Induced abnormality in Mir- and Earth grown Super Dwarf wheat.

Super-dwarf wheat grown on the Mir space station using the Svet "Greenhouse" exhibited morphological, metabolic and reproductive abnormalities compared with Earth-grown wheat. Of prominent importance were the abnormalities associated with reproductive ontogeny and the total absence of seed formation on Mir. Changes in the apical meristem associated with transition from the vegetative phase to floral initiation and development of the reproductive spike were all typical of 'Super-Dwarf' wheat up to the point of anthesis. Observation of ruptured anthers from the Mir-grown plants revealed what appeared to be normally developed pollen. These pollen gains, however, contained only one nuclei, while normal viable pollen is tri-nucleate. A potentially important difference in the flight experiment, compared with ground reference studies, was the presence of a high level of atmospheric ethylene (1,200 ppb). Ground studies conducted by exposing 'Super-Dwarf' wheat to ethylene just prior to anthesis resulted in manifestation of the same abnormalities observed in the space flight samples.     

Comment on estimating the solar proton environment that may affect Mars missions.

Estimates of the energetic proton environment for a Mars mission are generally extrapolated from the solar proton observations at 1 AU. We find that solar particle events may be divided into two general classes. Events dominated by a near-sun injection of particles onto interplanetary magnetic field lines leading to the spacecraft position represent the "classical" solar particle event associated with solar activity. This class of event will scale in radial distance by the classical power law extrapolation. The extended-interplanetary-shock source generates a maximum flux as the shock passes the detection location. This class of event typically generates maximum fluence, but in this case, the flux and fluence will not scale in the classical manner with radial distance.     

Ray Based Diffraction Tomography of the Ionosphere and Laboratory Inhomogeneous Plasma

A new procedure for restoration of the plasma inhomogeneities with improved resolution is suggested. The procedure deals with the double weighted Fourier transform (DWFT) of the observed wavefield in coordinates of both receivers = (x, y) and sources ₀ = (x ₀, y ₀) [1]. Phase increments between the sources and receivers, being found from DWFT representation, can be used for extracting information on small perturbations of the dielectric constant ~(, z) in a way similar to traditional radio tomography. The resulting resolution of the method is close to the diffraction limit = h/D in the horizontal direction and z = (h/D)² in the vertical direction, where h is the height of inhomogeneities and D is the length of the ground-based receiving system.     

Main results and experience obtained on Mir space station and experiment program for Russian segment of ISS

This article presents main scientific and practical results obtained in course of scientific and applied research and experiments on Mir space station. Based on Mir experience, processes of research program formation for the Russian Segment of the ISS are briefly described. The major trends of activities planned in the frames of these programs as well as preliminary results of increment research programs implementation in the ISS' first missions are also presented.     

Lifetime total radiation risk of cosmonauts for orbital and interplanetary flights.

This paper presents results of calculations of total radiation risk for cosmonauts over their lifetimes and assessments of possible shortening of life expectancy on the basis of generalized doses calculated for cosmonauts after a long term interplanetary and orbital space missions on "MIR" station and International Space Station with the use of mathematical expressions coming from a model of change mortality rate of mammals after irradiation. Tumor risk assessments for cosmonauts over lifetime after flights are also given. Dependences of the delayed radiation consequences mentioned above on flight duration, spacecraft shielding thicknesses, solar activity and cosmonauts' age are analyzed.     

Autogeneration of an Instability of a Plasma Composition Equilibrium in the Plasmaspheric Transition Region during a Postsunset High-Altitude Launch of the Vertikal'-10 Rocket

A cause of the instability of equilibrium of plasma ion composition is discussed and exemplified by the data on a burst of amplitudes of small-scale plasma irregularities in the plasmaspheric transition region during an evening launch of the Vertikal'-10 rocket. This burst is accompanied by a simultaneous decrease in the average plasma density at altitudes of 700–1100 km. Specific features of the observed events are compared to postsunset incoherent scatter radar observations of the ion diffusion flux density. It is demonstrated that the instability is caused by peculiarities of the protonosphere–ionosphere interaction associated with a sharp difference between thermal conditions of the ionospheric and protonospheric air shortly after sunset. The induced nonuniformity of postsunset cooling of the protonospheric–ionospheric plasma causes density irregularities in ion diffusion fluxes and generates local bunches of heavy ions, which are usually only a minor impurity to lighter ions. As a result, conditions are created that are favorable for the nondissipative accumulation of potential energy for the mutual opposition of two or more groups of ions with different masses and for the subsequent release of this energy by a threshold excitation of impurity-driven plasma instabilities.     

