用于同步轨道确定的地面站天线指向性能

本文给出了雷杜站跟踪欧空局ECS-1和OTS-2通信卫星所得近一年的角跟踪数据进行精度鉴定的结果。可从另一个地面站得到另外的测距数据的时间内,可以以较高的精度直接测出这些误差。测得的角误差代入相应的解析式中,就可以预测用类似跟踪系统对于其他同步轨道任务的定轨精度。     

韦伯卫星相机——一种廉价的对地成像系统

韦伯卫星是一颗重２７ｌｂ的低轨道卫星，用阿里安４０火箭于１９９０年１月２１日发射进入５００ｋｍ的极地轨道，进行几项有效载荷的试验，这是为韦伯州立大学学生研究而开发的试验。有效载荷包括一台改进的彩色ＣＣＤ相机和视频闪光数字器。由应用科学技术学院的学生通过位于韦伯州立大学（ＷＳＵ）校园内的地面站由学生和他们的指导教师在那里监控星上系统并进行试验和观测试验结果。     

土星V号隔板式发火管的研制

火星V号运载火箭利用只应用次级炸药(secondary expIosives)的爆炸桥丝设计原理,以达到对电磁辐辐射和其它杂散能源的最大安全性。然而:L星V号上有相当数量的元件需要引爆,直接用爆炸桥丝(EBW)装置引爆所有这些元件将会引起点火装置重量严重增加的不良后果。因此,采用了CDF(侧限导爆索)和军用导管作为FBW发火管和发火元件     

航天飞机固体火箭发动机内的熔渣沉积模拟

固体火箭发动机含铝推进剂燃烧时,在其表面生成铝/三氧化二铝液滴。液滴一旦离开表面与其它液滴碰撞,就会形成大的聚结物(agglomerates)。大部分液滴或聚结物不能随燃气流排出喷管之外,可能沉积(deposite)在发动机的内表面。本研究通过流动模拟来了解航天飞机固体火箭发动机(SRM)内熔渣物的沉积过程和伴随而来的积聚(accumulation)、堆积(pooling)过程,从而提出一种分析方法,以预测与沉积和堆积过程有关的某些未知数。通过对发动机地面卧式试车后发动机内的凝固熔渣进行观察,定性地证实了用这一方法进行分析所得出的结果。本文用这些结果来解释 QM—2发动机(鉴定发动机)内的熔渣,同时也预测飞行过载对熔渣形成的影响。虽然这一方法是为 SRM 提出的,但也适用于任何结构的固体火箭发动机。     

Thoracic sonography for pneumothorax: the clinical evaluation of an operational space medicine spin-off

The recent interest in the use of ultrasound (US) to detect pneumothoraces after acute trauma in North America was initially driven by an operational space medicine concern. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are at risk for pneumothoraces, and US is the only potential medical imaging available. Pneumothoraces are common following trauma, and are a preventable cause of death, as most are treatable with relatively simple interventions. While pneumothoraces are optimally diagnosed clinically, they are more often inapparent even on supine chest radiographs (CXR) with recent series reporting a greater than 50% rate of occult pneumothoraces. In the course of basic scientific investigations in a conventional and parabolic flight laboratory, investigators familiarized themselves with the sonographic features of both pneumothoraces and normal pulmonary ventilation. By examining the visceral–parietal pleural interface (VPPI) with US, investigators became confident in diagnosing pneumothoraces. This knowledge was subsequently translated into practice at an American and a Canadian trauma center. The sonographic examination was found to be more accurate and sensitive than CXR (US 96% and 100% versus US 74% and 36%) in specific circumstances. Initial studies have also suggested that detecting the US features of pleural pulmonary ventilation in the left lung field may offer the ability to exclude serious endotracheal tube malpositions such as right mainstem and esophageal intubations. Applied thoracic US is an example of a clinically useful space medicine spin-off that is improving health care on earth.     

Ground based ISS payload microgravity disturbance assessments

In order to verify that the International Space Station (ISS) payload facility racks do not disturb the microgravity environment of neighboring facility racks and that the facility science operations are not compromised, a testing and analytical verification process must be followed. Currently no facility racks have taken this process from start to finish. The authors are participants in implementing this process for the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF). To address the testing part of the verification process, the Microgravity Emissions Laboratory (MEL) was developed at GRC. The MEL is a 6 degree of freedom inertial measurement system capable of characterizing inertial response forces (emissions) of components, sub-rack payloads, or rack-level payloads down to 10(-7) g's. The inertial force output data, generated from the steady state or transient operations of the test articles, are utilized in analytical simulations to predict the on-orbit vibratory environment at specific science or rack interface locations. Once the facility payload rack and disturbers are properly modeled an assessment can be made as to whether required microgravity levels are achieved. The modeling is utilized to develop microgravity predictions which lead to the development of microgravity sensitive ISS experiment operations once on-orbit. The on-orbit measurements will be verified by use of the NASA GRC Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS). The major topics to be addressed in this paper are: (1) Microgravity Requirements, (2) Microgravity Disturbers, (3) MEL Testing, (4) Disturbance Control, (5) Microgravity Control Process, and (6) On-Orbit Predictions and Verification.     

Experimental support for an immunological approach to the search for life on other planets

We propose a three-phase approach to test for evidence of life in extraterrestrial samples. The approach capitalizes on the flexibility, sensitivity, and specificity of antibody-antigen interactions. Data are presented to support the first phase, in which various extraction protocols are compared for efficiency, and in which a preliminary suite of antibodies are tested against various antigens. The antigens and antibodies were chosen on the basis of criteria designed to optimize the detection of extraterrestrial biomarkers unique to living or once-living organisms.     

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.