Tírez lake as a terrestrial analog of Europa

Tírez Lake (La Mancha, central Spain) is proposed as a terrestrial analogue of Europa's ocean. The proposal is based on the comparison of the hydrogeochemistry of Tírez Lake with the geochemical features of the alteration mineralogy of meteoritic precursors and with Galileo's Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer data on Europa's surface. To validate the astrobiological potential of Tírez Lake as an analog of Europa, different hydrogeochemical, mineral, and microbial analyses were performed. Experimental and theoretical modeling helped to understand the crystallization pathways that may occur in Europa's crust. Calculations about the oxidation state of the hypothetical Europan ocean were estimated to support the sulfate-rich neutral liquid model as the origin of Europa's observed hydrated minerals and to facilitate their comparison with Tírez's hydrogeochemistry. Hydrogeochemical and mineralogical analyses showed that Tírez waters corresponded to Mg-Na-SO(4)-Cl brines with epsomite, hexahydrite, and halite as end members. A preliminary microbial ecology characterization identified two different microbial domains: a photosynthetically sustained community represented by planktonic/benthonic forms and microbial mat communities, and a subsurficial anaerobic realm in which chemolithotrophy predominates. Fluorescence in situ hybridization has been used to characterize the prokaryotic diversity of the system. The subsurficial community seemed to be dominated by sulfate-reducing bacteria and methanogens. Frozen Tírez brines were analyzed by Fourier-transform infrared techniques providing spectra similar to those reported previously using pure components and to the Galileo spectral data. Calorimetric measurements of Tírez brines showed pathways and phase metastability for magnesium sulfate and sodium chloride crystallization that may aid in understanding the processes involved in the formation of Europa's icy crust. The use of fluorescence hybridization techniques for microbial detection and characterization in hypersaline environments makes this methodology strongly advisable for future Europa astrobiological missions.     

NASA's new Mars Exploration Program: the trajectory of knowledge

NASA's newly restructured Mars Exploration Program (MEP) is finally on the way to Mars with the successful April 7 launch of the 2001 Mars Odyssey Orbiter. In addition, the announcement by the Bush Administration that the exploration of Mars will be a priority within NASA's Office of Space Science further cements the first decade of the new millennium as one of the major thrusts to understand the "new" Mars. Over the course of the past year and a half, an integrated team of managers, scientists, and engineers has crafted a revamped MEP to respond to the scientific as well as management and resource challenges associated with deep space exploration of the Red Planet. This article describes the new program from the perspective of its guiding philosophies, major events, and scientific strategy. It is intended to serve as a roadmap to the next 10-15 years of Mars exploration from the NASA viewpoint. [For further details, see the Mars Exploration Program web site (URL): http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov]. The new MEP will certainly evolve in response to discoveries, to successes, and potentially to setbacks as well. However, the design of the restructured strategy is attentive to risks, and a major attempt to instill resiliency in the program has been adopted. Mars beckons, and the next decade of exploration should provide the impetus for a follow-on decade in which multiple sample returns and other major program directions are executed. Ultimately the vision to consider the first human scientific expeditions to the Red Planet will be enabled. By the end of the first decade of this program, we may know where and how to look for the elusive clues associated with a possible martian biological record, if any was every preserved, even if only as "chemical fossils."     

New ideas for affordable space missions

In September 1995, NASA-Goddard held a workshop on low-cost access to space for science missions. The workshop provided briefings on balloons, sounding rockets, Shuttle payloads, and low-cost free-flyer concepts, to provide options of getting experiments into space. This report is the result of a panel session organized with the aim of generating new ideas beyond those presented in the workshop. In addition to the authors, Orlando Figueroa and Paul Ondrus of NASA-Goddard and Richard Zwirnbaum of Computer Sciences Corp. participated in the discussions. The ideas presented do not necessarily reflect the current thinking of NASA managers. Although the panel discussion was focused on the kinds of science missions usually funded by NASA, most of the ideas that were generated are relevant to military and commercial missions as well.     

合金元素Y对高铌TiAl高温合金长期抗氧化性的影响

研究不同含Y量对高铌TiAl合金在900℃恒温条件下,1000h的抗氧化性的影响.结果发现,从长期看,氧化速率、氧化膜结构以及氧化膜抗剥落能力均与Y含量有关.在900℃等温氧化条件下,0.4 at%Y含量能有效提高高铌TiAl合金的抗氧化性,而高Y含量对与抗氧化性的负面影响在氧化初始阶段已经十分明显.通过对氧化后样品SEM和EDS分析发现,适量Y元素的加入可以细化氧化物颗粒,促使合金表面形成连续Al2O3保护膜,提高氧化膜与合金基体的粘附性,从而提高高铌TiAl合金的高温长期抗氧化性.     

Electrophysiological, histochemical, and hormonal adaptation of rat muscle after prolonged hindlimb suspension

The perspective of long-duration flights for future exploration, imply more research in the field of human adaptation. Previous studies in rat muscles hindlimb suspension (HLS), indicated muscle atrophy and a change of fibre composition from slow-to-fast twitch types. However, the contractile responses to long-term unloading is still unclear. Fifteen adult Wistar rats were studied in 45 and 70 days of muscle unweighting and soleus (SOL) muscle as well as extensor digitorum longus (EDL) were prepared for electrophysiological recordings (single, twitch, tetanic contraction and fatigue) and histochemical stainings. The loss of muscle mass observed was greater in the soleus muscle. The analysis of electrophysiological properties of both EDL and SOL showed significant main effects of group, of number of unweighting days and fatigue properties. Single contraction for soleus muscle remained unchanged but there was statistically significant difference for tetanic contraction and fatigue. Fatigue index showed a decrease for the control rats, but increase for the HLS rats. According to the histochemical findings there was a shift from oxidative to glycolytic metabolism during HLS. The data suggested that muscles atrophied, but they presented an adaptation pattern, while their endurance in fatigue was decreased.     

基于光纤的雷达目标模拟器设计

光纤延迟线是用微波信号调制激光源而输出光信号 ,光源是激光二极管 ,其光输出能对微波频率进行调制。由于它是将雷达发射脉冲信号直接调制到光载波上 ,通过光纤延迟后再解调为雷达目标回波信号 ,故这种方法是完全相干的 ,且不引入系统的相位噪声。提出了一种用光纤延迟线实现雷达目标相干模拟的设计方法     

防风网对煤堆遮风效果的风洞实验研究

为了考察防风网对堆场煤堆的遮风效果,进行了防风网与煤堆之间区域的流场可视化实验。使用风洞模拟大气边界层条件,并将开孔率为38．5％的防风网模型布置在煤堆模型前方。实验中采用粒子成像测速（PIV）系统测量了防风网和堆场区域的平均风速分布,并且获得了煤堆表面的摩擦风速分布,进一步估算煤堆起尘量的变化情况。实验发现,防风网可有效降低煤堆表面迎风区域的摩擦风速,而对背风面的流场分布影响较小。研究结果可为防风网的遮护作用提供一定的实验支持。     

工农二元经济与城乡二元经济的比较

二元经济是概括中国经济结构特点的经典概念.由于观察视角的不同,理论界关于中国二元经济结构的界定存在工农二元经济和城乡二元经济两种表述.从刘易斯界定二元经济概念的逻辑分析入手,对工农二元经济和城乡二元经济进行了区分,指出刘易斯研究二元经济的历史背景是世界经济从农业经济时代向工业经济时代转型,生产方式的根本不同是刘易斯划分二元经济的标准,工农二元经济的概念强调工业经济时代和农业经济时代的经济成分在生产方式上的差别,是符合刘易斯逻辑的概念表述.