Families of Periodic Solutions to the Beletsky Equation

A review of achievements in the investigation of the planar periodic oscillations and rotations of a satellite around its center of mass, which moves along an elliptic orbit in the central gravitational field, is presented. These oscillations and rotations of the satellite are described by an ordinary differential equation (Beletsky equation) of the second order with periodic coefficients and two parameters. The equation is equivalent to a periodic Hamiltonian system with a single degree of freedom and has a singularity. It turned out that two-parameter families of the generalized periodic solutions to this simple equation form complicated structures of a new type. A comparison of numerous separate results made it possible to outline a sufficiently unified and complete picture of the location and structure of the families of generalized 2-periodic solutions with an integer number of rotation. These families are compared with known data related to the resonance rotations of the natural satellites in the solar system.     

Eye light flashes on the Mir space station

The phenomenon of light flashes (LF) in eyes for people in space has been investigated onboard Mir. Data on particles hitting the eye have been collected with the SilEye detectors, and correlated with human observations. It is found that a nucleus in the radiation environment of Mir has roughly a 1% probability to cause an LF, whereas the proton probability is almost three orders of magnitude less. As a function of LET, the LF probability increases above 10 keV/micrometer, reaching about 5% at around 50 keV/micrometer.     

Nonlinear Localized Electrostatic Structures and Their Experimental Diagnostics in the Magnetosphere Plasma

The theoretical models of the formation of the three-dimensional quasi-stationary structures of variations of density and electrostatic potential in a multicomponent magnetosphere plasma are considered. On the basis of the perturbation method, we have studied the domains of the parametric space, where the occurrence of nonlinear quasi-stationary ion-acoustic and electron-acoustic structures are possible. For these structures, the velocities of motion along the direction of the magnetic field are estimated, together with the longitudinal and transverse scales with respect to the direction of the Earth's magnetic field. The calculated dependences of the scales l and l _|| of the structures on the plasma parameters in the three-component plasma allow one to compare the results of the considered theoretical models with new experimental data of measuring the form of soliton structures onboard the FAST, POLAR, and GEOTAIL satellites.     

Long-term operation of "Orlan" space suits in the "Mir" orbiting station: experience obtained and its application

The started assembly of the International Space Station (ISS) and its further operation will call for a great number of extravehicular activity sorties (EVA) to be performed by ISS crews. Therefore, of great importance is to make use of the EVA experience gained by cosmonauts in the process of 15-year operation of the Mir orbiting station (OS). Over the 15-year period, Mir crewmembers wearing Orlan type semi-rigid space suits have accumulated 158 man/sorties from the orbiting station. Crewmembers used 15 suits in orbit and some of the suits were in operation for more than 3 years. The paper presents principal design features, which provide effective and safe operation of orbit-based suits, and briefly describes procedures for preparation and maintenance of suit systems, which ensure long-term operation of space suit in orbit. The paper gives results of the space suit modifications, presents suit performance characteristics and lists novel or upgraded components of the space suit and its systems. The paper also summarizes improvements in the Orlan type suits described in some earlier publications. They refer, in the first run, to the improvement of space suit operations characteristics and reliability, and the utilization of the Orlan type space suit in the ISS program. The paper analyses the experience gained and drawbacks detected and observations made, and gives statistical data on long-term space suit operations aboard the Mir station. The paper reviews certain problems in the process of EVAs performed from the station, and describes the ways of their solution as applied to the further utilization of the suit within the ISS program.