The structure of the solar corona as observed by the Solar Extreme ultraviolet Rocket Telescope and Spectrograph

Data from the Solar Extreme-ultraviolet Rocket Telescope and Spectrograph (SERTS) have been used to address a number of important scientific problems. The primary strength of the SERTS data is the fact that this spectral range is rich with emission lines. Over 270 lines are seen in the SERTS active Sun spectrum, from 57 different ions. For example, multiple (≥4) lines are observed for all ionization states of iron from Fe IX to Fe XVII. Temperatures and densities have been derived for a number of active and quiet Sun regions, the coronal magnetic field strength has been estimated for both a plage region and an active region.     

Evaluation of airborne data link communication

An experimental prototype of a cockpit data link communication interface (modified Navigation Display (ND) and Multi-purpose Control and Display Unit (MCDU)) was developed and tested in an Airbus A340 Full Flight Simulator. 8 crews (16 professional pilots) performed simulator flights in a mixed voice and data link scenario. After each experiment video recordings were presented to the pilots and they were asked to estimate subjective strain (NASA task load index) and situational aspects retrospectively. Results show an increase in subjective strain and a decrease of ‘feeling of sovereignty’ and situation awareness under data link conditions. The effect is similar to the one caused by higher workload.     

Venus observations from ENVISAT–SCIAMACHY: Measurements and modeling

This work shows the capability of observing Venus with a sensor originally designed for Earth remote sensing. SCIAMACHY (SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CHartographY), onboard ENVISAT, successfully observed visible and near-infrared spectra from the Venusian atmosphere. The Venus spectra were simulated using a line-by-line radiative transfer model. The single scattering approximation was applied in order to consider the effects of an approximately 20 km-thick haze layer above the main cloud deck, which was considered as a reflecting cloud located in the upper atmosphere of the planet. CO₂ absorption lines could be distinguished in both observed and simulated spectra and a good agreement between them was also found.     

Object image linking of earth orbiting objects in the presence of cosmics

In survey series of unknown Earth orbiting objects, no a priori orbital elements are available. In surveys of wide field telescopes possibly many non-resolved object images are present on the single frames of the series. Reliable methods have to be found to associate the object images stemming from the same object with each other, so-called linking. The presence of cosmic ray events, so-called Cosmics, complicates reliable linking of non-resolved images. The tracklets of object images allow to extract exact positions for a first orbit determination.     

Amphibian nitrate stress as an additional terrestrial threat from astrophysical ionizing radiation events?

Abstract Various astrophysical events have been suggested as sources of ionizing radiation that, by way of destruction of the ozone layer and the subsequent increase in UVB and deposition of nitrate, could pose a threat to life on Earth. We have investigated whether the nitrate deposition that follows an ionizing event is sufficient to cause an additional stress beyond that of the heightened UVB previously considered. Our results show that, subsequent to the most intense ionization event likely to have occurred in the last billion years, the increase in nitrate concentration in bodies of water would not be sufficient to cause serious additional stress on amphibian populations and may actually provide some benefit by acting as fertilizer.     

Application of hyperspectral infrared analysis of hydrothermal alteration on Earth and Mars

An integrated analysis of both airborne and field short-wave infrared hyperspectral measurements was used in conjunction with conventional field mapping techniques to map hydrothermal alteration in the central portion of the Mount Painter Inlier in the Flinders Ranges, South Australia. The airborne hyperspectral data show the spatial distribution of spectrally distinct minerals occurring as primary minerals and as weathering and alteration products. Field spectral measurements, taken with a portable infrared mineral analyzer spectrometer and supported by thin-section analyses, were used to verify the mineral maps and enhance the level of information obtainable from the airborne data. Hydrothermal alteration zones were identified and mapped separately from the background weathering signals. A main zone of alteration, coinciding with the Paralana Fault zone, was recognized, and found to contain kaolinite, muscovite, biotite, and K-feldspar. A small spectral variation associated with a ring-like feature around Mount Painter was tentatively determined to be halloysite and interpreted to represent a separate hydrothermal fluid and fluid source, and probably a separate system. The older parts of the alteration system are tentatively dated as Permo-Carboniferous. The remote sensing of alteration at Mount Painter confirms that hyperspectral imaging techniques can produce accurate mineralogical maps with significant details that can be used to identify and map hydrothermal activity. Application of hyperspectral surveys such as that conducted at Mount Painter would be likely to provide similar detail about putative hydrothermal deposits on Mars.     

