用氮化铝基片制成的高功率小型开关

固态ＰＩＮ二极管开关比等效机电式或铁氧体式开关更快、更小，可靠性也更高。因此，在低功率和高功率运用中，它们被广泛用作控制元件。     

齿轮强化技术的动向

高强度齿轮对于现代汽车用小型发动机和变速器来说是必不可少的，本文论述了提高齿轮疲劳强度的发展动向，就渗碳齿轮而论，与常规渗碳相比，强力喷丸强化可获得高的残余压力和高得多的疲劳强度，而对氮化齿轮来说，新的高强度氮化钢的应用增加了氮化后渗层深度，提高了芯部硬度，且使残余压力力增大，其疲劳强度亦可与常规渗碳的相媲美。     

用于视景增强的新型区域成像雷达

近年来要求为现有机载雷达增加前视能力和呼声愈来愈高，而现有的雷达系统不能满足这种需求。本文提出了一种旨在覆盖飞行路线正前方扇形区域的新方法。这种新型的雷达系统被命名为SIREV（用于视景增强的区域成像雷达），目前正由DLR研制。由于系统具有全天候能力，并且在俯视（测绘模式）与前视条件下均可得到高质量的雷达图像，特别是适用于导航，自主进近着陆与地面滑行引导。本文着重研究这种新型系统的全方位分辨特性，还将计算方位带宽与分辨率，并讨论它们与照射扇区的关系。最后以上述研究为基础确定了系统参数，对这种新型雷达系统做出了概括描述。     

航天飞机固体火箭发动机壳体的统计断裂力学和最佳断裂控制

本报告叙述了有关航天飞机固体火箭发动机壳体可靠性分析方法的研究。该分析方法是基于统计断裂力学理论监考虑到原始裂纹大小的概率分布情况。这种可靠性分析方法可用于设计变量的选择,例如,在最小预计成本和规定的可靠性范围的基础上,选择固体火箭发动机壳体的壁厚、设计使用期限和试验因子。断裂控制计划的作用,如在非破坏性试验中,以及在使用过程中材料的腐蚀,均可把它作为一种选择设计变量的研究方法。本报告中的以可靠性为基础的方法,经改进后就可推广应用在其它类似结构和各种断裂控制设计上。     

How to use the ISS

Astronaut Lucid's talk focused on the perils and excitement of exploration, opportunities for the International Space Station, and common experiences among American and Russian astronauts.     

Survival of rock-colonizing organisms after 1.5 years in outer space

Cryptoendolithic microbial communities and epilithic lichens have been considered as appropriate candidates for the scenario of lithopanspermia, which proposes a natural interplanetary exchange of organisms by means of rocks that have been impact ejected from their planet of origin. So far, the hardiness of these terrestrial organisms in the severe and hostile conditions of space has not been tested over extended periods of time. A first long-term (1.5 years) exposure experiment in space was performed with a variety of rock-colonizing eukaryotic organisms at the International Space Station on board the European EXPOSE-E facility. Organisms were selected that are especially adapted to cope with the environmental extremes of their natural habitats. It was found that some-but not all-of those most robust microbial communities from extremely hostile regions on Earth are also partially resistant to the even more hostile environment of outer space, including high vacuum, temperature fluctuation, the full spectrum of extraterrestrial solar electromagnetic radiation, and cosmic ionizing radiation. Although the reported experimental period of 1.5 years in space is not comparable with the time spans of thousands or millions of years believed to be required for lithopanspermia, our data provide first evidence of the differential hardiness of cryptoendolithic communities in space.     

Survival of plant seeds, their UV screens, and nptII DNA for 18 months outside the International Space Station

The plausibility that life was imported to Earth from elsewhere can be tested by subjecting life-forms to space travel. Ultraviolet light is the major liability in short-term exposures (Horneck et al., 2001 ), and plant seeds, tardigrades, and lichens-but not microorganisms and their spores-are candidates for long-term survival (Anikeeva et al., 1990 ; Sancho et al., 2007 ; J?nsson et al., 2008 ; de la Torre et al., 2010 ). In the present study, plant seeds germinated after 1.5 years of exposure to solar UV, solar and galactic cosmic radiation, temperature fluctuations, and space vacuum outside the International Space Station. Of the 2100 exposed wild-type Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) seeds, 23% produced viable plants after return to Earth. Survival was lower in the Arabidopsis Wassilewskija ecotype and in mutants (tt4-8 and fah1-2) lacking UV screens. The highest survival occurred in tobacco (44%). Germination was delayed in seeds shielded from solar light, yet full survival was attained, which indicates that longer space travel would be possible for seeds embedded in an opaque matrix. We conclude that a naked, seed-like entity could have survived exposure to solar UV radiation during a hypothetical transfer from Mars to Earth. Chemical samples of seed flavonoid UV screens were degraded by UV, but their overall capacity to absorb UV was retained. Naked DNA encoding the nptII gene (kanamycin resistance) was also degraded by UV. A fragment, however, was detected by the polymerase chain reaction, and the gene survived in space when protected from UV. Even if seeds do not survive, components (e.g., their DNA) might survive transfer over cosmic distances.     

The carbonate-silicate cycle and CO2/climate feedbacks on tidally locked terrestrial planets

Atmospheric gaseous constituents play an important role in determining the surface temperatures and habitability of a planet. Using a global climate model and a parameterization of the carbonate-silicate cycle, we explored the effect of the location of the substellar point on the atmospheric CO(2) concentration and temperatures of a tidally locked terrestrial planet, using the present Earth continental distribution as an example. We found that the substellar point's location relative to the continents is an important factor in determining weathering and the equilibrium atmospheric CO(2) level. Placing the substellar point over the Atlantic Ocean results in an atmospheric CO(2) concentration of 7 ppmv and a global mean surface air temperature of 247 K, making ～30% of the planet's surface habitable, whereas placing it over the Pacific Ocean results in a CO(2) concentration of 60,311 ppmv and a global temperature of 282 K, making ～55% of the surface habitable.     

DAME: planetary-prototype drilling automation

We describe results from the Drilling Automation for Mars Exploration (DAME) project, including those of the summer 2006 tests from an Arctic analog site. The drill hardware is a hardened, evolved version of the Advanced Deep Drill by Honeybee Robotics. DAME has developed diagnostic and executive software for hands-off surface operations of the evolved version of this drill. The DAME drill automation tested from 2004 through 2006 included adaptively controlled drilling operations and the downhole diagnosis of drilling faults. It also included dynamic recovery capabilities when unexpected failures or drilling conditions were discovered. DAME has developed and tested drill automation software and hardware under stressful operating conditions during its Arctic field testing campaigns at a Mars analog site.