Designing corrections for the trajectory of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Spektr-R</Emphasis> spacecraft in the event of immersions into the Moon’s sphere of influence

The results of updating the parameters of motion of the Spektr-R spacecraft at the end of 2016 have shown that, in January 2018, with a probability close to unity, the condition that a spacecraft stay in the Earth’s shadow is violated; however, in May of the same year, the ballistic life of the spacecraft will be terminated. Thus, in 2017, the question arose of how to design the correction of flight of this spacecraft using its onboard propulsion system. The correction was designed with allowance for the fact that, for the first time since it was launched, the spacecraft in the course of several years, beginning with 2017, repeatedly approaches the Moon, deeply immersing into its sphere of influence. This paper presents the technologically and organizationally convenient, allowable versions of upcoming correction of the Spektr-R spacecraft trajectory and justifies the particular scheme of its implementation.     

Estimate of the NO concentration in the auroral region based on emission intensities of 391.4, 557.7, and 630.0 nm

Using numerical modeling, the influence of the NO concentration on the intensity of 557.7 nm emission in aurora caused by electron precipitation has been studied. It has been shown that the O₂ ⁺ NO reaction, which reduces the contribution of the dissociative recombination of the O₂ ⁺ ion into the formation of the ¹S state of atomic oxygen, is the main channel of suppression of the intensity of the emission at 557.7 nm. A method of estimating the NO concentration in the aurora based on the data of photometric measurements of emissions at 391.4, 557.7, and 630.0 nm has been proposed. The method has been tested using the data of simultaneous rocket measurements of emissions at 391.4, 557.7, and 630.0 nm and the NO content in aurora. A good agreement of estimates of the NO concentrations performed by the method to the results of direct measurements has been obtained.     

Dynamics of electron fluxes in the slot between radiation belts in November–December 2014 according to data of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Vernov</Emphasis> satellite

The variations in the spatial structure and time in electron fluxes with E = 235–300 keV in the slot region (2 < L < 3) between the radiation belts in the period of November 1, 2014 through December 8, 2014 during weak and moderate geomagnetic disturbances (Kp < 4, Dst >–60 nT) are analyzed based on the data of the RELEC complex on board the Vernov satellite (the height and inclination of the orbit are from 640 to 830 km and 98.4°, respectively). Irregular increases in the fluxes of such electrons and formation of a local maximum at L ~ 2.2–3.0 were observed. It has been shown that the intensity of this maximum is inversely proportional to the L value and grows with an increase in the geomagnetic activity level. New features discovered for the first time in the dynamics of radiation belt electrons manifest in the variations in the local structure and dynamics of fluxes of subrelativistic electrons in the slot region.     

Time-dependent cosmic ray modulation

Time-dependent cosmic ray modulation is calculated over multiple solar cycles using our well established two-dimensional time-dependent modulation model. Results are compared to Voyager 1, Ulysses and IMP cosmic ray observations to establish compatibility. A time-dependence in the diffusion and drift coefficients, implicitly contained in recent expressions derived by , ,  and , is incorporated into the cosmic ray modulation model. This results in calculations which are compatible with spacecraft observations on a global scale over consecutive solar cycles. This approach compares well to the successful compound approach of Ferreira and Potgieter (2004). For both these approaches the magnetic field magnitude, variance of the field and current sheet tilt angle values observed at Earth are transported time-dependently into the outer heliosphere. However, when results are compared to observations for extreme solar maximum, the computed step-like modulation is not as pronounced as observed. This indicates that some additional merging of these structures into more pronounced modulation barriers along the way is needed.     

Attitude control system of the first Russian nanosatellite <Emphasis Type="Italic">TNS-0 no. 1</Emphasis>

The results of designing the attitude control system of the first Russian nanosatellite TNS-0 no. 1 providing orientation of its longitudinal axis along the local geomagnetic field induction vector are presented. The system consists of a permanent magnet and two sets of hysteresis rods. The magnetic and geometric parameters of the magnet and rods are calculated. The influence of the permanent magnet field on the hysteresis rods and mutual influence of the rods in the case of compact satellite packaging are analyzed. Examples of calculations of transient processes and steady-state angular satellite motion are presented.     