Cometary Dust

This review presents our understanding of cometary dust at the end of 2017. For decades, insight about the dust ejected by nuclei of comets had stemmed from remote observations from Earth or Earth’s orbit, and from flybys, including the samples of dust returned to Earth for laboratory studies by the Stardust return capsule. The long-duration Rosetta mission has recently provided a huge and unique amount of data, obtained using numerous instruments, including innovative dust instruments, over a wide range of distances from the Sun and from the nucleus. The diverse approaches available to study dust in comets, together with the related theoretical and experimental studies, provide evidence of the composition and physical properties of dust particles, e.g., the presence of a large fraction of carbon in macromolecules, and of aggregates on a wide range of scales. The results have opened vivid discussions on the variety of dust-release processes and on the diversity of dust properties in comets, as well as on the formation of cometary dust, and on its presence in the near-Earth interplanetary medium. These discussions stress the significance of future explorations as a way to decipher the formation and evolution of our Solar System.     

A real-time GNSS-R system based on software-defined radio and graphics processing units

Reflected signals of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) from the sea or land surface can be utilized to deduce and monitor physical and geophysical parameters of the reflecting area. Unlike most other remote sensing techniques, GNSS-Reflectometry (GNSS-R) operates as a passive radar that takes advantage from the increasing number of navigation satellites that broadcast their L-band signals. Thereby, most of the GNSS-R receiver architectures are based on dedicated hardware solutions. Software-defined radio (SDR) technology has advanced in the recent years and enabled signal processing in real-time, which makes it an ideal candidate for the realization of a flexible GNSS-R system. Additionally, modern commodity graphic cards, which offer massive parallel computing performances, allow to handle the whole signal processing chain without interfering with the PC’s CPU. Thus, this paper describes a GNSS-R system which has been developed on the principles of software-defined radio supported by General Purpose Graphics Processing Units (GPGPUs), and presents results from initial field tests which confirm the anticipated capability of the system.     

Hydrogen in rocks: an energy source for deep microbial communities

To survive in deep subsurface environments, lithotrophic microbial communities require a sustainable energy source such as hydrogen. Though H2 can be produced when water reacts with fresh mineral surfaces and oxidizes ferrous iron, this reaction is unreliable since it depends upon the exposure of fresh rock surfaces via the episodic opening of cracks and fissures. A more reliable and potentially more voluminous H2 source exists in nominally anhydrous minerals of igneous and metamorphic rocks. Our experimental results indicate that H2 molecules can be derived from small amounts of H2O dissolved in minerals in the form of hydroxyl, OH- or O3Si-OH, whenever such minerals crystallized in an H2O-laden environment. Two types of experiments were conducted. Single crystal fracture experiments indicated that hydroxyl pairs undergo an in situ redox conversion to H2 molecules plus peroxy links, O3Si/OO\SiO3. While the peroxy links become part of the mineral structure, the H2 molecules diffused out of the freshly fractured mineral surfaces. If such a mechanism occurred in natural settings, the entire rock column would become a volume source of H2. Crushing experiments to facilitate the outdiffusion of H2 were conducted with common crustal igneous rocks such as granite, andesite, and labradorite. At least 70 nmol of H2/g diffused out of coarsely crushed andesite, equivalent at standard pressure and temperature to 5,000 cm3 of H2/m3 of rock. In the water-saturated, biologically relevant upper portion of the rock column, the diffusion of H2 out of the minerals will be buffered by H2 saturation of the intergranular water film.