The Mercury Laser Altimeter Instrument for the MESSENGER Mission

The Mercury Laser Altimeter (MLA) is one of the payload science instruments on the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) mission, which launched on August 3, 2004. The altimeter will measure the round-trip time of flight of transmitted laser pulses reflected from the surface of the planet that, in combination with the spacecraft orbit position and pointing data, gives a high-precision measurement of surface topography referenced to Mercury’s center of mass. MLA will sample the planet’s surface to within a 1-m range error when the line-of-sight range to Mercury is less than 1,200 km under spacecraft nadir pointing or the slant range is less than 800 km. The altimeter measurements will be used to determine the planet’s forced physical librations by tracking the motion of large-scale topographic features as a function of time. MLA’s laser pulse energy monitor and the echo pulse energy estimate will provide an active measurement of the surface reflectivity at 1,064 nm. This paper describes the instrument design, prelaunch testing, calibration, and results of postlaunch testing.     

月球阿波罗盆地区域月壳结构及光谱特征

位于月球南极–艾肯(South Pole-Aitken Basin,SPA)盆地内的前酒海纪阿波罗盆地跨越了SPA盆地的瞬时穴和盆缘。SPA盆地是已确认的月球上最大最古老的撞击盆地,因此阿波罗盆地对于认识月球的内部结构和成分、区域地质作用和演化历史具有不可替代的作用。阿波罗盆地区域月壳具有很强的不对称性,靠近SPA盆缘处厚而靠近SPA盆地中心处薄,其峰环内部拥有最薄的月壳厚度。阿波罗盆地区域具有不同的光谱吸收特征。在阿波罗盆地外,靠近SPA盆缘具有更多Mg辉石吸收特征的短波吸收,而靠近SPA中心区域具有更多高Ca辉石吸收特征的长波吸收。盆地内部不同地质单元的光谱吸收特征也有差异,月海为高Ca辉石的吸收特征,峰环为Mg辉石的短波长吸收。阿波罗盆地具有最薄的月壳厚度、高程差达8 km的地层剖面、位于月球背面SPA盆地内的月海、发育充分的中央峰环,其独特性使它成为最有价值的采样点。     

Experimental Evaluation of Passive Microwave Velocity/Altitude Sensing

Experiments were conducted to determine the feasibility of using a passive microwave sensor of velocity/altitude ratio (V/H) as the basis for an aircraft navigation system. This sensor, combined with a radar altimeter, yields the velocity information needed for navigation. Airborne measurements were made with a two-beam X-band radiometer in a C-47 test aircraft. Radiometer signals and auxiliary information were recorded on magnetic tape. Ground-based data processing provided a comparison of radiometer-derived V/H measurements with those derived from independent sensors. Good results (fluctuating errors comparable to experimental uncertainties) were obtained over green farmland, urban areas, rice paddies, and certain desert areas; marginal results were obtained over other deserts and winter farmland. It was concluded that a microwave V/H sensor is feasible as the basis for a navigation system at low altitude over favorable terrains.     

The rings of Saturn

This paper reviews observations of the rings of Saturn at visual, infrared, and radio wave-lengths. Critical assessments are made of attempts to derive the physical characteristics of the rings from these measurements. A discussion is also given of the origin and evolution of the rings.     

关于飞机拆解

<正>多年来,拆解飞机对于拆解公司和租赁公司来说都是非常有利可图的,但随着全球机队的更新和拆解市场竞争的日趋激烈,曾经丰厚的利润正在缩水,市场结构正在发生变化。在过去5年中,航空公司纷纷订购了新一代飞机,使波音公司和空客公司的飞机储备订单量增速迅猛,但飞机的退役速率却一直保持稳定。根据波音公司预测,随着波音737MAX和空客A320neo等燃油效率更高的新一代飞机陆续交付,预计未来20年全球将需要37000架新飞机,与此同时将迎来     

Configuration space and stability analysis of solar sail near-vertical earth-trailing orbits

Regions outside the reach of traditional propulsion systems or the ones that require significant propellant, may be reached by harnessing the solar radiation pressure and leveraging coupled dynamics to maneuver a sail-based spacecraft. Earth-trailing orbits have recently been investigated for getting a unique perspective of the Sun while maintaining the spacecraft in close proximity to Earth. Vertical orbits trailing the Earth exhibit the additional capability to view the Sun from above and below the ecliptic plane. In this work, families of sail-based orbits are explored for varying Earth-trailing angles and Z amplitudes in the Sun-Earth circular restricted three-body problem. Optimization is carried out to ensure that the non-traditional vertical orbits exhibit a constant pitch angle control history, as well as symmetry across the X-Y plane. The stability of the resulting orbit families is assessed using an extension of Flouquet theory to Differential Algebraic Equations. Results indicate that sail-based Earth-trailing vertical orbits can be more stable than traditional sub-L₁ sail-based vertical orbits.     

DebrisWatch I: A survey of faint geosynchronous debris

Recent anomalies exhibited by satellites and rocket bodies have highlighted that a population of faint debris exists at geosynchronous (GEO) altitudes, where there are no natural removal mechanisms. Despite previous optical surveys probing to around 10–20 cm in size, regular monitoring of faint sources at GEO is challenging, thus our knowledge remains sparse. It is essential that we continue to explore the faint debris population using large telescopes to better understand the risk posed to active GEO satellites. To this end, we present photometric results from a survey of the GEO region carried out with the 2.54 m Isaac Newton Telescope in La Palma, Canary Islands. We probe to 21st visual magnitude (around 10 cm, assuming Lambertian spheres with an albedo of 0.1), uncovering 129 orbital tracks with GEO-like motion across the eight nights of dark-grey time comprising the survey. The faint end of our brightness distribution continues to rise until the sensitivity limit of the sensor is reached, suggesting that the modal brightness could be even fainter. We uncover a number of faint, uncatalogued objects that show photometric signatures of rapid tumbling, many of which straddle the limiting magnitude of our survey over the course of a single exposure, posing a complex issue when estimating object size. This work presents the first instalment of DebrisWatch, an ongoing collaboration between the University of Warwick and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (UK) investigating the faint population of GEO debris.     

发动机MRO正在调整企业战略

据《航空周刊》预测,2020年商用飞机发动机售后市场的MRO总支出将跃升至347亿美元,其中窄体飞机发动机MRO总支出的占比将达到42%,返厂维修量将激增,许多MRO供应商在全球的车间内将全年12个月的产能都调至接近最大。鉴于这种产能供不应求的局面,发动机OEM和MRO企业都在不断调整战略。     

What was learned from the new VFE-2 experiments

In the present paper the main results of the new experiments from VFE-2 are summarized. These include some force and moment results, surface and off-body measurements, as well as steady and fluctuating quantities. Some critical remarks are added, and an outlook for future investigations is given.