DSP:太空观察哨

美国最早的一批侦察卫星属于国防支持计划(DSP)系列,也是目前卫星清单中最老的系列,它们曾经检测到一些不明飞行物.拥有并操纵这批卫星的美国空军一直把这些不明飞行物归纳为“有效的红外光源”,并签定了若干合同来深入研究这种现象.究竟有没有确切的资料来证实上面的说法呢?我认为是有的.在几位天体物理学家的帮助下,我用在大学学过的高等物理学和高等数学进行了一     

ISS crew evolution

A Russian cosmonaut reviews the composition of U.S. and Russian crews and joint activities on International Space Station Expeditions One through Five.     

Microbially induced iron precipitation associated with a neutrophilic spring at Borra Caves, Vishakhapatnam, India

The present investigation uncovers various pieces of evidence for the possible biologically induced mineralization in iron mats associated with a pH-neutral spring in the Borra caves, Vishakhapatnam, India. Electron microscopy [scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM)] demonstrated large numbers of (i) hollow tubes (diameter ～1?μm) resembling sheaths of the iron-oxidizing bacteria Leptothrix, (ii) thin (diameter <1?μm) solid fibers of uncertain origin, (iii) nanoscale subspherical to irregularly shaped particles encrusting tubes and fibers, and (iv) aggregates of broken and partially disintegrated sheaths, fibers, and particles embedded in extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) occasionally including microbial cells. X-ray microanalyses by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) revealed that the mat accumulated largely Fe but also smaller amounts of Si and traces of P and Ca. Particles rich in Si and Al (possibly kaolinite) and Ca (carbonate) were also observed. High-resolution TEM/EDS of unstained ultrathin sections suggests that microbial sheaths were highly mineralized by amorphous to cryptocrystalline Fe-rich phases and less frequently by other fine-grained and fibrous authigenic claylike minerals. Total number of microorganisms in the iron mats was 5.8×10(5) cells, g sed(-1) (wet weight). Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene diversity revealed microorganisms assigned to eight different phyla [Proteobacteria (62%), Chloroflexi (8%), Bacteroidetes (7%), Planctomycetes (1%), Actinobacteria (5%), Acidobacteria (6%), Nitrospira (1%), Firmicutes (5%)]. Within the Proteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria was the predominant class, which accounted for 28% of the sequences. Within this class some obvious similarities between the obtained sequences and sequences from other cave systems could be seen, especially sequences affiliated with Leptothrix, Siderooxidans, Crenothrix, Comamonadaceae, Dechloromonas, and many uncultured Betaproteobacteria. Four (4%) of the sequences could not be assigned to phylum level but were affiliating with the candidate division TM7 (2%), candidate division OP11 (1%), and candidate division WWE3 (1%). The results allow us to infer a possible relationship of microbial sheaths, EPS, and the iron precipitates to microbial community diversity in the Borra cave springs. Understanding biogenic iron oxides in caves has important astrobiological applications as it provides a potential tool for the detection of extraterrestrial life.     

Calcification and silicification: fossilization potential of cyanobacteria from stromatolites of Niuafo'ou's Caldera Lakes (Tonga) and implications for the early fossil record

Calcification and silicification processes of cyanobacterial mats that form stromatolites in two caldera lakes of Niuafo'ou Island (Vai Lahi and Vai Si'i) were evaluated, and their importance as analogues for interpreting the early fossil record are discussed. It has been shown that the potential for morphological preservation of Niuafo'ou cyanobacteria is highly dependent on the timing and type of mineral phase involved in the fossilization process. Four main modes of mineralization of cyanobacteria organic parts have been recognized: (i) primary early postmortem calcification by aragonite nanograins that transform quickly into larger needle-like crystals and almost totally destroy the cellular structures, (ii) primary early postmortem silicification of almost intact cyanobacterial cells that leave a record of spectacularly well-preserved cellular structures, (iii) replacement by silica of primary aragonite that has already recrystallized and obliterated the cellular structures, (iv) occasional replacement of primary aragonite precipitated in the mucopolysaccharide sheaths and extracellular polymeric substances by Al-Mg-Fe silicates. These observations suggest that the extremely scarce earliest fossil record may, in part, be the result of (a) secondary replacement by silica of primary carbonate minerals (aragonite, calcite, siderite), which, due to recrystallization, had already annihilated the cellular morphology of the mineralized microbiota or (b) relatively late primary silicification of already highly degraded and no longer morphologically identifiable microbial remains.     

