Clover development during spaceflight: a model system.

The development of legume root nodules was studied as a model system for the examination of gravitational effects on plant root development. In order to examine whether rhizobial association with clover roots can be achieved in microgravity, experiments were performed aboard the KC-135 parabolic aircraft and aboard the sounding rocket mission Consort 3. Binding of rhizobia to roots and the initial stages of root nodule development successfully occurred in microgravity. Seedling germination experiments were performed in the sliding block device, the Materials Dispersion Apparatus, aboard STS-37. When significant hydration of the seeds was achieved, normal rates of germination and seedling development were observed.     

Carbon dioxide exchange of lettuce plants under hypobaric conditions.

Growth of plants in a Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) may involve the use of hypobaric pressures enabling lower mass requirements for atmospheres and possible enhancement of crop productivity. A controlled environment plant growth chamber with hypobaric capability designed and built at Ames Research Center was used to determine if reduced pressures influence the rates of photosynthesis (Ps) and dark respiration (DR) of hydroponically grown lettuce plants. The chamber, referred to as a plant volatiles chamber (PVC), has a growing area of about 0.2 m2, a total gas volume of about 0.7 m3, and a leak rate at 50 kPa of <0.1%/day. When the pressure in the chamber was reduced from ambient to 51 kPa, the rate of net Ps increased by 25% and the rate of DR decreased by 40%. The rate of Ps increased linearly with decreasing pressure. There was a greater effect of reduced pressure at 41 Pa CO2 than at 81 Pa CO2. This is consistent with reports showing greater inhibition of photorespiration (Pr) in reduced O2 at low CO2 concentrations. When the partial pressure of O2 was held constant but the total pressure was varied between 51 and 101 kPa, the rate of CO2 uptake was nearly constant, suggesting that low pressure enhancement of Ps may be mainly attributable to lowered partial pressure of O2 and the accompanying reduction in Pr. The effects of lowered partial pressure of O2 on Ps and DR could result in substantial increases in the rates of biomass production, enabling rapid throughput of crops or allowing flexibility in the use of mass and energy resources for a CELSS.     

Dynamics and structure of ion clouds in the ionosphere from multifrequency doppler sounding

The evolution of a barium ion cloud formed in the MR-20 rocket experiment in the low-latitude ionosphere is considered using data of Doppler multifrequency sounding.     

A "cryptic" microbial mat: a new model ecosystem for extant life on Mars.

If life were present on Mars to day, it would face potentially lethal environmental conditions such as a lack of water, frigid temperatures, ultraviolet radiation, and soil oxidants. In addition, the Viking missions did not detect near-surface organic carbon available for assimilation. Autotrophic organisms that lived under a protective layer of sand or gravel would be able to circumvent the ultraviolet radiation and lack of fixed carbon. Two terrestrial photosynthetic near-surface microbial communities have been identified, one in the inter- and supertidal of Laguna Ojo de Liebre (Baja California Sur, Mexico) and one in the acidic gravel near several small geysers in Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, U.S.A.). Both communities have been studied with respect to their ability to fix carbon under different conditions, including elevated levels of inorganic carbon. Although these sand communities have not been exposed to the entire suite of Martian environmental conditions simultaneously, such communities can provide a useful model ecosystem for a potential extant Martian biota.     

Analysis of the linear amplifier/analog-digital converter interfacein a digital microwave receiver

An analysis of the relationship between a linear amplifier chain and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) in a digital microwave receiver, with respect to sensitivity and dynamic range issues, is presented. The effects of gain, third-order intermodulation products and ADC characteristics on the performance of the receiver are illustrated and design criteria for the linear amplifier chain (given a specified ADC) are developed. A computer program is included which calculates theoretical receiver performance based on gain and third-order intermodulation product selections. Experimental results are also presented and compared with theoretical values     

FINDER, a system providing complex decision support for commercialtransport replanning operations

