Beagle 2: a proposed exobiology lander for ESA's 2003 Mars Express mission.

The aim of the proposed Beagle 2 small lander for ESA's 2003 Mars Express mission is to search for organic material on and below the surface of Mars and to study the inorganic chemistry and mineralogy of the landing site. The lander will have a total mass of 60kg including entry, descent, and landing system. Experiments will be deployed on the surface using a robotic arm. It will use a mechanical mole and grinder to obtain samples from below the surface, under rocks, and inside rocks. Sample analysis by a mass spectrometer will include isotopic analysis. An optical microscope, an X-ray spectrometer and a Mossbauer spectrometer will conduct in-situ rock studies.     

Space Station atmospheric monitoring systems.

A technology assessment study on atmospheric monitoring systems was performed by Battelle Columbus Division for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's John F. Kennedy Space Center under Contract No. NAS 10-11033. In this assessment, the objective was to identify, analyze, and recommend systems to sample and measure Space Station atmospheric contaminants and identify where additional research and technology advancements were required. To achieve this objective, it was necessary to define atmospheric monitoring requirements and to assess the state of the art and advanced technology and systems for technical and operational compatibility with monitoring goals. Three technical tasks were defined to support these needs: Definition of Monitoring Requirements, Assessment of Sampling and Analytical Technology, and Technology Screening and Recommendations. Based on the analysis, the principal candidates recommended for development at the Space Station's initial operational capability were: (1) long-path Fourier transform infrared for rapid detection of high-risk contamination incidences, and (2) gas chromatography/mass spectrometry utilizing mass selective detection (or ion-trap) technologies for detailed monitoring of extended crew exposure to low level (ppbv) contamination. The development of a gas chromatography/mass spectrometry/matrix isolation-Fourier transform infrared system was recommended as part of the long range program of upgrading Space Station trace-contaminant monitoring needs.     

Ulysses solar wind observations to 56° south

In the 25 months since Jupiter flyby, the Ulysses spacecraft has climbed southward to a heliolatitude of 56°. This transit has been marked by an evolution from slow, dense coronal streamer belt solar wind through two regions where the rotation of the Sun carried Ulysses back and forth between streamer belt and polar coronal hole flows, and finally into a region of essentially continuous fast, low density solar wind from the southern polar coronal hole. Throughout these large changes, the momentum flux normalized to 1 AU displays very little systematic variation. In addition, the bulk properties of the polar coronal hole solar wind are quite similar to those observed in high speed streams in the ecliptic plane at 1 AU. Coronal mass ejections and forward and reverse shocks associated with corotating interaction regions have also been observed at higher heliolatitudes, however they are seen less frequently with increasing southern heliolatitude. Ulysses has thus far collected data from 20° of nearly contiguous solar wind flows from the polar coronal hole. We examine these data for characteristic variations with heliolatitude and find that the bulk properties in general show very little systematic variation across the southern polar coronal hole so far.     

An Analytical Expression for Correlation Accuracy

An analytical closed-form expression for the uncertainty in aligning two images is derived as a function of image area, data fidelity, scene correlation length, limiting sensor resolution length, and degree of geometrical distortion between the two images.     

复杂产品研制项目标准化效益评估模型

旨在量化计算标准化工作的效益,凸显标准化工作的重要作用.通过分析复杂产品研制项目标准化工作的特点,确定标准化工作权重计算方法,建立了复杂产品研制项目标准化工作项目体系及效益指标体系.深入研究复杂产品研制项目标准化效益评估模型的构建方法,编制总效益调研问卷,收集有关型号标准化工作效果数据,构建了复杂产品研制项目标准化效益评估模型.运用本方法建立了航空领域复杂产品研制项目标准化效益评估模型,并以某型飞机研制项目的真实数据验证了模型的准确度.     

Detection of chi-square fluctuating targets in arbitrary clutter

In a recent paper, general expressions were derived for the density and cumulative probability functions of the amplitude of a linear matched-filter output given a nonfluctuating target in a clutter-limited environment. These expressions were based on the clutter amplitude density function. The results are extended to calculate the cumulative probability function of the output of a linear matched filter used to detect a chi-square fluctuating target in a clutter-limited environment. The resulting method is applied to a common radar clutter model, and experimental sonar data.     

Medical survey of European astronauts during Mir missions

This paper reviews the medical operations performed on six European astronauts during seven space missions on board the space station Mir. These missions took place between November 1988 and August 1999, and their duration ranged from 14 days to 189 days. Steps of pre-flight medical selection and flight certification are presented. Countermeasures program used during the flight, as well as rehabilitation program following short and long-duration missions are described. Also reviewed are medical problems encountered during the flight, post-flight physiological changes such as orthostatic intolerance, exercise capacity, blood composition, muscle atrophy, bone density, and radiation exposure.     

含孔边裂纹各向异性有限板的二维问题

应用边界元法,并结合一种特殊的复变函数基本解,研究了含孔边裂纹的各向异性有限板的应力强度因子修正系数的计算。这种特解边界元法避免了在裂纹附近划分单元,可以获得较好的数值计算精度。通过算例分析,结果表明本方法精度高,运算量小,具有一定的工程应用价值。     

Aeronautical telemetry using multiple-antenna transmitters

The placement of multiple antennas on an air vehicle is one possible practice for overcoming signal obstruction created by vehicle maneuvering during air-to-ground transmission. Unfortunately, for vehicle attitudes where more than one of these antennas has a clear path to the receiving station, this practice also leads to self-interference nulls, resulting in dramatic degradation in the average signal integrity. This paper discusses application of unitary space-time codes such as the Alamouti transmit diversity scheme and unitary differential space-time codes to overcome the self-interference effect observed in such systems. The mathematical foundations of these techniques within the context of this application as well as computational performance gains associated with their implementation are provided. Issues such as the cost of channel estimation for trained techniques as well as the throughput performance of nondifferential and differential schemes for realistic air-vehicle motion are analyzed     

The Brazilian scientific microsatellite SACI-1

The National Space Research Institute (INPE) is developing the first Brazilian Scientific Microsatellite (SACI-1) based on the vanguard technology and on the experience acquired through projects developed by Brazilian Space Program. The SACI-1 is a 750km polar orbit satellite. The spacecraft will combine spin stabilization with geomagnetic control and has a total mass of 60 kg. The overall dimensions are 640×470×470 mm. The SACI-1 satellite shall be launched together with CBERS (China-Brazil Earth Resource Satellite). Its platform is being designed for multiple mission applications. The Brazilian Academy of Sciences has selected four scientific payloads that characterize the mission. The scientific experiments are: ORCAS (Solar and Anomalous Cosmic Rays Observation in the Magnetosphere), PLASMEX (Study of Plasma Bubbles), FOTSAT (Airglow Photometer), and MAGNEX (Geomagnetic Experiment).