Soviet-Indian research of cosmic radiation by high altitude balloons

The report presents some results on the cosmic radiation intensity research carried out with the high-altitude balloons for the period of 1977–1979. The intensity of gamma-radiation with the energy above 40 MeV was measured in two balloon flights at an altitude of 4–7 g/cm² of residual atmosphere in the vicinity of the geomagnetic equator. A temporal analysis of the intensity to discover fluctuations with periods in the range of 4–60 min was made. Quasi-periodic fluctuations of gamma-radiation intensity with 5 min periods, amplitude ～20% and duration of several hours were discovered. Possible mechanisms of such fluctuation appearance are discussed.The report gives the results of measuring downward, upward and horizontal electron fluxes in the vicinity of the equator. The obtained data and the data provided by satellites are compared. The report discusses the prospects of further joint Soviet-Indian research of cosmic gamma-radiation.     

Instrumentation and data systems for high-time resolution study of space plasma shocks

This paper deals with the principal methods of achieving high-time resolution measurements for the study of fine structure of shocks and other discontinuities in space plasmas. In the measurements of ion energy spectra, we have obtained the time resolution about 1s.In the Soviet-Czechoslovak INTERSHOCK project we will obtain temporal resolution better than 0.1s in the measurement of the main plasma parameters. This will be obtained with the multichannel energy spectrometer and the on-board data acquisition and processing system triggered by the shock signature. This system controls the data sampling rate from some scientific instruments and switches on a high-sampling rate near the shock. The method implies detecting a shock by means of on-board processing of magnetic field and plasma parameters. The algorithm for this detection uses both parameters separately as well as in combinations.     

Radar Calibration Test Satellite

A satellite has been designed for application to radar calibration. Electromagnetic and mechanical characteristics of the satellite and their influence on the selection of shape and other parameters are discussed. Theoretical and experimental scattering data are included.     

On monitoring the bacterial component as an indicator of the state of small man-made ecosystems.

High reproduction rates make the bacterial component of ecosystems a good indicator of the state of the system on the whole. This determines the necessity to develop rapid monitoring of the functional state of the bacterial component of small ecosystems. Information about substrate concentration in the population is indicative of the state of the bacterial culture. Conventional methods of monitoring the concentration of integral substrate in the system take time much longer than the changes in the ecosystem. The paper presents theoretical foundations for the logical sequence "catalase activity--intracellular substrate concentration--estimate of substrate consumed by bacteria" for experimental verification and as a consequence of development of the integral method of monitoring the bacterial population on the basis of determining bacterial catalase activity. Grant numbers: 04-96017, N25.     

A thermodynamic analysis of microbial growth experiments

The common thread of energy release suggests that diverse microbial metabolic processes can be compared through thermodynamic analyses. The resulting energy and power requirements can provide quantitative constraints on habitability. Because previous thermodynamic analyses have focused on the minimum amount of energy needed for the growth of a microorganism or community, the focus of this study is to gain a fuller understanding of the microbial response to highly habitable conditions. This communication summarizes the results of a thermodynamic analysis of the energy and power consumed by microorganisms in experiments that were designed to optimize growth. Reports of microbial growth experiments taken from the literature were combined with speciation and standard state calculations to assess the overall Gibbs energy change during the experiments. Results show that similar numbers of cells (10(9) to 10(10) ) were produced in these experiments regardless of the duration of log phase growth (from <2 to >200 hours) or the total Gibbs energy change [from 1.3-29.6 kJ (mol electrons transferred)(1)]. As a result, optimal growth conditions appear to produce between 10(10) and 10(14) cells per watt of power consumed.     

Lava cave microbial communities within mats and secondary mineral deposits: implications for life detection on other planets

Lava caves contain a wealth of yellow, white, pink, tan, and gold-colored microbial mats; but in addition to these clearly biological mats, there are many secondary mineral deposits that are nonbiological in appearance. Secondary mineral deposits examined include an amorphous copper-silicate deposit (Hawai'i) that is blue-green in color and contains reticulated and fuzzy filament morphologies. In the Azores, lava tubes contain iron-oxide formations, a soft ooze-like coating, and pink hexagons on basaltic glass, while gold-colored deposits are found in lava caves in New Mexico and Hawai'i. A combination of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and molecular techniques was used to analyze these communities. Molecular analyses of the microbial mats and secondary mineral deposits revealed a community that contains 14 phyla of bacteria across three locations: the Azores, New Mexico, and Hawai'i. Similarities exist between bacterial phyla found in microbial mats and secondary minerals, but marked differences also occur, such as the lack of Actinobacteria in two-thirds of the secondary mineral deposits. The discovery that such deposits contain abundant life can help guide our detection of life on extraterrestrial bodies.     

Generalized Problem of Two Fixed Centers or the Darboux-Gredeaks Problem

A brief review of publications on the problem of two fixed centers is given, including its generalizations and astronomical applications. A comparison of the Darboux potential with that of Eve Gredeaks is made. An account of the basic points of development of modern high-precision theories of the motion of planetary satellites, based on the Gredeaks’ intermediate orbit, is given.__________Translated from Kosmicheskie Issledovaniya, Vol. 43, No. 3, 2005, pp. 194–200.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Lukyanov, Emeljanov, Shirmin.Dedicated to the memory of Professor Evgenii Petrovich Aksenov     

Experiment on the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Vernov</Emphasis> satellite: Transient energetic processes in the Earth’s atmosphere and magnetosphere. Part I: Description of the experiment

The program of physical studies on the Vernov satellite launched on July 8, 2014 into a polar (640 × 830 km) solar-synchronous orbit with an inclination of 98.4° is presented. We described the complex of scientific equipment on this satellite in detail, including multidirectional gamma-ray detectors, electron spectrometers, red and ultra-violet detectors, and wave probes. The experiment on the Vernov satellite is mainly aimed at a comprehensive study of the processes of generation of transient phenomena in the optical and gamma-ray ranges in the Earth’s atmosphere (such as high-altitude breakdown on runaway relativistic electrons), the study of the action on the atmosphere of electrons precipitated from the radiation belts, and low- and high-frequency electromagnetic waves of both space and atmospheric origin.