The Genesis Solar Wind Concentrator Target: Mass Fractionation Characterised by Neon Isotopes

The concentrator on Genesis provided samples of increased fluences of solar wind ions for precise determination of the oxygen isotopic composition. The concentration process caused mass fractionation as a function of the radial target position. This fractionation was measured using Ne released by UV laser ablation and compared with modelled Ne data, obtained from ion-trajectory simulations. Measured data show that the concentrator performed as expected and indicate a radially symmetric concentration process. Measured concentration factors are up to ∼30 at the target centre. The total range of isotopic fractionation along the target radius is 3.8%/amu, with monotonically decreasing ²⁰Ne/²²Ne towards the centre, which differs from model predictions. We discuss potential reasons and propose future attempts to overcome these disagreements.     

Solar and Solar-Wind Composition Results from the Genesis Mission

The Genesis mission returned samples of solar wind to Earth in September 2004 for ground-based analyses of solar-wind composition, particularly for isotope ratios. Substrates, consisting mostly of high-purity semiconductor materials, were exposed to the solar wind at L1 from December 2001 to April 2004. In addition to a bulk sample of the solar wind, separate samples of coronal hole (CH), interstream (IS), and coronal mass ejection material were obtained. Although many substrates were broken upon landing due to the failure to deploy the parachute, a number of results have been obtained, and most of the primary science objectives will likely be met. These objectives include He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe isotope ratios in the bulk solar wind and in different solar-wind regimes, and ¹⁵N/¹⁴N and ¹⁸O/¹⁷O/¹⁶O to high precision. The greatest successes to date have been with the noble gases. Light noble gases from bulk solar wind and separate solar-wind regime samples have now been analyzed. Helium results show clear evidence of isotopic fractionation between CH and IS samples, consistent with simplistic Coulomb drag theory predictions of fractionation between the photosphere and different solar-wind regimes, though fractionation by wave heating is also a possible explanation. Neon results from closed system stepped etching of bulk metallic glass have revealed the nature of isotopic fractionation as a function of depth, which in lunar samples have for years deceptively suggested the presence of an additional, energetic component in solar wind trapped in lunar grains and meteorites. Isotope ratios of the heavy noble gases, nitrogen, and oxygen are in the process of being measured.     

Missions to Mercury

Mercury is a very difficult planet to observe from the Earth, and space missions that target Mercury are essential for a comprehensive understanding of the planet. At the same time, it is also difficult to orbit because it is deep inside the Sun’s gravitational well. Only one mission has visited Mercury; that was Mariner 10 in the 1970s. This paper provides a brief history of Mariner 10 and the numerous imaginative but unsuccessful mission proposals since the 1970s for another Mercury mission. In the late 1990s, two missions—MESSENGER and BepiColombo—received the go-ahead; MESSENGER is on its way to its first encounter with Mercury in January 2008. The history, scientific objectives, mission designs, and payloads of both these missions are described in detail.     

Solar Sources of Heliospheric Energetic Electron Events—Shocks or Flares?

Electrons with near-relativistic (E≳30 keV, NrR) and relativistic (E≳0.3 MeV) energies are often observed as discrete events in the inner heliosphere following solar transient activity. Several acceleration mechanisms have been proposed for the production of those electrons. One candidate is acceleration at MHD shocks driven by coronal mass ejections (CMEs) with speeds ≳1000 km s⁻¹. Many NrR electron events are temporally associated only with flares while others are associated with flares as well as with CMEs or with radio type II shock waves. Since CME onsets and associated flares are roughly simultaneous, distinguishing the sources of electron events is a serious challenge. On a phenomenological basis two classes of solar electron events were known several decades ago, but recent observations have presented a more complex picture. We review early and recent observational results to deduce different electron event classes and their viable acceleration mechanisms, defined broadly as shocks versus flares. The NrR and relativistic electrons are treated separately. Topics covered are: solar electron injection delays from flare impulsive phases; comparisons of electron intensities and spectra with flares, CMEs and accompanying solar energetic proton (SEP) events; multiple spacecraft observations; two-phase electron events; coronal flares; shock-associated (SA) events; electron spectral invariance; and solar electron intensity size distributions. This evidence suggests that CME-driven shocks are statistically the dominant acceleration mechanism of relativistic events, but most NrR electron events result from flares. Determining the solar origin of a given NrR or relativistic electron event remains a difficult proposition, and suggestions for future work are given.     

