Statistical Relationships between Solar, Interplanetary, and Geomagnetic Disturbances, 1976–2000: 2

In this paper we continue the analysis of the influence of solar and interplanetary events on magnetospheric storms that was started in [1]. Two data sets are additionally analyzed in the present study: solar flares of importance M5 and greater in 1976–2000 and halo CMEs observed by the SOHO spacecraft during the period of 1996–2000. It is demonstrated that the statistical characteristics of the new set of flares and of that analyzed before in [1] differ little, while the geoeffectiveness of the halo CMEs turned out to be much less than that of the previously published CMEs.     

Radiation Electrification of Spacecraft Leeward Surfaces by Auroral Electrons in the Ionosphere

A methodology of the physical modeling of radiation electrification of the leeward surfaces of the materials used to construct space vehicles by auroral electrons, when the vehicles are flown supersonically around by the ionospheric plasma at low and middle heights, is developed. Based on laboratory modeling, numerical experiments, and in situ observations, the dependencies of charging levels and equilibrium potentials on the ratio of the auroral electron density to the positive ions in the near wake behind the body and in the undisturbed plasma are determined.     

Life support system development in West Germany

The delivery of fully qualified Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLS) flight hardware for the Spacelab Flight Unit was completed in 1979, and the first Spacelab flight is scheduled for mid 1983.

With Spacelab approaching its operational stage, ESA has initiated the Follow-on Development Programme. The future evolution of Spacelab elements in a continued U.S./European cooperation is obviously linked to the U.S. STS evolution and leads from the sortie-mode improvements (Initial Step) towards pallet systems and module applications in unmanned and manned space platforms (Medium and Far Term Alternatives).

Extensive studies and design work have been accomplished on life support systems for Life Sciences Laboratories (Biorack) in Spacelab (incubators and holding units for low vertebrates).

Future long term missions require the implementation of closed loop life support systems and in order to meet the long range development cycle feasibility studies have been performed. Terrestrial applications of the life support technologies developed for space have been successfully implemented.     

Changes in the vestibular function during space flight

An analysis of observations and investigations carried out in space flight has shown that some cosmonauts and astronauts have experienced vestibular disorders during the transition to weightlessness. Vestibular-sensory disorders include: Spatial illusions (the feelings of falling down, being in an upside-down position, the sensations of rotation of the craft or the body) and vertigo occurring during the onset of the orbital flight and head movements; Feelings, similar to those experienced in response to Coriolis accelerations on the Earth, which occasionally develop in weightlessness during the spacecraft rotation upon abrupt head and body movements and restrained feet; Feelings "of the load on the vestibular analyser which is unlike any Earth-bound effects" upon abrupt head movements during the first hours of an orbital flight and "a prolonged movement" during the switch-off of thrusters in weightlessness. Vestibular-vegetative disorders comprise a complex of symptoms similar to those of motion sickness: loss of appetite, stomach awareness (12%), hypersalination, nausea (9.6%) and vomiting (4.8%). Soviet studies suggest that the vestibular tolerance to the flight effects depends on the natural stability and training to the cumulative effect of adequate vestibular stimuli. This has been used in the development of the system of vestibular selection. Changes in the vestibular function seem to play the major role in the development of motion sickness in weightlessness, extra-labyrinthine factors being contributory. The current hypotheses have not yet been adequately confirmed in experiments. A detailed physiological analysis allows the conclusion that the decisive factor in the development of motion sickness may be the disturbance of the function of analysers responsible for spatial orientation which take the form of sensory conflicts as well as an altered reactivity of the organism due to the hemodynamic rearrangement.     

Forecasting of the Total Electron Content at a Single Location

The autocovariance prediction method previously used for the forecast of VI derived ionospheric characteristics has been used for forecast of one of the most important ionospheric—the total electron content (TEC)—at single locations. Quiet and disturbed conditions at different European stations were studied in regard to clarify the forecasting capabilities of the method for determination of the TEC. The accuracies of the method achieved in dependence on the time range of the forecast are demonstrated.     

