"Signal" search for intelligence in the galactic nucleus with the array of the Lowlands

In August, 1981, the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope was used for 4 h to search for narrowband pulsing radio beacons in the direction of the Galactic Center. By using both the spatial discrimination and temporal stability available to an interferometric measurement, weak intermittent signals can be detected even in the face of the strong, naturally caused radiation from this region. A radio beacon within our bandwidth, centered on the 21 cm neutral hydrogen line, would be recognizable if it had a repetition period between 40 sec and 1/2 h. The rms sensitivity to point sources was approximately 50 mJy/cycle, and the detection limit was 500 mJy/cycle. The limit degrades for pulse widths < 0.02s. No repetitive signals were found. For a swept, narrow-band radio beacon constrained to the Galactic Disk (beamwidth = 0.02 rad), our detection limit corresponds to a transmitter power of 10(11) MW at the Galactic Center.     

Control of an orbiting flexible square platform in the presence of solar radiation

A mathematical model for the solar radiation forces and moments acting on a square plate (platform) in orbit is obtained by considering the plate mode shapes as combinations of free-free beam shape functions. The moment expressions for a plate of arbitrary reflectivity coefficient are obtained as a function of the solar incidence angle. It is seen that only the first three flexible modes of the plate generate a first order net moment about the center of mass, and that the solar radiation pressure does not influence the flexible modes of the plate for small amplitude vibrations. The solar radiation disturbance model is then included in the dynamic model of a square plate nominally oriented along the local vertical and having the major surface of the plate normal to the orbital plane. The roll angle of the plate is seen to increase steadily due to the solar radiation pressure whereas the pitch and yaw motions oscillate with an amplitude of approximately 0.2° for a 100 m square thin aluminum plate in synchronous orbit. To control the shape and orientation of the plate two point actuators are assumed—one whose force axis is normal to the plane of the plate, the second with a force axis in the plane of the plate. The control law and the feedback gain values are obtained based on linear quadratic Gaussian methods. Transient responses and control requirements are simulated for local vertical and horizontal orientations.     

Shuttle avionics verification and integration testing

The Space Shuttle Orbiter employs a fly-by-wire control system of 200 major avionic hardware devices interfacing with five flight computers through a complex data bus system. Responses to man-in-the-loop commands are dependent on the flight software. Early program development testing of the computer and avionic hardware has been accomplished at Rockwell International's Shuttle Avionics Development Laboratory (ADL). Hardware development has led to complete multi-string system testing and flight software evaluations. This paper provides an overview of the ADL. Its role and test capabilities in support of Shuttle development are defined. The nature of computer driven test programs for the Orbiter displays, the Digital Autopilot, and flight software development describe the test bed provided by the ADL.     

Real time localization of gamma ray bursts with INTEGRAL

The INTEGRAL satellite has been successfully launched in October 2002 and has recently started its operational phase. The INTEGRAL burst alert system (IBAS) will distribute in real time the coordinates of the gamma ray bursts (GRBs) detected with INTEGRAL. After a brief introduction on the INTEGRAL instruments, we describe the main IBAS characteristics and report on the initial results. During the initial performance and verification phase of the INTEGRAL mission, which lasted about two months, two GRBs have been localized with accuracy of 2–4 arcmin. These observations have allowed us to validate the IBAS software, which is now expected to provide quick (few seconds delay) and precise (few arcmin) localization for 10–15 GRBs per year.     

In-situ resource utilization technologies for Mars life support systems.

The atmosphere of Mars has many of the ingredients that can be used to support human exploration missions. It can be "mined" and processed to produce oxygen, buffer gas, and water, resulting in significant savings on mission costs. The use of local materials, called ISRU (for in-situ resource utilization), is clearly an essential strategy for a long-term human presence on Mars from the standpoints of self-sufficiency, safety, and cost. Currently a substantial effort is underway by NASA to develop technologies and designs of chemical plants to make propellants from the Martian atmosphere. Consumables for life support, such as oxygen and water, will probably benefit greatly from this ISRU technology development for propellant production. However, the buffer gas needed to dilute oxygen for breathing is not a product of a propellant production plant. The buffer gas needs on each human Mars mission will probably be in the order of metric tons, primarily due to losses during airlock activity. Buffer gas can be separated, compressed, and purified from the Mars atmosphere. This paper discusses the buffer gas needs for a human mission to Mars and consider architectures for the generation of buffer gas including an option that integrates it to the propellant production plant.     

