Ballooning perturbations in the inner magnetosphere of the Earth: Spectrum,stability and eigenmode analysis

We investigate the generation of ballooning perturbations in the inner magnetosphere of the Earth in the dipole model of the geomagnetic field taking into account ionospheric boundary conditions. The ionosphere is considered as a thin layer with finite conductivity. The eigenmode spectrum is discrete and consists of Alfvén, slow magnetosonic, flute and incompressible modes. Their interaction depends on ionospheric conductivity. The decay rate is small in noon and night sectors and large in dawn and dusk sectors. The lowest stability threshold α/γ ≈ 4.25 is determined by flute modes.     

The Business Case for System-Wide Information Management

In today's National Airspace System (NAS), when an application requires information from another application, a custom application-to-application interface is built. This results in an increasingly complex system, where applications are tightly coupled and expensive to develop and maintain. System-Wide Information Management (SWIM) addresses these shortfalls by implementing a shared infrastructure for managing NAS information. SWIM is based on a service-oriented architecture, a fast growing trend in information technology. It will help the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) meet the information-sharing needs of the Next Generation Air Traffic System (NGATS) and the federal government's E-government Initiative. SWIM will reduce the cost, complexity, and cycle time for building new applications and help the FAA implement SWIM-enabled applications that increase FAA and user productivity.     

Galactic cosmic ray transport methods: past, present, and future.

The development of the theory of high charge and energy (HZE) ion transport is reviewed. The basic solution behavior and approximation techniques will be described. An overview of the HZE transport codes currently available at the Langley Research Center will be given. The near term goal of the Langley program is to produce a complete set of one-dimensional transport codes. The ultimate goal is to produce a set of complete three-dimensional codes which have been validated in the laboratory and can be applied in the engineering design environment. Recent progress toward completing these goals is discussed.     

Cognitive deficits induced by 56Fe radiation exposure.

Exposing rats to particles of high energy and charge (e.g., 56Fe) disrupts neuronal systems and the behaviors mediated by them; these adverse behavioral and neuronal effects are similar to those seen in aged animals. Because cognition declines with age, and our previous study showed that radiation disrupted Morris water maze spatial learning and memory performance, the present study used an 8-arm radial maze (RAM) to further test the cognitive behavioral consequences of radiation exposure. Control rats or rats exposed to whole-body irradiation with 1.0 Gy of 1 GeV/n high-energy 56Fe particles (delivered at the alternating gradient synchrotron at Brookhaven National Laboratory) were tested nine months following exposure. Radiation adversely affected RAM performance, and the changes seen parallel those of aging. Irradiated animals entered baited arms during the first 4 choices significantly less than did controls, produced their first error sooner, and also tended to make more errors as measured by re-entries into non-baited arms. These results show that irradiation with high-energy particles produces age-like decrements in cognitive behavior that may impair the ability of astronauts to perform critical tasks during long-term space travel beyond the magnetosphere.     

Oscillations of axial plant organs.

The tips of roots and shoots commonly show lateral movements as they grow forwards. These occur as both circumnutations (with long periods and large amplitudes) and micronutations (with short periods and small amplitudes). Their properties are reviewed, with emphasis on roots, and possible ways in which they could be regulated are discussed. The mechanisms could include long-range controls (for circumnutations) that depend on transmissible signals using steps common to gravitropism, and short-range controls (for micronutations) that operate within the elongation zone. The former are a property of the apex as a whole, while the latter may be confined to localized groups of cells. Simulation of nutations is presented with a view to isolating key physiological processes. However, this approach is limited by the current inadequate understanding of the growth mechanisms involved.     

A program to measure new energetic particle nuclear interaction cross sections.

The Transport Collaboration, consisting of researchers from institutions in France, Germany, Italy and the USA, has established a program to make new measurements of nuclear interaction cross sections for heavy projectiles (Z > or = 2) in targets of liquid H2, He and heavier materials. Such cross sections directly affect calculations of galactic and solar cosmic ray transport through matter and are needed for accurate radiation hazard assessment. To date, the collaboration has obtained data using the LBL Bevalac HISS facility with 20 projectiles from 4He to 58Ni in the energy range 393-910 MeV/nucleon. Preliminary results from the analysis of these data are presented here and compared to other measurements and to cross section prediction formulae.     

Kinetic cyclotron and synchrotron maser instabilities: Radio emission processes by direct amplification of radiation

This article reviews the theory of the kinetic (cyclotron an synchroton) maser instabilities. The subject has been extensively developed in recent years by many authors, who have been incited by the research of the auroral kilometric radiation and other applications. The maser mechanism is appealing because it is simple and efficient, and can lead to direct amplification of radiation. Two types of electron distribution functions have been investigated so far. These are the loss-cone and hollow-beam distributions which may exist pervasively in many regions within and beyond the solar system. It is likely that the maser instabilities can have many potentially important applications to numerous radio emission processes observed in astrophysical research.     

A sample collector for robotic sample return missions III: Impact survivability studies

Laboratory impact tests have been performed on experimental versions of a proposed robotic sample collector for extraterrestrial samples. The collector consists of a retractable aluminum ring containing an impregnable silicone compound that is pressed into the surface of the body to be sampled. As part of a comprehensive program to evaluate this idea, we have performed tests to determine if the samples embedded in the collector medium can survive the impact forces experienced during direct reentry, such as that of the recent Genesis sample return mission. For the present study, samples of sand, rock, glass, and chalk were subjected to decelerations of 1440–2880 g using drop tests. We found that even the most fragile samples, chosen to be representative of a wide range of the types of materials found on the surface of asteroids that have currently been studied, can withstand impacts of the intensity experienced by a sample return capsule during direct reentry.     

Distribution and variability of accelerated electrons at Mars

We investigate accelerated electrons observed by Mars Global Surveyor (MGS), using data from the Electron Reflectometer (ER) instrument. We find three different types of accelerated electron events. Current sheet events occur over regions with weak or no crustal fields, have the highest electron energy fluxes, and are likely located on draped magnetotail fields. Extended events occur over regions with moderate crustal magnetic fields, and are most often observed on closed magnetic field lines. Localized events have the lowest energy fluxes, occur in strong magnetic cusp regions, and are the most likely kind of event to be found on open magnetic field lines. Some localized events have clear signatures of field-aligned currents; these events have much higher electron fluxes, and are preferentially observed on radially oriented open magnetic field lines. Electron acceleration events, especially localized events, are similar in many ways to events observed in the terrestrial auroral zone. However, physical processes related to those found in the terrestrial cusp and/or plasmasheet could also be responsible for accelerating electrons at Mars.     

Hardware-in-the-loop testing technology for integrated control and condition monitoring systems of aircraft gas turbine engines

Hardware-in-the-loop testing technology for automatic control, condition monitoring and diagnostics systems of gas turbine engines is described. The technology proposed makes it possible to simulate combinations and chains of unexpected and gradual failures of engines, transducers and actuators.