Power management and distribution system for a more-electricaircraft (MADMEL)

A five-phase Power Management and Distribution System for a More-Electric Aircraft (MADMEL) program was awarded by the Air Force to Northrop/Grumman Military Aircraft Division in September 1991. The objective of the program is to design, develop, and demonstrate an advanced electrical power generation and distribution system for a More-Electric Aircraft (MEA). The MEA emphasizes the use of electrical power in place of hydraulics, pneumatic, and mechanical power to optimize the performance and life cycle cost of the aircraft. This paper presents an overview of the MADMEL program and a top-level summary of the program results, development and test of major components to date. In Phase I and Phase II studies, the electrical load requirements were established and the electrical power system architecture was defined for both near-term (NT-year 1996) and far-term (FT-year 2003) MEA application. The detailed design and specification for the Electrical Power System (EPS), its interface with the Vehicle Management System, and the test set-up were developed under Phase III. Phase IV, fabrication and testing of the subsystem level hardware, has been completed. Overall system level integration and testing, Phase V, is scheduled to be completed by September 1999     

Some regularities in the relationship of limb coronal mass ejections with eruptive prominences and post-eruptive arcades

A positive correlation is shown to exist between the angular sizes (in the sky plane) of eruptive prominences and/or post-eruptive arcades and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) associated with them. New regularities are found that characterize the relationship between the latitude of eruptive prominences (post-eruptive arcades) and the latitude position of CMEs associated with them in the field of view of a coronagraph. An interpretation of these regularities is given.     

Fiber-optic gyros and quartz accelerometers for motion control

In article the opportunity of use strapdown inertial navigation system (SINS) on the base of fiber-optic gyroscopes and quartz accelerometers corrected from star sensors and satellite navigation equipment (SNE) for perspective interplanetary spacecrafts motion control on phases of interplanetary trajectory insertion, trajectory correction, and braking during transition to Mars orbit is investigated. Results of onboard control complex accuracy characteristics estimation are presented at the given dynamic spacecraft scheme which is taking into account the liquid oscillations in tanks and structure elements elasticity. At modelling the errors of measuring devices installation, errors of SINS initial alignment and instrumental errors of SINS sensitive elements, variation of control engines parameters were taken into account. The structure of the developed complex of imitation modelling of interplanetary spacecraft controlled motion is resulted. Estimations of active flight legs realization accuracy were received by a method of statistical modelling of spacecraft controlled motion     

On electromagnetic phenomena in Mercury’s magnetosphere

Mercury has a small but intriguing magnetosphere. In this brief review, we discuss some similarities and differences between Mercury’s and Earth’s magnetospheres. In particular, we discuss how electric and magnetic field measurements can be used as a diagnostic tool to improve our understanding of the dynamics of Mercury’s magnetosphere. These points are of interest to the upcoming ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission to Mercury.     

Solar wind turbulence during the solar cycle deduced from Galileo coronal radio-sounding experiments

Seven coronal radio-sounding campaigns were carried out during the active lifetime of the Galileo spacecraft in the years 1994–2002. The observational data analyzed in the present work are S-band frequency fluctuation measurements recorded during the solar conjunctions at different phases of solar activity cycle #23, specifically: periods near solar maximum (three conjunctions), near solar minimum (three conjunctions) and during the ascending phase (one conjunction). These data are all applicable to low heliographic latitudes, i.e. to the slow solar wind. The rms frequency fluctuation and power-law index of the frequency fluctuation temporal spectra are determined as a function of heliocentric distance. The turbulence power spectrum tends to be flatter inside ca. 20 solar radii during all phases of the solar cycle. This coincides with a transition in the flow from the inner acceleration region to the outer region of constant velocity. The radial falloff rate and absolute level of the rms frequency fluctuation are essentially invariant over the solar cycle.     

Radiation measurements on the flight of IML-2.

The second flight of the International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-2) on Space Shuttle flight STS-65 provided a unique opportunity for the intercomparison of a wide variety of radiation measurement techniques. Although this was not a coordinated or planned campaign, by sheer chance, a number of space radiation experiments from several countries were flown on this mission. There were active radiation measuring instruments from Japan and US, and passive detectors from US, Russia, Japan, and Germany. These detectors were distributed throughout the Space Shuttle volume: payload bay, middeck, flight deck, and Spacelab. STS-65 was launched on July 8, 1994, in a 28.45 degrees x 306 km orbit for a duration of 14 d 17 hr and 55 min. The crew doses varied from 0.935 mGy to 1.235 mGy. A factor of two variation was observed between various passive detectors mounted inside the habitable Shuttle volume. There is reasonable agreement between the galactic cosmic ray dose, dose equivalent and LET spectra measured by the tissue equivalent proportional counter flown in the payload bay with model calculations. There are significant differences in the measurements of LET spectra measured by different groups. The neutron spectrum in the 1-20 MeV region was measured. Using fluence-dose conversion factors, the neutron dose and dose equivalent rates were 11 +/- 2.7 microGy/day and 95 +/- 23.5 microSv/day respectively. The average east-west asymmetry of trapped proton (>3OMeV) and (>60 MeV) dose rate was 3.3 and 1.9 respectively.     

Progress in ultrasonic bioreactors for CELSS applications.

An important issue in Controlled Ecological Life Support Systems (CELSS) is the recycling of inedible crop residues to recover inorganic plant nutrients such as nitrates, phosphates, potassium and other macro- and micro-nutrients. In a closed system in space, such regeneration is vital to the long term viability of plant growth necessary for the food production and waste handling process. Chemical approaches to recycling such as incineration and wet oxidation are not compatible with low energy and environmentally friendly regeneration of such nutrients. Biological regeneration is more acceptable environmentally, but it is a very slow process and does not typically result in complete recovery of inorganic and organic nutrients. A new approach to biological regeneration is described here involving the combined use of special enzymatic catalysts and ultrasonic energy in a bioreactor system. This new system has the potential for rapid, efficient, environmentally friendly and complete conversion of crop wastes to inorganic plant nutrients and food recovery from cellulose materials. A series of experimental tests were carried out with a soybean crop residue meal substrate. Biochemical conversion rates were significantly expedited with the addition of enzymes and further enhanced through ultrasonic stimulation of these enzymes. The difference in conversion rates was particularly increased after the initial period of soluble organics conversion. The remaining cellulose substrate is much more difficult to biodegrade, and the ultrasonically-enhanced reaction was able to demonstrate a much higher rate of substrate conversion.     

Statistical method for ground and sky coverage calculation

A novel statistical method has been devised for evaluating the ground and the sky coverage of an observation experiment on board a satellite. Owing to its unrivalled rapidity compared with other conventional calculation techniques, the method can be applied to evaluate the coverage percentages for the whole globe or any area on it, to calculate the visibility percentages for one or more ground stations and to determine the percentages of observation time of any given celestial direction including Sun, Moon, Earth and Ground Stations constraints. The orbits considered can be elliptical and account is taken of the drift due to the Earth's oblateness.     

Soft X-ray emission from radio Loops I and III compared

We examine X-ray maps of the whole sky covering energies from 0.1 to 6 keV. We model Loop I X-ray emission as being caused by an old supernova that exploded into an already warm interstellar medium. After comparison with Loop III we deduce that there may be a general temperature gradient in the gas as we move away from the plane in the northern galactic hemisphere.