Generation of artificial ionospheric plasma density irregularities with prescribed spectra

The creation of artificial plasma density irregularities (AI) with prescribed spectra in the ionospheric heating experiments is discussed. We show that periodic successions of powerful pulses, pumped into the F-region of the ionosphere lead to obtaining AI with the controlled stationary spatial spectrum and allow us to change power low spectral index 2β at least from 2β = 2.2 to 2β = 3.4 by changing of the powerful pulse time schedule.     

Exobiological exploration of Mars.

Of all the other planets in the solar system, Mars remains the most promising for further elucidating concepts about chemical evolution and the origin of life. Strategies were developed to pursue three exobiological objectives for Mars exploration: determining the abundance and distribution of the biogenic elements and organic compounds, detecting evidence of an ancient biota on Mars, and determining whether indigenous organisms exist anywhere on the planet. The three strategies are quite similar and, in fact, share the same sequence of phases. In the first phase, each requires global reconnaissance and remote sensing by orbiters to select sites of interest for detailed in situ analyses. In the second phase, lander missions are conducted to characterize the chemical and physical properties of the selected sites. The third phase involves conducting "critical" experiments at sites whose properties make them particularly attractive for exobiology. These critical experiments would include, for example, identification of organics, detection of fossils, and detection of extant life. The fourth phase is the detailed analysis of samples returned from these sites in Earth-based laboratories to confirm and extend previous discoveries. Finally, in the fifth phase, human exploration is needed to establish the geological settings for the earlier findings or to discover and explore sites that are not accessible to robotic spacecraft.     

Characteristics and formation of amino acids and hydroxy acids of the Murchison meteorite.

Eight characteristics of the unique suite of amino acids and hydroxy acids found in the Murchison meteorite can be recognized on the basis of detailed molecular and isotopic analyses. The marked structural correspondence between the alpha-amino acids and alpha-hydroxy acids and the high deuterium/hydrogen ratio argue persuasively for their formation by aqueous phase Strecker reactions in the meteorite parent body from presolar, i.e., interstellar, aldehydes, ketones, ammonia, and hydrogen cyanide. The characteristics of the meteoritic suite of amino acids and hydroxy acids are briefly enumerated and discussed with regard to their consonance with this interstellar-parent body formation hypothesis. The hypothesis has interesting implications for the organic composition of both the primitive parent body and the presolar nebula.     

Galactic cosmic rays and cell-hit frequencies outside the magnetosphere.

An evaluation of the exposure of space travelers to galactic cosmic radiation outside the earth's magnetosphere is made by calculating fluences of high-energy primary and secondary particles with various charges traversing a sphere of area 100 microns2. Calculations relating to two shielding configurations are presented: the center of a spherical aluminum shell of thickness 1 g/cm2, and the center of a 4 g/cm2 thick aluminum spherical shell within which there is a 30 g/cm2 diameter spherical water phantom with the point of interest 5 g/cm2 from the surface. The area of 100 microns2 was chosen to simulate the nucleus of a cell in the body. The frequencies as a function of charge component in both shielding configurations reflects the odd-even disparity of the incident particle abundances. For a three-year mission, 33% of the cells in the more heavily shielded configuration would be hit by at least one particle with Z greater than 10. Six percent would be hit by at least two such particles. This emphasizes the importance of studying single high-Z particle effects both on cells which might be "at risk" for cancer induction and on critical neural cells or networks which might be vulnerable to inactivation by heavy charged particle tracks. Synergistic effects with the more numerous high-energy protons and helium ions cannot be ruled out. In terms of more conventional radiation risk assessment, the dose equivalent decreased by a factor of 2.85 from free space to that in the more heavily shielded configuration. Roughly half of this was due to the decrease in energy deposition (absorbed dose) and half to the decrease in biological effectiveness (quality factor).