Design of Satellite Constellations for Optimal Continuous Coverage

A satellite-borne sensor can view a region at or above the Earth's surface. The size of this region depends on the satellite's altitude, the maximum range and scan angle of the sensor, the minimum above-the-horizon viewing angle required, the extent in altitude of the region to be viewed, and the maximum altitude of sensor obscuration by the atmosphere. Except for geosynchronous satellites this region moves relative to the Earth, so that constellations of satellites are generally necessary for continuous coverage. Satellite constellations which minimize the number of satellites required for continuous coverage are derived as a function of the angle subtended at the Earth's center by the coverage of a single satellite. This is done for single and triple continuous coverage of the entire Earth and of the polar regions extending to arbitrary latitude. Simple, cogent approximations for the configurations and numbers of satellites are found. Expressions which relate sensor capabilities and surveillance requirements to are presented. Examples are given to illustrate the use and accuracy of the results.     

A surge obsrved in Hα and CIV

Simultaneous Hα (MSDP at Meudon) and C IV (UVSP aboard SMM) measurements of Active Region 2701 were made on October 2, 1980. Isodensity and velocity maps were derived for both lines and superposed. A good correlation was found between Hα and C IV velocities. A surge was observed for 10 minutes. The base was located in a bright point in CIV and Hα, and escaping matter followed the same channel (“absorbing” in Hα, “emitting” in C IV). The velocity along the surge was about 80 kms.-1 in Hα and 100 km s-1 in C IV. A loop appeared in C IV. We discuss the existing models and conclude that the vertical pressure gradient was capable of driving the surge.     

Ion beam produced plasma waves observed by the δn/n plasma wave receiver during the porcupine experiment

The Porcupine sounding rocket consisted of a central instrumented payload with 4 smaller payloads ejected in the radial direction. One of the smaller payloads contained a xenon ion gun which directed a 200eV Xe+ ion beam roughly perpendicular to the magnetic field. During the ion gun exercises a variety of plasma waves were observed by the δn/n experiment on the central spacecraft. For small separations betwen the ion gun and the plasma wave receivers, intense and very narrow band emissions were observed just above harmonics of the hydrogen gyrofrequency extending from n=1 to at least n=11 and perhaps to much higher harmonics. Additional structure at the helium gyrofrequency was also observed and the width of each spectral line was the order of the oxygen gyrofrequency. The fastest growing modes were at n=5 or 6. For larger separations between the ion gun and plasma wave receiver, band limited emissions were observed between the NO+ and O+ lower hybrid frequencies. The intense ion cyclotron harmonic waves observed for short separations are very similar to plasma waves observed at high altitudes in ion conics by the S3-3 satellite. In those examples, natural ion beams, which were nearly perpendicular to the magnetic field, produced plasma waves between harmonics of the hydrogen gyrofrequency and the most intense waves occurred between n=3 and n=7. Hence the ion beam experiment is directly applicable to understanding ion beams within the magnetosphere.     

Mecanique celeste—La torsion potentielle

The mutual potential of 2 solid bodies is a function of the six parameters defining the relative position of these two bodies, it is not a function of only either 3 or 5 parameters as it is implicitly assumed in most studies.The sixth parameter, “the potential torsion” is related to the orientation of the two bodies around the axis of the two centers, its influence is small. An upper limit is given.     

The magnetic fields of Mercury,Venus and Mars

Just as clearly as Mariner 10 established that Mercury has an intrinsic magnetic field, the Pioneer Venus orbiter has established that Venus has no significant intrinsic field. This is perhaps the opposite of what might be expected. Mercury, a small planet might be expected to cool rapidly and its internal dynamo to cease, while Venus, which is almost as large as the Earth, should not have lost much heat. On the contrary the source of energy of the Mercury dynamo appears to be extant whereas that of Venus appears to be extinct.The existence of a Martian magnetic field is controversial. No unambiguous signature of a Martian magnetic field has been reported. If the field on the nightside of Mars is of planetary rather than solar origin the Russian Mars spacecraft observations indicate the Martian dipole lies near the planetary equator rather than its pole.     

