Motor timing under microgravity

Five participants were tested on their ability to produce accurate and regular inter-response intervals in the 350 to 530 ms time range. Three of them were members of the French-Russian CASSIOPEE 96 spaceflight mission, and the other two were control subjects tested on the ground. During spaceflight, the target inter-response intervals were increasingly undershot and the timing became more variable (less regular). The increase in the timing variability was mostly attributable to the internal timekeeping processes rather than those involved in motor execution. The results are discussed with reference to the physiological mechanisms possibly underlying the timing of fast serial movements.     

用于小型探测器类航天器的廉价地面系统

为了支持ＮＡＳＡ的小型探测器（ＳＭＥＸ）工程，哥达德航天中心的专用载荷部已开发研制了一个用于航天器总装和测试以及在轨运行的廉价地面数据系统。因为系统设计方案的灵活多变和低费用，也可用于哥达德中心的非ＳＭＥＸ卫星。本文介绍该系统以及开发过程中采用的设计原则，讨论在ＮＡＳＡ目前所见到的航天器操作发展趋势下该系统如何用于低费用操作。     

利用区间广义卡尔曼滤波器跟踪来袭弹道式导弹

用雷达跟踪来袭弹道式导弹,由于其运动模型、测量噪声的不确定性,成为需要研究的重要问题。经典广义卡尔曼滤波器(EKF)不再适用于这种不确定的问题,因此,引入一种新的区间广义卡尔曼德波(EIKF)方法来跟踪导弹系统。计算机仿真结果表明本EIKF算法对于这种不确定的、非线性弹道式导弹的测量问题是有效的。     

Space-to-space Radio Interferometry System from Medium Earth Orbits

This paper presents a new concept to perform space-to-space Very Long Baseline Interferometry which enables the imaging of cosmic sources at high-resolution and high-sensitivity with small antennas. Several individual apertures are embarked on separate identical satellites staggered in height into Polar or Equatorial Circular Medium Earth Orbits (PECMEO orbits). These orbits are stable and allow GNSS-based on-the-fly centimeter-level relative positioning. Coherent operation is possible by exchanging local oscillator components and measured signals through Inter-Satellite Links (ISL). On-board cross correlation is performed at each satellite over a delay window compatible with the accuracy of the on-the-fly relative positioning and the result sent to the ground. Image reconstruction is completed on the ground thanks to sub-millimeter baseline retrieval from accurate GNSS orbits, ISL ranging and spacecraft attitude information. The application of this concept to image the Super Massive Black Hole Sgr A* is hinted.      

剪切同轴式喷嘴中心管壁厚对火焰的影响

为了研究剪切同轴式喷嘴中心管壁厚度对火焰的影响,针对LOX/CH4火焰,采用数值方法计算了三种不同喷嘴中心管壁厚的长方体形燃烧室内的燃烧过程,计算表明,对于较大的管壁厚度,在紧贴管壁下游的区域将形成较大的回流区,有利于火焰稳定在喷嘴出口处,还给出了采用相同几何结构燃烧室的LOX/CH4燃烧试验结果,试验也得出了同样的趋势,随着中心管壁厚度的增加,火焰中心明显前移。     

Coronal mass ejection (CME) activity of low mass M stars as an important factor for the habitability of terrestrial exoplanets. I. CME impact on expected magnetospheres of Earth-like exoplanets in close-in habitable zones

Low mass M- and K-type stars are much more numerous in the solar neighborhood than solar-like G-type stars. Therefore, some of them may appear as interesting candidates for the target star lists of terrestrial exoplanet (i.e., planets with mass, radius, and internal parameters identical to Earth) search programs like Darwin (ESA) or the Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph/Inferometer (NASA). The higher level of stellar activity of low mass M stars, as compared to solar-like G stars, as well as the closer orbital distances of their habitable zones (HZs), means that terrestrial-type exoplanets within HZs of these stars are more influenced by stellar activity than one would expect for a planet in an HZ of a solar-like star. Here we examine the influences of stellar coronal mass ejection (CME) activity on planetary environments and the role CMEs may play in the definition of habitability criterion for the terrestrial type exoplanets near M stars. We pay attention to the fact that exoplanets within HZs that are in close proximity to low mass M stars may become tidally locked, which, in turn, can result in relatively weak intrinsic planetary magnetic moments. Taking into account existing observational data and models that involve the Sun and related hypothetical parameters of extrasolar CMEs (density, velocity, size, and occurrence rate), we show that Earth-like exoplanets within close-in HZs should experience a continuous CME exposure over long periods of time. This fact, together with small magnetic moments of tidally locked exoplanets, may result in little or no magnetospheric protection of planetary atmospheres from a dense flow of CME plasma. Magnetospheric standoff distances of weakly magnetized Earth-like exoplanets at orbital distances 相似文献   

Porphyrin as an ideal biomarker in the search for extraterrestrial life

A key issue in astrobiological research is identifying target molecules that are unambiguously biological in origin and can be easily detected and recognized. We suggest porphyrin derivatives as an ideal target, because these chromophores are global in distribution and found in virtually all living organisms on Earth, including microorganisms that may approximate the early evolution of life on Earth. We discuss the inherent qualities that make porphyrin ideally suited for astrobiological research and discuss methods for detecting porphyrin molecules in terrestrial sedimentary environments. We present preliminary data to support the use of ToFSIMS as a powerful technique in the identification of porphyrins.     

Role of the ionosphere for the atmospheric evolution of planets

We have synthesized current understanding, mainly observations, with regard to ion escape mechanisms to space from the ionosphere and exosphere of Titan and Earth-type planets, with the intent to provide an improved input for models of atmospheric evolution on early Earth and Earth-type planets and exoplanets. We focus on the role of the ionosphere and its non-linear response to solar parameters, all of which have been underestimated in current models of ancient atmospheric escape (4 billion years ago). Factors that have been overlooked include the following: (1) Much larger variation of O(+) outflow than H(+) outflow from the terrestrial ionosphere, depending on solar and geomagnetic activities (an important consideration when attempting to determine the oxidized state of the atmosphere of early Earth); (2) magnetization of the ionopause, which keeps ionospheric ions from escaping and controls many other escape processes; (3) extra ionization by, for example, the critical ionization velocity mechanism, which expands the ionosphere to greater altitudes than current models predict; and (4) the large escape of cold ions from the dense, expanded ionosphere of Titan. Here we offer, as a guideline for quantitative simulations, a qualitative diagnosis of increases or decreases of non-thermal escape related to the ionosphere for magnetized and unmagnetized planets in response to changes in solar parameters (i.e., solar EUV/FUV flux, solar wind dynamic pressure, and interplanetary magnetic field).     

Modelling of Geomagnetic Storm Effects in the Ionosphere of East Asia

This paper presents simulated results of the ionospheric behavior during few geomagnetic storms,which were occurred in the different seasons. The numerical model for ionosphere-plasmasphere coupling was used to interpret the observed variation of ionosphere structure. Reasons why the positive storms are dominant in the winter whereas the negative ones are dominant in the summer season present the special interest for the mid-latitude ionosphere. A theoretical analysis of the processes controlling the ionospheric response to the geomagnetic storms has showed a good agreement between the simulated results and measurements, as well as the crucial role of the neutral composition variations to fit the calculated and the observed ionospheric parameters.