Decision-aid systems, likely to appear in future aircraft generations, could play a central role in the cockpit thanks to the broad spectrum of functionalities and decision support facilities they will offer to the crew. As part of such systems, the exploratory FINDER mock-up is a knowledge-based system (KBS) designed to help crew members continually optimize their flight plan by suggesting solutions considering exhaustive information related to flight context, either on pilot request or upon external information occurrence. The successful evaluation by AIR FRANCE pilots of that first mock-up dedicated to diversion procedure on pilot request has led to the current development of an enhanced system with nominal Enroute operations and real-time capabilities. Nominal Enroute operations concern the optimization with respect to an evolutive constraining or favouring environment (due to weather, traffic or regulated areas, ETOPS constraints). This study paves the way for a future Flight Assistant System concept which is already under investigation and may take place in SEXTANT Avionique's future development steps     

Peculiarities of Estimating the Aircraft Performance Characteristics of the Rocket-and-Space Facilities under Conditions of Fuzzy Data

One possible method is considered of deriving the well-posed (in the sense of A.N. Tikhonov) solutions to the problems of estimating the aircraft performance characteristics. The method is based on the results of measurements of the state parameters and geophysical conditions of the employment of the rocket-and-space facilities under conditions of uncertainty of the a priori data on measurement errors.     

Molecular analysis of mutagenesis by high LET radiation.

Mutation induction by high linear energy transfer [LET] alpha particles and gamma-rays was scored in the human hamster hybrid [AL] cells. Southern blotting technique was used to analyse the molecular changes in the DNA from both the HGPRT- and S1- mutants. Dose dependent mutagenesis in the AL cells irradiated with the charged particles was higher by almost 20 fold at the S1 than the corresponding HGPRT locus. Southern analysis of the mutants induced by the high LET particles showed mostly multilocus deletion at both the HGPRT and S1 genes.     

Survival and alteration of the plasmid-containing microorganism Escherichia coli Z905/pPHL7 introduced into manmade closed aquatic microcosms.

It has been demonstrated that the transgenic microorganism Escherichia coli Z905/pPHL7 (AprLux+) can exist for a long time at an elevated concentration of mineral salts. The microorganism was introduced into microcosms with sterile brackish water (salinity variable from 21 to 22 g l-1) taken from Lake Shira (Khakasia, Russia). The survival of the microorganism was estimated both by measuring the growth of the colonies on solid nutrient media and by the bioluminescence exhibited by the transgenic strain in samples from the microcosms and in the enrichment culture with the added selective factor-ampicillin (50 micrograms/ml). In the enrichment culture, the bioluminescent signal was registered through the 160-day experiment. It has been shown that in the closed microcosms with brackish water the E. coli strain becomes heterogeneous in its ampicillin resistance. The populations of the transgenic strain were mainly represented by isolates able to persist in the medium containing 50 micrograms/ml, but there were also the cells (about 10%) with the threshold of ampicillin resistance not more than 0.05 micrograms/ml. Thus, it was shown that in the microcosms with brackish water and in the absence of the selective factor the transgenic strain survives and retails the recombinant plasmid.     

Top-level modeling of an ALS system utilizing object-oriented techniques.

The possible configuration of an Advanced Life Support (ALS) System capable of supporting human life for long-term space missions continues to evolve as researchers investigate potential technologies and configurations. To facilitate the decision process the development of acceptable, flexible, and dynamic mathematical computer modeling tools capable of system level analysis is desirable. Object-oriented techniques have been adopted to develop a dynamic top-level model of an ALS system.This approach has several advantages; among these, object-oriented abstractions of systems are inherently modular in architecture. Thus, models can initially be somewhat simplistic, while allowing for adjustments and improvements. In addition, by coding the model in Java, the model can be implemented via the World Wide Web, greatly encouraging the utilization of the model. Systems analysis is further enabled with the utilization of a readily available backend database containing information supporting the model. The subsystem models of the ALS system model include Crew, Biomass Production, Waste Processing and Resource Recovery, Food Processing and Nutrition, and the Interconnecting Space. Each subsystem model and an overall model have been developed. Presented here is the procedure utilized to develop the modeling tool, the vision of the modeling tool, and the current focus for each of the subsystem models.