昆虫翅悬停飞行中的三维空间旋涡结构

昆虫(果蝇)悬停飞行中,翅膀按照特定的拍动方式往复运动,产生非定常高升力维持身体的平衡.研究昆虫高升力机理,需要探索拍动翼运动引发的三维空间非定常流场的特性,尤其是三维空间非定常涡的发展变化过程.本文将氢气泡流动显示技术应用于动态模型实验,定性的观察拍动翼前缘涡(LEV)的发展破裂过程.并利用数字体视粒子图像测速,DSPIV(Digital Steroscopic Particle Image Velocimetry)技术,测得了拍动翼运动瞬时相位和相位平均的三维空间流场信息(速度向量场、截面涡量场、空间涡量场,以及三维空间流线),揭示了拍动翼展向流动的存在,并结合定性和定量方法多角度说明了前缘涡沿展向发展到破裂的流动结构,并说明了侧缘涡与前缘涡的相互影响.测量结果表明:在雷诺数960的情况下,拍动翼运动至相位时,翼面上前缘涡在距翼根约60%展长的位置发生破裂;翼根至破裂点之间,展向流动稳定,指向翼梢;破裂点以后,展向流改变方向,指向翼根.     

仿生四足六旋翼无人机自适应着陆性能分析

旋翼无人机在民用和军用领域被广泛应用,但传统撬式起落架在复杂地形下难以起降,为了扩大旋翼无人机的降落面积和应用范围,设计一种仿人腿式两级缓冲自适应起落架。通过对仿生腿的正逆运动学分析,提出一种自适应起落架姿态调整策略;建立仿生四足六旋翼无人机着陆动力学模型,基于多体动力学软件sim?center 3D 开展了着陆动力学仿真,并与传统撬式起落架进行着陆性能对比研究。结果表明：着陆腿式的两级缓冲自适应起落架及其姿态调整策略,能够使滚转角减小95.69%,过载系数降低34.06%,两级缓冲自适应起落架在面对复杂地形时具备主动调节姿态安全着陆的地形适应能力和极好的减震缓冲能力。     

飞翼无人机3种保形进气口进气道气动与隐身综合特性对比

基于飞翼布局无人机隐身与结构装载布置要求,保形设计了3种进气口形状的背负式S弯进气道,按照进口投影截面形状上、下底之比顺序排列,分别为三角形、梯形和矩形.利用数值模拟方法对无人机内外流场耦合流动进行计算分析,且基于射线弹跳(SBR)法对进气道电磁散射特性进行仿真研究,获得了飞翼无人机3种进气道的气动与隐身综合特性.研究结果表明:①矩形进气道模型升阻和纵向力矩特性表现均最好;②3种 进气道模型按顺序排列总压恢复系数逐渐增大,畸变指数逐渐减小,进气道沿程气流也逐渐顺畅,矩形进气道模型进气道内流特性最优;③0°迎角下3种进气道模型雷达散射截面(RCS)均值基本呈现先增大后减小的特征,进气道终端开放时矩形进气道模型隐身性能最好,而终端短路时三角形进气道模型隐身效果更优异.      

环下润滑结构对径向收油环收油效率影响的数值计算研究

为研究环下供油润滑系统中的流动过程和收油环收油效率的影响因素及其影响规律,基于VOF(Volume of fluid)两相流模型和滑移网格模型的数值计算方法,建立了环下润滑系统内部流场的计算模型。通过数值计算,获得了收油环的收油效率并验证了数值计算结果的有效性,分析和探讨了不同结构参数对收油效率的影响。计算结果表明:利用本文数值计算方法得到的收油效率和流动现象与已有实验和数值计算结果均一致;供油喷嘴角度和收油环外径均主要影响滑油射流冲击收油叶片的飞溅量和收油叶片切割滑油量,收油效率取决于二者的相对大小,θ=0°,θ=9°和r0=2mm,r0=6mm时收油效率取极大值;收油叶片数量和供油喷嘴与收油叶片间距离分别影响收油叶片切割滑油射流的时间间隔和滑油射流在到达收油叶片前的流动,不影响滑油射流冲击收油叶片的飞溅量和收油叶片切割滑油射流的量,对收油效率的影响较小。     

基于正交优化设计的诱导轮空化性能研究

为了研究不同结构因素对诱导轮空化性能的影响及主次顺序,基于正交优化设计,采用数值模拟的方法,通过诱导轮可视化试验进行验证,对某型诱导轮及其改型进行了分析。仿真计算得到的不同空化数下空穴形态与实验结果吻合较好,断裂空化数的计算结果与实验结果误差为0.3%。仿真及实验结果表明,诱导轮发生扬程断裂不仅与空穴区占流道体积的大小有关,还与空穴区在流道中分布的位置有关,空穴区位置越靠后,越容易发生扬程断裂;对诱导轮空化性能及水力效率影响最大的结构因素为入口安放角,其次为入口修圆包角;入口等螺距段长度和变螺距段长度较小时可以提高诱导轮的空化性能。