Ultra triple-junction high-efficiency solar cells

Solar cells suitable for the space environment must combine high-efficiency, high energy density, and radiation hardness in a manufacturable design. As improvement in one performance parameter usually results in degradation in one or more of the remaining parameters, careful optimization is required to enhance overall performance. The ultra triple-junction cell developed builds upon the established success of the fully qualified improved triple-junction cell currently in production. In the ultra triple-junction cell configuration, improved robustness and efficiency after radiation exposure augment a cell design expected to deliver 28% beginning-of-life efficiency in production.     

A Class of TVD Type Combined Numerical Scheme for MHD Equations With a Survey About Numerical Methods in Solar Wind Simulations

It has been believed that three-dimensional, numerical, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modelling must play a crucial role in a seamless forecasting system. This system refers to space weather originating on the sun; propagation of disturbances through the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), and thence, transmission into the magnetosphere, ionosphere, and thermosphere. This role comes as no surprise to numerical modelers that participate in the numerical modelling of atmospheric environments as well as the meteorological conditions at Earth. Space scientists have paid great attention to operational numerical space weather prediction models. To this purpose practical progress has been made in the past years. Here first is reviewed the progress of the numerical methods in solar wind modelling. Then, based on our discussion, a new numerical scheme of total variation diminishing (TVD) type for magnetohydrodynamic equations in spherical coordinates is proposed by taking into account convergence, stability and resolution. This new MHD model is established by solving the fluid equations of MHD system with a modified Lax-Friedrichs scheme and the magnetic induction equations with MacCormack II scheme for the purpose of developing a combined scheme of quick convergence as well as of TVD property. To verify the validation of the scheme, the propagation of one-dimensional MHD fast and slow shock problem is discussed with the numerical results conforming to the existing results obtained by the piece-wise parabolic method (PPM). Finally, some conclusions are made. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Adaptive image segmentation using genetic and hybrid search methods

This paper describes an adaptive approach for the important image processing problem of image segmentation that relies on learning from experience to adapt and improve the segmentation performance. The adaptive image segmentation system incorporates a feedback loop consisting of a machine learning subsystem, an image segmentation algorithm, and an evaluation component which determines segmentation quality. The machine learning component is based on genetic adaptation and uses (separately) a pure genetic algorithm (GA) and a hybrid of GA and hill climbing (HC). When the learning subsystem is based on pure genetics, the corresponding evaluation component is based on a vector of evaluation criteria. For the hybrid case, the system employs a scalar evaluation measure which is a weighted combination of the different criteria. Experimental results for pure genetic and hybrid search methods are presented using a representative database of outdoor TV imagery. The multiobjective optimization demonstrates the ability of the adaptive image segmentation system to provide high quality segmentation results in a minimal number of generations     

Electronic flight progress strip prototype for en route ATC

An electronic flight progress strip (FPS) display and a color plan view display (CPVD) as a laboratory prototype are described. The purposes of prototype development are to examine the effectiveness and problems of the electronic FPS display in comparison to the current system and to identify the controller-workstation requirements, which are necessary to decide a future planning of a production prototype development. The evaluation and additional test were conducted for a typical en route transition sector. It was found that electronic FPS was useful in the normal traffic load. Some possible improvements were identified in the heavy traffic load situations represented in the additional test     

Principal components, covariance matrix tapers, and the subspaceleakage problem

A new class of robust space-time adaptive beamforming techniques is introduced to address a broad range of subspace leakage phenomena that arise in many sensor array applications. When present, these leakage phenomena can significantly increase the effective rank of the dominant colored noise interference spectrum, thereby reducing the appeal of techniques that exploit low-rank dominant interference (such as principal components (PC) or diagonal loading) to reduce sample support (training) requirements. By combining the covariance matrix taper (CMT) approach with either PC or diagonal loading, the minimal sample support properties of these techniques can be preserved     

