The role of Venesat-1 satellite in promoting development in Venezuela and Latin America

Built in cooperation with China, at the end of 2008 the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela launched its first telecommunications satellite which operates in C, Ku and Ka bands. Using published and unpublished information, this report describes the potential role of the Venesat-1 satellite in promoting development in Venezuela and Latin America. The core of Venezuelan space policy has deep social roots and includes several applications in order to provide telecommunications services to people in all areas of the country. Potential roles of the Venezuelan Satellite in local and regional development include: strengthening environmental tele-education and telemedicine programs; improving disaster management through short-term development of broad networks to monitor environmental and meteorological features; coordination of emergency responses and humanitarian assistance using data and satellite communications; poverty reduction; and biodiversity conservation – communication networks could also be used to relay information about detected fires within protected areas faster, and to improve surveillance activities within them with in order to reduce illegal hunting, logging, habitat loss and fragmentation. Because the area covered by the satellite goes beyond Venezuela’s borders, its applications could have enormous relevance for human development at the regional level; they could be fundamental tools for bringing sustainable development into Latin America, by building capacity and increasing awareness among decision makers and lay people.     

Determination of maximum deflection in transverse bending of parallelogram plates using the conformal radiuses ratio

A problem of transverse bending of elastic isotropic parallelogram plates under the action of uniformly distributed load is considered. The plate sides are either pivoted or rigidly restrained. To determine the value of maximum plate deflection, it is proposed that an interpolation technique with respect to form factor be used; and as a geometrical argument, an inner-outer conformal radius ratio can be applied instead of the form factor.     

Excitation of Pc5 pulsations of the geomagnetic field and riometric absorption

We consider in detail the intense Pc5 pulsations of the magnetic field, riometric absorption, and electron fluxes occurred on the recovery phase of the strong magnetic storm on November 21, 2003. The global structure of these disturbances is studied using the world network of magnetometers and riometers supplemented by the data of particle detectors onboard the LANL geosynchronous satellites. The local spatial structure is investigated according to data of the regional network of Finnish vertical riometers and of stations of the IMAGE magnetic network. Though a certain similarity is observed in the frequency composition and time evolution of the variations of magnetic field and riometric absorption, the local spatial structure of these oscillations turns out to be different. It is suggested that these variations can be manifestations of oscillatory properties of two weakly connected systems: the magnetospheric MHD waveguide/resonator and the system cyclotron noise + electrons. The recorded Pc5 oscillations are, presumably, a result of excitation of the magnetospheric waveguide on the morning and evening flanks of the magnetosphere. At high velocities of the solar wind this waveguide can appear in a metastable state. Not only jumps in the solar wind density, but injection of electrons into the magnetosphere as well, can serve as a trigger for the waveguide excitation.     

Analysis of the spacecraft vertical landing dynamics on the platform with crash legs

This paper proposes a novel landing gear for spacecraft that allows a weight reduction due to using deformable crash legs. Numerical simulation of the landing process was performed.     

Rotational evolution of planetary systems under the action of gravitational and magnetic perturbations

Dynamics of planets around other stars that demonstrate a variety of possible characteristics is of interest from the point of view of realization of new scenarios of evolution which have not been realized in the Solar System. We consider the rotational evolution of exoplanets under the action of gravitational perturbations and magnetic disturbances using the methods of quality analysis and theory of bifurcation of multiparametric differential equations that describe evolution of non-resonant rotation of a dynamically symmetric planet magnetized along its symmetry axis. We analyze 64 phase portraits describing the evolution of angular momentum vector L for all possible values of planet parameters. The values of parameters are determined for the case when the direct rotation of a planet is changed for its retrograde rotation.     

Alfvén Waves in the Solar Atmosphere

Alfvén waves are considered to be viable transporters of the non-thermal energy required to heat the Sun’s quiescent atmosphere. An abundance of recent observations, from state-of-the-art facilities, have reported the existence of Alfvén waves in a range of chromospheric and coronal structures. Here, we review the progress made in disentangling the characteristics of transverse kink and torsional linear magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves. We outline the simple, yet powerful theory describing their basic properties in (non-)uniform magnetic structures, which closely resemble the building blocks of the real solar atmosphere.     

Numerical modeling of inhomogeneous orographic wave influence on planetary waves in the middle atmosphere

Parameterization of dynamical and thermal effects of stationary orographic gravity waves (OGWs) generated by the Earth’s surface topography is incorporated into a numerical model of general circulation of the middle and upper atmosphere. Responses of atmospheric general circulation and characteristics of planetary waves at altitudes from the troposphere up to the thermosphere to the effects of OGWs propagating from the earth surface are studied. Changes in atmospheric circulation and amplitudes of planetary waves due to variations of OGW generation and propagation in different seasons are considered. It is shown that during solstices the main OGW dynamical and heat effects occur in the middle atmosphere of winter hemispheres, where changes in planetary wave amplitudes due to OGWs may reach up to 50%. During equinoxes OGW effects are distributed more homogeneously between northern and southern hemispheres.     

Calculation of flight vehicle main support wheel vibrations taking into account brake forces

A model of the main support of the aircraft landing gear is presented and its dynamics is studied using the equations for the distributed motion of a wheel equipped with a brake. Stability of the support wheel rolling motion is analyzed and the brake parameter values which may cause stability loss are found. The results of numerical experiments are presented.     

Analysis of an arbitrarily loaded shell of revolution based on the finite element method in a mixed formulation

The volume finite element in the form of hexahedron with nodal unknowns as components of the displacement vector and stress tensor has been developed to analyze the shells of revolution. The displacement vector components for the inner point of the finite element and the components of its stress tensor are expressed through the nodal unknowns using the method of vector and tensor fields interpolation by the trilinear shape functions; that provides taking into account the finite element displacement as a whole solid. The variational principle in a mixed formulation is applied to form the matrix of hexahedron deformation. The efficiency of the proposed method for approximating the values being sought as vector and tensor fields in comparison with the traditional method for approximating the values being sought as scalar fields is confirmed by a numerical example.