Results of Space-Flight Tests of the Vibration-Protective Platform VZP-1K

The data of microacceleration measurements performed onboard the Mirstation are analyzed. The data were taken while testing the passive vibration-protective platform VZP-1K developed by the NPO Kompozit. We have processed the results of simultaneous microacceleration measurements on the vibration-protective platform and on the station body close to the platform. Two sets of the French equipment Microaccelerometer were used for these measurements. It was found that the platform reduces the vibrational component of microaccelerations in the band of frequencies above 3 Hz by more than a factor of 10. In this case, all harmonics with large amplitudes are damped by a factor of 50 and more, and some harmonics with small amplitude are damped only by a factor of 10. In the band 0.3–0.6 Hz (close to natural frequencies of the platform), the several-fold increase in amplitude of the vibrational component of microaccelerations is observed, but since the initial values of this amplitude in all performed experiments were small, the above indicated increase practically has not decreased the vibration-protective properties of the platform. The estimations of natural frequencies and damping coefficients of the platform found as a result of data processing of microacceleration measurements made during its free oscillations are obtained. The dependence of frequencies on the amplitude of oscillations is revealed for one mode, which testifies to appreciable nonlinear effects.     

Lipid peroxidation of plants under microgravity and its simulation.

In series of space experiments aboard the biosatellites "Cosmos 1887", "Bion 9", the orbital stations "Salut", "Mir" and under clinostating, changes of lipid peroxidation (LPO) and antioxidation activity (AOA) of Chlorella, Haplopappus tissue culture, wheat and pea roots were determined. The changes had a complex fluctuation character; three steps of response were established: LPO decreasing accompanied by AOA increase; stabilization LPO <==> AOA balance; secondary LPO activation. Most early and highly amplitude decreasing of LPO were fixed in mitochondria. The rate of response have been increased on multicellular level of plants organization.     

Modeling of artificial plasma “bubble” in ionosphere

Results of a combination of radio-crossing and in situ measurements of plasma density in an artificial plasma “bubble” in the ionosphere are presented. Shaped — charge barium injection was made at short distance (≤50 m) to plasma diagnostics on the rocket. After injection the rocket passed through expanding plasma shell. Plasma density depletion inside was more than one order and plasma enhancements on the boundary about 3–5 times that of background. When the rocket passed the shell and went away by 2.1 km an abrupt drop of telemetry signal level (≤ 65 dB) was registered though plasma density was not more than 3×10³sm⁻³. An estimation of high frequency signal refraction on the plasma shell is in good accordance with refraction data of geostationary satellite signals on equatorial bubbles.     

Interpretation of observations on July 24, 1996 detected by Interball-1 as pulsed reconnection at low latitude magnetopause

A method for investigating reconnection events is presented. The approach is based on advantages of non-linear spectral analysis named by the Method of Global Minimum and magnetic field measurements. The technique allows to reveal a presence and plasma properties of different particle species, waves, and time intervals of development of non-linear processes in the reconnection layers. We put into practice the approach to study the event on July 24, 1996 detected by Interball-1 and interpreted as gross deformation of the dayside magnetopause of about 5 R_E caused by a process at the bow shock by (Sibeck et al., 1998). Our method of spectral analysis of the data reveals that plasma detected during the event consists of ions both solar wind and ionosphere origin. The spectrum of the magnetic field data is determined by periods caused by gyro-motions of different species of the solar wind plasma (Fe⁺⁶, O⁺⁶, He⁺⁺) and the ionosphere ions (N⁺⁺, He⁺), and power non-stationary (transient) oscillations at period T120 sec. (frequency8 mHz. We reveal the exchange of plasma from the solar wind to the magnetosphere during the event too. Based on results of our analysis we suggest that the simplest explanation of the discussed event is that these are signatures of transient reconnection of interplanetary and terrestrial magnetic fields.     

Distinctive spatial configuration of a class ofmicrowave flaring sources

We discuss a class of microwave flares whose source regions exhibit a distinctive spatial configuration; the primaryenergy release in these flares results from the interaction between emerging magnetic flux and an existing overlying region. Such events typically exhibit radio, X-ray and EUV emission at the main flare site (the site of interaction) and in addition radio emission at a remote site up to 1 × 10⁵ km away in another active region. We have identified and studied more than a dozen microwave flares in this class, in order to arrive at some general conclusions on reconnection and energy release in such solar flares. Typically, these flares show a gradual rise showing many subsidiary peaks in both radio and hard X-ray light curves with a quasi-oscillatory nature with periods of 5–6 seconds, a bright compact X-ray & EUV emitting loop in the main flare source, a delay of the radio emission from the remote source relative to the main X-ray-emitting source. The magnetic field in the main flare site changes sharply at the time of the flare, and the remote site appears to be magnetically connected to the main flare site.