A regenerable carbon dioxide removal and oxygen recovery system for the Japanese Experiment Module

The Japanese Space Station Program is now under Phase B study by the National Space Development Agency of Japan in participation with the U.S. Space Station Program. A Japanese Space Station participation will be a dedicated pressurized module to be attached to the U.S. Space Station, and is called Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). Astronaut scientists will conduct various experimental operations there. Thus an environment control and life support system is required. Regenerable carbon dioxide removal and collection technique as well as oxygen recovery technique has been studied and investigated for several years. A regenerable carbon dioxide removal subsystem using steam desorbed solid amine and an oxygen recovery subsystem using Sabatier methane cracking have a good possibility for the application to the Japanese Experiment Module. Basic performance characteristics of the carbon dioxide removal and oxygen recovery subsystem are presented according to the results of a fundamental performance test program. The trace contaminant removal process is also investigated and discussed. The solvent recovery plant for the regeneration of various industrial solvents, such as hydrocarbons, alcohols and so on, utilizes the multi-bed solvent adsorption and steam desorption process, which is very similar to the carbon dioxide removal subsystem. Therefore, to develop essential components including adsorption tank (bed), condenser. process controller and energy saving system, the technology obtained from the experience to construct solvent recovery plant can be easily and effectively applicable to the carbon dioxide removal subsystem. The energy saving efficiency is evaluated for blower power reduction, steam reduction and waste heat utilization technique. According to the above background, the entire environment control and life support system for the Japanese Experiment Module including the carbon dioxide removal and oxygen recovery subsystem is evaluated and proposed.     

Hazard Prevention in Mission Plans for Aerial Vehicles Based on Soft Institutions

Hazard prevention in mission plans requires careful analysis and appropriate tools to support the design of preventive and/or corrective measures. It is most challenging in systems with large sets of states and complex state relations. In the case of sociotechnical systems, hazard prevention becomes even more dicult given that the behaviour of human centric components can at best be partially predictable. In the present article we focus on a specic class of sociotechnical systems namely air spaces containing pilot controlled as well as autonomous aircrafts and introduce the notion of relevant hazards. We also introduce soft institutions as an appropriate basis for analysis, with the aim of addressing relevant hazards. The concept of soft institutions is drawn from specication languages for interaction between agents in multi agent systems but, in our case, is adapted for use in systems that combine human and automated actors.     

Osmoadaptive strategies of the archaeon Halococcus hamelinensis isolated from a hypersaline stromatolite environment

Biogenic stromatolites are sources of significant information on the evolution of microbial life. Despite their evolutionary significance, little is known about the mechanisms of osmoadaptation by microorganisms that comprise living stromatolites thriving in hypersaline environments. Osmoadaptive strategies for Halococcus hamelinensis, a novel halophilic archaeon recently isolated from living stromatolites in the hypersaline reaches of Shark Bay, were thus a particular interest in this study. To investigate the possibility of "salt-in-cytoplasm"-associated osmoadaptation for this archaeon, flame photometry studies were performed. From the results, it was evident that this halophilic archaeon did not accumulate intracellular K(+) ions when cells were exposed to either osmotic shock or conditions with gradual increments in salinity. These results were further supported by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses where there was no evidence for the existence of homologous genes to an ATP-driven, high-affinity potassium uptake system in Halococcus hamelinensis. To identify an alternative salt adaptation mechanism associated with accumulation of compatible solutes for this archaeon, (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy experiments were carried out. Results indicate that glycine betaine, trehalose, and glutamate are solutes likely to be involved in osmoregulation in this archeaon. Subsequent (1)H NMR analysis of cell extracts from this microorganism grown under various NaCl concentrations revealed that intracellular levels of glycine betaine increased with increasing concentrations of NaCl. This behavior of increasing glycine betaine concentration with increasing external NaCl is consistent with its identity as an osmolyte. In contrast, intracellular levels of trehalose were decreased in high concentrations of NaCl. This provides evidence that compatible solute accumulation appears to be the preferential salt regulation mechanism for this haloarchaeon, in contrast to the salt-in-cytoplasm strategy employed by many other halophilic archaea.     

Mineral-enhanced hydrothermal oligopeptide formation at the second time scale

Accumulation of biopolymers should have been an essential step for the emergence of life on primitive Earth. However, experimental simulations for submarine hydrothermal vent systems in which high-temperature water spouts through minerals within a short time scale have not been attempted. Here, we show that enhancement of hydrothermal oligopeptide elongation by naturally occurring minerals was successfully verified for the first time by using a mineral-mediated hydrothermal flow reactor system (MMHF). MMHF consists of a narrow tubular reactor packed with mineral particles, and the enhancement or inhibitory activities of 10 types of naturally occurring minerals were successfully evaluated for an elongation reaction from (Ala)(4) to (Ala)(5) and higher oligopeptides in the absence of condensation reagents. It was unexpected that calcite and dolomite facilitated the elongation from (Ala)(4) to (Ala)(5) and higher oligopeptides with 28% yield at pH 7, while tourmaline, galena, apatite, mica, sphalerite, quartz, chalcopyrite, and pyrite did not show enhancement activities. These facts suggest the importance of carbonate minerals for the accumulation of peptide in primitive Earth environments.     

Survival of Deinococcus radiodurans against laboratory-simulated solar wind charged particles

In this experimental study, cells of the radiation-resistant bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans were exposed to several different sources of radiation chosen to replicate the charged particles found in the solar wind. Naked cells or cells mixed with dust grains (basalt or sandstone) differing in elemental composition were exposed to electrons, protons, and ions to determine the probability of cell survival after irradiation. Doses necessary to reduce the viability of cell population to 10% (LD(10)) were determined under different experimental conditions. The results of this study indicate that low-energy particle radiation (2-4?keV), typically present in the slow component of the solar wind, had no effect on dehydrated cells, even if exposed at fluences only reached in more than 1000 years at Sun-Earth distance (1 AU). Higher-energy ions (200?keV) found in solar flares would inactivate 90% of exposed cells after several events in less than 1 year at 1 AU. When mixed with dust grains, LD(10) increases about 10-fold. These results show that, compared to the highly deleterious effects of UV radiation, solar wind charged particles are relatively benign, and organisms protected under grains from UV radiation would also be protected from the charged particles considered in this study.     

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。     

用于卫星运载火箭的最佳Q制导法

研究一种以最佳Q制导为基础的闭合回路控制逻辑.这种制导系统控制卫星运载火箭沿着二维或三维轨道飞行,以将有效载荷送入指定的圆周轨道.改进后的Q制导算法使用所需的最佳速度矢量,使火箭从现有位置经两次推进加速转移到最终轨道上所需要的总冲减少到最小.所需的速度矢量可以看作是,在经过第一次推进加速后火箭在假想的转移轨道上的瞬时速度.针对这种最佳转移轨道,推导出一种简单明了的Q矩阵表达法,并概要论述大周期和小周期制导算法及形成操纵指令的原理.     

FLOW OF A VISCOUS FLUID PAST A FLEXIBLE MEMBRANE

This paper treats the numerical calculation of a steady two-dimensional viscous flow past a flexible membrane. Both edges of the membrane are fixed in the flow and its chord is set normal to the flow. The numerical calculations of the Navier-Stokes equation based on a finite difference method and a relaxation method are carried out for several values of the membrane tension in cases when the Reynolds numbers are 5, 10 and 20. It is found that the membrane tension has a minimum value below which there is no steady shape of the membrane. Two different shapes of the membrane are possible at a given value of tension: the one is of small deformation, while the other a large deformation. There appear twin vortices in the concave region of the membrane shape if its deformation increases to a certain extent.