Nonlinear Analysis of a Family of LC Tuned Inverters

four widely used self-oscillating dc-to-square-wave parallel inverters which employ an inductor-capacitor tuned network to determine the oscillation frequency are reduced to a common equivalent RLC network. The techniques of singular-point analysis and state-plane interpretations are employed to describe the steady-state and transient ient behavior of these circuits and to elucidate the three possible modes of operation: quasi-harmonic, relaxation, and discontinuous. Design guidelines are provided through a study of the influence of circuit parameter variations on the characteristics of oscillation and on frequency stability. Several examples are provided to illustrate the usefulness of this analysis when studying such problems as transistor emitter-to-base junction breakdown during oscillations and the design of starting circuits to insure self-excited oscillations in these inverters.     

Oxygen and Iron Ions at High Heliolatitudes

The fluxes of O and Fe ions at high heliolatitudes measured by the HiScale instrument on Ulysses reflect the dynamical processes that affect the charged particle populations in the heliosphere. Both the O and Fe ions show more latitude dependence in the first (solar minimum) orbit to high southern heliolatitudes than during the second (solar maximum) orbit. The ion fluxes are larger during the solar minimum orbit; the flux levels are influenced by the occurrence of corotating interaction regions. The Fe/O abundance ratios are found to be similar at 1 AU and at high heliolatitudes. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The Onset of Long Term Modulation in the Heliosphere in Cycle 23

The combination of Voyager 1 (77.9 AU, 34.4° N) and Voyager 2 (61.2 AU, 24.5° S) at moderate heliolatitudes in the distant heliosphere and Ulysses with its unique latitudinal surveys in the inner heliosphere along with IMP 8 and other satellites at 1 AU constitutes a network of observatories that are ideally suited to study cosmic rays over the solar minimum of cycle 22 and the onset of solar activity and the long term cosmic ray modulation of cycle 23. Through 2000.7 there have been three well-defined step decreases in the cosmic ray intensity at 1 AU with the cumulative effect being in good agreement with the net decrease in cycle 21 at a comparable time in the solar cycle. Over this period the intensity changes at Ulysses are similar to those at 1 AU. In the distant heliosphere the initial decreases appear to be smaller than those at 1 AU. However the full effects of the interplanetary disturbances producing the most recent and largest step decrease in the inner heliosphere have not yet reached V-2. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Observations of the profiles of solar UV emission lines and their analysis in terms of the heating and production of the corona

Observations of the solar spectrum have been made between 1200–2200 with high spectral resolution. The results were obtained with an all-reflecting echelle spectrograph carried by a stabilized Skylark rocket launched in April 1970. Measurements of the profiles of a number of emission lines due to Siii, Cii, Siiii and Civ formed in the temperature range 10⁴-10⁵ K, indicate ion energies which are considerably in excess of the electron temperatures derived from the ionization balance. Since the ion/electron relaxation time is very short the observed ion energies cannot correspond to an ion temperature and hence a non-thermal mechanical energy component exists in the transition zone.It is postulated that the non-thermal energy component represents the actual mechanical energy responsible for the heating of the corona, and, that, it is propagated as an acoustic wave. On this basis and with a preliminary estimate of the reflection from the transition zone, a flux of 3 × 10⁵ erg cm ^-2 s ^-1 is established as entering the corona. This value is in agreement with estimates of the total energy loss from the corona due to conduction, radiation and the solar wind, thus establishing a gross energy balance.Theoretical calculations are currently underway to establish the physical nature of the atmosphere which would result from such a propagating flux. At the present time this has been carried out for an atmosphere in hydrostatic equilibrium and the energy balance equation solved. A preliminary temperature structure which results is shown in Figure 1, together with the derived distribution in electron density. This gives a corona of the right temperature and density but the observed structure deviates in detail from those derived from an analysis of the solar XUV spectrum.