The merger of two global commons: The need for new governance

The RUSI ‘Space and UK National Security’ conference was held in London on 2 October 2012 and, with the ‘Cyber Alliances: Strategy Partnerships in Cyber Space’ conference’ of 14–15 November 2012, brought together space and cyberspace specialists from more than 15 countries, across four continents. Alixe Buckerfield de la Roche reports on key points discussed across both conferences: (1) space as a shared domain, and building resilience; (2) governance; (3) national responses to space security; (4) partnerships and alliances, space situational awareness, space debris, and new initiatives; (5) the space–cyberspace merger; and (6) commercial and military sectors. Consensus on critical areas for further action emerged, and for that reason the conjunction of the two conferences was significant.     

Study of the NGC 2770 interstellar medium through Hα, millimetric and optical polarimetric data of SN 2008D and SN 2007uy

We present the preliminary results of the recent H_α narrow-band imaging carried out for NGC 2770 with the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) equipped with OSIRIS. We put the polarization measurements reported in Gorosabel et al. (2010) for SN 2007uy and SN 2008D in the context of the morphological information inferred from the H_α imaging. We estimated the orientation of the interstellar polarization (ISP) at the position of SN 2007uy and, most interestingly, at the site of SN 2008D which has been subject of an intensive debate due to its possible connection with Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs). The H_α imaging reveals a clumpy interstellar medium (ISM) composed of hundreds of compact emitting regions, for which we determined their sizes. The derived size for the H_α emitting region coincident with SN 2008D is consistent with the ISM cell size limits imposed by Gorosabel et al. (2010) based on millimetric data. A deeper data analysis is under way and will be published elsewhere. This article represents the first attempt to study the site of a possible GRB-like event combining millimetric, polarimetric and narrow-band data.     

Experimental Study of Corner Stall in a Linear Compressor Cascade

In order to gain a better knowledge of the mechanisms and to calibrate computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools including both Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and large eddy simulation (LES),a detailed and accurate experimental study of corner stall in a linear compressor cascade has been carried out.Data are taken at a Reynolds number of 382 000 based on blade chord and inlet velocity.At first,inlet flow boundary layer is surveyed using hot-wire anemometry.Then in order to investigate the effects of incidence,measurements are acquired at five incidences,including static pressures on both blade and endwall surfaces measured by pressure taps and the total pressure losses of outlet flow measured by a five-hole pressure probe.The maximum losses as well as the extent of losses of the corner stall are presented as a function of the investigated incidences.     

An investigation of ionospheric F region response in the Brazilian sector to the super geomagnetic storm of May 2005

In this paper, we have investigated the responses of the ionospheric F region at equatorial and low latitude regions in the Brazilian sector during the super geomagnetic storm on 15–16 May 2005. The geomagnetic storm reached a minimum Dst of −263 nT at 0900 UT on 15 May. In this paper, we present vertical total electron content (vTEC) and phase fluctuations (in TECU/min) from Global Positioning System (GPS) observations obtained at Belém, Brasília, Presidente Prudente, and Porto Alegre, Brazil, during the period 14–17 May 2005. Also, we present ionospheric parameters h’F, hpF2, and foF2, using the Canadian Advanced Digital Ionosonde (CADI) obtained at Palmas and São José dos Campos, Brazil, for the same period. The super geomagnetic storm has fast decrease in the Dst index soon after SSC at 0239 UT on 15 May. It is a good possibility of prompt penetration of electric field of magnetospheric origin resulting in uplifting of the F region. The vTEC observations show a trough at BELE and a crest above UEPP, soon after SSC, indicating strengthening of nighttime equatorial anomaly. During the daytime on 15 and 16 May, in the recovery phase, the variations in foF2 at SJC and the vTEC observations, particularly at BRAZ, UEPP, and POAL, show large positive ionospheric storm. There is ESF on the all nights at PAL, in the post-midnight (UT) sector, and phase fluctuations only on the night of 14–15 May at BRAZ, after the SSC. No phase fluctuations are observed at the equatorial station BELE and low latitude stations (BRAZ, UEPP, and POAL) at all other times. This indicates that the plasma bubbles are generated and confined on this magnetically disturbed night only up to the low magnetic latitude and drifted possibly to west.     

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.     

Uncertainties in the measurement of the atmospheric velocity due to balloon-gondola pendulum-like motions

Balloons lead to the highest vertical resolution of air velocity data actually attainable from atmospheric soundings. However, the pendulum-like motion of the balloon-gondola system may significantly affect these measurements if the distance between balloon and gondola is large. This may prevent the study of the highest vertical resolution range obtained. Also, if not appropriately discriminated, these fluctuations could be confused with small scale or turbulent oscillations of the atmosphere. It is shown from simple energy considerations that horizontal and vertical wind velocity perturbations introduced in the observations by the pendulum motion may usually be comparable to typical measurements. Vertical velocity data that were obtained with an instrumented gondola in a zero pressure balloon, which typically reach the lower stratosphere, are analyzed and found to be in agreement with the above statements. The pendulum-like behavior in this sounding seems to be stimulated by the buoyant oscillation of the atmosphere.     

Combination methods of tropospheric time series

In this article we present two methods for combination of different Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) Zenith Total Delay (ZTD) time-series for the same GNSS site, but from different producers or different processing setups. One method has been setup at ASI/CGS, the other at KNMI. Using Near Real-Time (NRT) ZTD data covering 1 year from the E-GVAP project, the performance of the two methods is inter-compared and validation is made against a combined ZTD solution from EUREF, based on post-processed ZTDs. Further, validation of the ASI combined solutions is made against independent ZTDs derived from radiosonde, Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) model and Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) ZTD.     

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.