Conditions of the Maximum Principle in the Problem of Optimal Control over an Aggregate of Dynamic Systems and Their Application to Solution of the Problems of Optimal Control of Spacecraft Motion

The necessary first-order conditions of strong local optimality (conditions of maximum principle) are considered for the problems of optimal control over a set of dynamic systems. To derive them a method is suggested based on the Lagrange principle of removing constraints in the problems on a conditional extremum in a functional space. An algorithm of conversion from the problem of optimal control of an aggregate of dynamic systems to a multipoint boundary value problem is suggested for a set of systems of ordinary differential equations with the complete set of conditions necessary for its solution. An example of application of the methods and algorithm proposed is considered: the solution of the problem of constructing the trajectories of a spacecraft flight at a constant altitude above a preset area (or above a preset point) of a planet's surface in a vacuum (for a planet with atmosphere beyond the atmosphere). The spacecraft is launched from a certain circular orbit of a planet's satellite. This orbit is to be determined (optimized). Then the satellite is injected to the desired trajectory segment (or desired point) of a flyby above the planet's surface at a specified altitude. After the flyby the satellite is returned to the initial circular orbit. A method is proposed of correct accounting for constraints imposed on overload (mixed restrictions of inequality type) and on the distance from the planet center: extended (nonpointlike) intermediate (phase) restrictions of the equality type.     

Mechanism for assembling antenna in space

The development of large and precise space antennas is one of the most important topics in constructing space infrastructures. We evaluated an approach to assembling large and accurate space antennas which uses space robots. The assembly mechanism was launched together with the ETS-VII, the first telerobotic satellite from Japan, and its performance, including fully automatic assembling, was verified. The assembling-type antenna and the results of antenna assembly experiments are discussed     

The Earth's Magnetosphere Response to Solar Wind Events according to the INTERBALL Project Data

The results of studying the interaction of two types of the solar wind (magnetic clouds and solar wind of extremely low density) with the Earth's magnetosphere are discussed. This study is based of the INTERBALL space project measurements and on the other ground-based and space observations. For moderate variations of the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) parameters, the response of the magnetosphere is similar to its response to similar changes in the absence of magnetic clouds and depends on a previous history of IMF variations. Extremely large density variations on the interplanetary shocks, and on leading and trailing edges of the clouds result in a strong deformation of the magnetosphere, in large-scale motion of the geomagnetic tail, and in the development of magnetic substorms and storms. The important consequences of these processes are: (1) the observation of regions of the magnetosphere and its boundaries at great distances from the average location; (2) density and temperature variations in the outer regions of the magnetosphere; (3) multiple crossings of geomagnetic tail boundaries by a satellite; and (4) bursty fluxes of electrons and ions in the magnetotail, auroral region, and the polar cap. Several polar activations and substorms can develop during a single magnetic cloud arrival; a greater number of these events are accompanied, as a rule, by the development of a stronger magnetic storm. A gradual, but very strong, decrease of the solar wind density on May 10–12, 1999, did not cause noticeable change of geomagnetic indices, though it resulted in considerable expansion of the magnetosphere.     

Population dynamics of transgenic microorganisms in the different microecosystem conditions.

The role of key environmental factors in adaptation of spore-forming and non-spore-forming transgenic microorganisms (TM) have been studied in model ecosystems. Model TM Escherichia coli Z905 (bearing plasmid genes of bacterial luminescence Ap (r) Lux+) has been found to have a higher adaptation potential than TM Bacillus subtilis 2335/105 (bearing genes of human alpha 2-interferon Km (r) Inf+), planned for employment as a living vaccine under varying environmental conditions. Effects of abiotic factors on migration of natural and recombinant plasmids between microorganisms under model ecosystem conditions has been estimated. The transgenic microorganisms with low copy number survived better under introduction conditions in the microcosms studied. This trend has been shown to be independent of the microcosm type and its complexity. Grant numbers: 99-04-96017, 25, 00-07-9011.