先介绍空间新技术有限公司(SIL)地面站硬件和天线控制软件,然后计算在各种工作条件下的性能,包括对低地球轨道、高椭圆轨道和地球同步轨道任务的性能。最后为卫星任务设计者或规划者提供一些实际极限,特别是各种卫星任务中小卫星配合小型地面站可达到的下行链路性能。     

利用遥测信号无线电干涉仪的初始段安全系统

靶场安全问题随导弹性能的提高日趋重要。在发射场附近这一问题更为突出,因为这里导弹爆炸能量最大。诸如雷达、GPS外测系统和光测因多种原因在这里用得不多,故需要一种设备能在导弹起飞后头几秒内提供有用的外测数据。该设备能提供从发射台起飞直到120秒内的导弹偏离理论弹道的数据。 本文叙述的外测系统利用了无线电干涉仪的原理,从两个精密间隔的天线提取相位差测量值。这些测量值送往“试验显示设施”,转换成常用的角偏差曲线,供靶场安全人负使用。 本文介绍了无线电干涉仪系统的基本概念,这种特殊外测系统的设置和使用情况。并详细介绍了这种设备的射前演练、设置以及实时显示的设置和最终数据产品的输出。