X-ray synchrotron nebulae and the origin of neutron stars

“With all reserve, we advance the view that a supernova represents the transition of an ordinary star into a neutron star.”This conclusion, reached just 50 years ago in a classic paper by Walter Baade and Fritz Zwicky (1934), was published three decades before the first direct observational evidence for the existence of neutron stars was uncovered. It still informs the standard picture of neutron star production in the Galaxy. We examine herein some recent evidence bearing on this question which has been derived from Observatory X-ray observations of supernova remnants and radio pulsars. In particular, the discovery that X-ray synchrotron nebulae are found surrounding most young ( 10⁶ yr) pulsars observed to date is discussed. We explore the implications of the lack of such nebulae in the majority of supernova remnants (SNR) for the properties and frequency of neutron star formation in supernova events.     

Magnetospheric structure and high-energy photon emission of radio pulsars

Some elementary aspects of particle acceleration and flow along the polar field lines of an isolated, rotating magnetized neutron star are described. Semi-quantitaive consequences of these ideas for the emission of high energy gamma rays and their relation to gamma ray observations of radio pulsars are outlined. A global model of the magnetosphere in which these polar flows can occur is described briefly.     

Microlesions: theory and reality.

Efforts to assess radiation risk in space have been complicated by the considerable unknowns regarding the biological effects of the heavy ion component (HZE particles) of the cosmic rays. The attention has focused primarily on the assignation of a quality factor (Q) which would take into account the greater effectiveness of heavy ions vis-a-vis other forms of ionizing radiation. If however, as the so-called "Microlesion Theory" allows, the passage of HZE particles through living tissue produces unique biological damage, the traditional use of Q becomes meaningless. Therefore, it is critical to determine if microlesions, in fact, do exist. While the concept does not necessarily require detectable morphological damage, "tunnel-lesions" or holes in ocular tissues have been cited as evidence of microlesions. These data, however, are open to reinterpretation. On-going light, scanning and transmission electron microscopic studies of the corneas, lenses and retinas of rat eyes exposed to 450 MeV/amu 56Fe ions thus far have not revealed tunnel-lesion damage. The morphological effects of the heavy ions have been found to be qualitatively similar to the changes following other kinds of ionizing radiation.     

Wide field cameras for SAX

SAX is an Italian X-ray satellite with a Dutch contribution that will be placed in orbit in 1994. The prime scientific object of SAX is to cover an energy bandwidth that ranges from 0.1 keV up to 200 keV. Among other instruments, SAX will consist of two X-ray Wide Field Cameras built by the Space Research Organisation Netherlands at Utrecht. The WFCs are based on the coded mask principle, the reconstruction of the image takes place on ground. The field of view is 20 degrees square full width at half maximum (FWHM), the angular resolution 5 arcminutes (FWHM) and the energy band ranges from 1.8 to 30 keV with a resolution of 18% at 6 keV. The sensitive area is 200 cm² at 6 keV. The mask pattern is based on a pseudo random array with 255 × 257 elements of 1 mm², 50% of which are transparent.     

Plasma effects of active ion beam injections in the ionosphere at rocket altitudes

Data from ARCS rocket ion beam injection experiments will be primarily discussed in this paper. There are three results from this series of active experiments that are of particular interest in space plasma physics. These are the transverse acceleration of ambient ions in the large beam volume, the scattering of beam ions near the release payload, and the possible acceleration of electrons very close to the plasma generator which produce intense high frequency waves. The ability of 100 ma ion beam injections into the upper E and F regions of the ionosphere to produce these phenomena appear to be related solely to the process by which the plasma release payload and the ion beam are neutralized. Since the electrons in the plasma release do not convect with the plasma ions, the neutralization of both the payload and beam must be accomplished by large field-aligned currents (milliamperes/square meter) which are very unstable to wave growth of various modes. Future work will concentrate on the wave production and wave-particle interactions that produce the plasma/energetic particle effects discussed in this paper and which have direct application to natural phenomena in the upper ionosphere and magnetosphere.     

On the levels of enzymatic substrate specificity: implications for the early evolution of metabolic pathways.

The most frequently invoked explanation for the origin of metabolic pathways is the retrograde evolution hypothesis. In contrast, according to the so-called "patchwork" theory, metabolism evolved by the recruitment of relatively inefficient small enzymes of broad specificity that could react with a wide range of chemically related substrates. In this paper it is argued that both sequence comparisons and experimental results on enzyme substrate specificity support the patchwork assembly theory. The available evidence supports previous suggestions that gene duplication events followed by a gradual neoDarwinian accumulation of mutations and other minute genetic changes lead to the narrowing and modification of enzyme function in at least some primordial metabolic pathways.     

Organization, selection, and training of crews for extended spaceflight: findings from analogs and implications

Ample research evidence from space analogs points to the crucial role that teamwork plays in the performance of small groups in isolation and confinement. This paper surveys findings about the impacts of group behavior and social interaction on crew morale, coordination, and productivity. Implications for the organization, selection, and training of crews for extended spaceflight are discussed.     

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.