Abundance and diversity of microbial inhabitants in European spacecraft-associated clean rooms

The determination of the microbial load of a spacecraft en route to interesting extraterrestrial environments is mandatory and currently based on the culturable, heat-shock-surviving portion of microbial contaminants. Our study compared these classical bioburden measurements as required by NASA's and ESA's guidelines for the microbial examination of flight hardware, with molecular analysis methods (16S rRNA gene cloning and quantitative PCR) to further develop our understanding of the diversity and abundance of the microbial communities of spacecraft-associated clean rooms. Three samplings of the Herschel Space Observatory and its surrounding clean rooms were performed in two different European facilities. Molecular analyses detected a broad diversity of microbes typically found in the human microbiome with three bacterial genera (Staphylococcus, Propionibacterium, and Brevundimonas) common to all three locations. Bioburden measurements revealed a low, but heterogeneous, abundance of spore-forming and other heat-resistant microorganisms. Total cell numbers estimated by quantitative real-time PCR were typically 3 orders of magnitude greater than those determined by viable counts, which indicates a tendency for traditional methods to underestimate the extent of clean room bioburden. Furthermore, the molecular methods allowed the detection of a much broader diversity than traditional culture-based methods.     

利用一种声学阀门对发动机燃烧不稳定性进行的被动控制(英文)

为了对发动机燃烧不稳定性进行被动控制,利用亥姆赫兹声学共振器原理,设计一种声学阀门,当一个管道侧面安装的亥姆赫兹共振器的空腔壁面是柔软的时候,声学阀门的性能与频率就没有很强的关系,从而实现由于热声学不稳定带来的压力和热释放导致的不稳定燃烧进行被动控制。阀门的功能是让声音通过,但它必须阻止时间平均意义上的流动。本文对带有这种装置的热声学特征根问题给出数值解。结果显示声学阀门对燃烧室内的驻波结构造成很大改变,进而可以消除不稳定的特征根模态。只要阀门具备足够的尺寸,这种效果可以在任意的线性火焰声学特性中广泛实现。     

A theory of circular organization and negative feedback: defining life in a cybernetic context

All life today incorporates a variety of systems controlled by negative feedback loops and sometimes amplified by positive feedback loops. The first forms of life necessarily also required primitive versions of feedback, yet surprisingly little emphasis has been given to the question of how feedback emerged out of primarily chemical systems. One chemical system has been established that spontaneously develops autocatalytic feedback, the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction. In this essay, I discuss the BZ reaction as a possible model for similar reactions that could have occurred under prebiotic Earth conditions. The main point is that the metabolism of contemporary life evolved from primitive homeostatic networks regulated by negative feedback. Because life could not exist in their absence, feedback loops should be included in definitions of life.     

火箭发动机推力瞬变的测量

任何测力装置都能用一个质量弹簧系统来描述,最简单地说:即通过一个具有刚度 K 和质量 M 的简单弹簧来描述,其中它的阻尼为 c,位移为 x,于是有M(d~2x/dt~2) c(dx/dt) kx=T,这里 T 为外加力。而大多数系统只测量 kx 项,这对低频情况是足够的。为了精确地记录推力的变化,从而要提高装置的固有频率,使之相对于推力变化的频率来说足够高,有时这是不现实的。为克服这一困难有两种可采用的途径。第一种方法是把运动方程的所有项合并到远远超过装置的固有频率所给定外力上。第二种方法是一个质量块在沿轴向作用的轴承上被发动机自由加速,加速度计给出推力/时间曲线。通过使质量块停止所需要的力对所预定时间内的积分而得到总冲。     

论现有远地点发动机用于新航天飞行器的有关问题

为了使正进入鉴定阶段的远地点发动机(TE-M-616)用于广播试验卫星,本文介绍了该新航天飞行器对远地点发动机的各系统及分系统提出的要求。由于加拿大通讯技术卫星和广播试验卫星对远地点发动机在环境和性能要求上有所不同,为了解决此问题,必须使远地点发动机经受住最恶劣的环境。喷管设计以及远地点发动机与航天器的对接都利用现有设计结构。根据对远地点发动机分析的结果,已经表明,若保持安全系数不变,只需要对现在进行的试验计划做一些修改和补充。另一方面,对于航天器提出的技术条件必须进一步审核,以便使新航天飞行器设计有最大可能利用现有的远地点发动机。