The Space within Fisherman's Folly: Playing with a Puzzle in Mereotopology

Abstract

In this paper we propose a spatial ontology for reasoning about holes, rigid objects and a string, taking a classical puzzle as a motivating example. In this ontology the domain is composed of spatial regions whereby a theory about holes is defined over a mereotopological basis. Within this theory we define a data structure, named chain, that facilitates a clear and efficient representation of the puzzle states and its solution.     

Optimimal control of CNC machine operating regimes

In this paper, a mathematical model of labor-intensity and a method of searching for optimal control of operating conditions in machining arbitrarily configurated parts with the use of CNC machines are considered. Also given is an example of the process optimization..     

The International DORIS Service (IDS): Toward maturity

DORIS is one of the four space-geodetic techniques participating in the Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS), particularly to maintain and disseminate the Terrestrial Reference Frame as determined by International Earth rotation and Reference frame Service (IERS). A few years ago, under the umbrella of the International Association of Geodesy, a DORIS International Service (IDS) was created in order to foster international cooperation and to provide new scientific products. This paper addresses the organizational aspects of the IDS and presents some recent DORIS scientific results. It is for the first time that, in preparation of the ITRF2008, seven Analysis Centers (AC’s) contributed to derive long-term time series of DORIS stations positions. These solutions were then combined into a homogeneous time series IDS-2 for which a precision of less than 10 mm was obtained. Orbit comparisons between the various AC’s showed an excellent agreement in the radial component, both for the SPOT satellites (e.g. 0.5–2.1 cm RMS for SPOT-2) and Envisat (0.9–2.1 cm RMS), using different software packages, models, corrections and analysis strategies. There is now a wide international participation within IDS that should lead to future improvements in DORIS analysis strategies and DORIS-derived geodetic products.     

Issues of geologically-focused situational awareness in robotic planetary missions: Lessons from an analogue mission at Mistastin Lake impact structure,Labrador, Canada

Remote robotic data provides different information than that obtained from immersion in the field. This significantly affects the geological situational awareness experienced by members of a mission control science team. In order to optimize science return from planetary robotic missions, these limitations must be understood and their effects mitigated to fully leverage the field experience of scientists at mission control.     

Satellite and ground detection of very dense smoke clouds produced on the islands of the Paraná river delta that affected a large region in Central Argentina

Intense fires were produced on the Paraná river delta islands, Argentina, during most part of 2008, by a combination of an exceptionally dry period and the farmers’ use of a fire land-cleaning technique. In April 2008, those fires significantly affected the nearby regions and their inhabitants, from Rosario city to Buenos Aires mega-city. In this work we present satellite as well as ground Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) at 550 nm data obtained during the propagation of pollution clouds to the central zone of Argentina. The highest value (1.18) was registered at Buenos Aires by atmospheric remote sensing, using the satellite instrument MODIS/Terra on April 18th 2008 at 10:35 local time (= UT − 3 h). On the same day, ground air quality detectors also measured in this city the highest Total Suspended Particle (TSP) value of the month, 2.02 mg/m³. The AOD(550) daily variation at Rosario Astronomical Observatory, which is located near the Paraná riverside, was derived by combining solar ultraviolet erythemal irradiance data (measured with a YES biometre) with model calculations. On April 25th 2008, from 12:00 to 15:30 local time, a rather high and constant AOD(550) value was registered, with a mean value of (0.90 ± 0.21). Cities located on the side of the Rosario–Buenos Aires highway (San Nicolás, Baradero and San Pedro) were also affected, showing a mean AOD(550) between the Rosario and Buenos Aires values. The particulate matter was collected with gridded samplers placed on the Paraná river islands as well as at the Rosario Observatory. They were analysed with a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and mainly showed a biological origin. Even if normally large particles travel small distances from the source, organic aerosol in the range of 40–100 μm and complex asymmetric structures were registered several kilometres away from the aerosol sources on the islands. Another event of intense UV index attenuation (98.6%) occurred on September 18th 2008, due to very dense smoke clouds that extended over the Rosario area for several hours. The clouds were driven away from the fires by East–northeast and East–southeast winds. The minimum value of this index measured around noon allows to derive a maximum AOD(550)_max = (3.65 ± 0.90) at 12:45 local time. Soot clouds extended over the Paraná river, transporting Burned Biomass Debris (BBD) that deposited on Rosario. In particular, burned leaves and small branches with dimensions of 1–20 cm were collected. The mean (BBD) particles deposited on the ground from 7:00 to 19:00 local time were (0.92 ± 0.20) BBD/(m² h).