Understanding plant-soil relationships using controlled environment facilities.

Although soil is a component of terrestrial ecosystems, it is comprised of a complex web of interacting organisms, and therefore can be considered itself as an ecosystem. Soil microflora and fauna derive energy from plants and plant residues and serve important functions in maintaining soil physical and chemical properties, thereby affecting net primary productivity (NPP), and in the case of contained environments, the quality of the life support system. We have been using 3 controlled-environment facilities (CEF's) that incorporate different levels of soil biological complexity and environmental control, and differ in their resemblance to natural ecosystems, to study relationships among plant physiology, soil ecology, fluxes of minerals and nutrients, and overall ecosystem function. The simplest system utilizes growth chambers and specialized root chambers with organic-less media to study the physiology of plant-mycorrhizal associations. A second system incorporates natural soil in open-top chambers to study soil bacterial and fungal population response to stress. The most complex CEF incorporates reconstructed soil profiles in a "constructed" ecosystem, enabling close examination of the soil foodweb. Our results show that closed ecosystem research is important for understanding mechanisms of response to ecosystem stresses. In addition, responses observed at one level of biological complexity may not allow prediction of response at a different level of biological complexity. In closed life support systems, incorporating soil foodwebs will require less artificial manipulation to maintain system stability and sustainability.     

Results of cosmic radiation dose field measurements aboard the “Salyut-6” orbital station

During the 3rd main expedition on board the “Salyut-6” orbital station in 1979 the integral characteristics of cosmic radiation were measured in various positions inside the manned modules (experiment “Integral”). Measurements were performed with thermoluminescent dosimeters, photographic films and solid state plastic detectors supplied for the experiment by specialists of the USSR, Bulgaria, Hungary, GDR and Romania. The dose gradient inside the manned modules of the station amounted to 70 % for long intervals of time. During the experimental period the dose rate inside the station was 15 to 30 mrad per day. The mean flux of particles with z 6 and LET 200 keV/μm was found to be 0.22 cm⁻² day⁻¹.     

Biological investigations aboard the biosatellite Cosmos-1129

Experiments on insects, higher plants and lower fungi were carried out aboard the biological satellite Cosmos-1129, in Earth orbit, from 25 September to 14 October 1979. The main objective of these experiments was to gain more profound knowledge of the effect of weightlessness on living organisms and to study the mechanisms by which these various organisms with different life cycles can adjust and develop in weightlessness. Experiments on insects ($\text{Drosophila melanogaster}$) were made with a view towards understanding gravitational preference in flies, the life cycle of which took place on board the biosatellite under conditions of artificial gravity. Experiments on higher plants ($\text{Zea mays, Arabidopsis taliana, Lycopersicum esculentum}$) and lower fungi ($\text{Physarum polycephalum}$) were performed.     

Solar maximum mission experiment: Early results of the hard X-ray imaging experiment

We have selected four widely different flares from the early period of operations of the Hard X-Ray Imaging Spectrometer (HXIS) on SMM to illustrate the characteristic imaging properties of this experiment. For the small flare of April 4, 1980, we demonstrate the instrument's capability for locating a compact source. In the weak, but extensive, flare of April 6 we show how well the instrument can display spatial structure, and also the low level of the instrument background. In the 1B flare of April 7 we are able to locate positions of the X-ray emission in the soft and hard channels, and estimate the positional variations of the emission patches. Finally, in the IN flare of April 10, which produced the strongest hard X-ray burst we have seen so far, we repeat some of the studies made for the April 7 event, and also demonstrate the capability of the HXIS instrument to study the development, with high time resolution, of individual 8″ × 8″ elements of the flare.     

The Soviet/Russian spacesuit history: Part III—The European connection

The European spacesuit system (ESSS) initiated by the European Space Agency (ESA) in the late 1980s had many similarities with the Soviet/Russian ORLAN spacesuit system, due to the Hermes system requirements. First, direct contacts in 1989 permitted closer comparison of the two suit systems, and soon the ORLAN manufacturer Zvezda could be contracted as support to the European spacesuit team. In particular, the suit enclosure design and predevelopment testing and operational analysis were performed in close cooperation between Zvezda and the European team under Dornier.

With the changing system requirements and a closer cooperation between ESA and the new Russian Space Agency (RKA) a new joint spaceplane/stations mission scenario came about. This scenario could be served by one spacesuit system, EVA SUIT 2000, which was to be jointly developed by a team headed by Zvezda and Dornier for ESA and RKA. ORLAN-DMA and ESSS experience and hardware were the initial platforms for these activities to create a new generation spacesuits for the Mir 2 and later the ISSs.

A suit demonstrator was manufactured and tested by the end of 1994 when ESA stopped its spacesuit development activities and the joint EVA SUIT 2000 project was terminated. However, many of the features designed, manufactured and tested for the EVA SUIT 2000 were then implemented by Zvezda in the new Russian spacesuit system ORLAN-M, now in full operation onboard the ISS.     

旋翼自转状态在高速直升机升力转移过程中的应用

近年来高速直升机的方案日新月异、屈出不穷。但无论是哪一种方案都要解决导致直升机不能飞得更快的根本原因--气流分布的不对称性所造成的气流分离及激波问题。目前大多数高速方案都采用升力转移来解决这一问题，即从直升机模式由旋翼承担升力过渡到固定翼飞机模式由机翼承担升图示 。本文利用自转状态在相同临界迎角下可以承担更多升力的特点，提出将自转引入升力转移的过程中，并建立了速度与桨盘迎角的关系，研究了从正常直升机模态进入自转状态时的进入速度与桨盘迎角。通过算例说明将自转状态作为升力转移的过渡状态，可以达到减小机翼面积，从而降低机体重量，减小阻力的目的，并证明自转状态应用于升力转移过程中是实际可行的良好方案。     

喉道参数对埋入式进气道气动性能的影响

以实验的方法系统地研究了喉道设计参数对埋入式进气道气动性能的影响。得出了低速下模型处于 0°攻角 ,0°侧滑及 4°侧滑时喉道位置和喉道面积比对进气道气动性能的影响。实验研究结果表明 :在适当的位置设置面积比合适的喉道可以大幅度地提高埋入式进气道的效率 ,降低进气道出口流场畸变。本文的研究为埋入式进气道喉道参数的优化设计提供了实验依据。     

模拟叶尖间隙流的转动平面叶栅实验方案

通过对动叶叶尖进口端壁附面层的性状分析指出：采用平面叶栅模拟动叶叶尖间隙流时，端壁面静止和仅有端壁面运动进口端壁附面层与真实情况存在较大差异。根据转子静止、静子转动这一相对运动思想研制出动叶叶尖间隙流实验台。通过对叶尖附近叶片表面静压分布和间隙泄漏流量实验测量表明：端壁面与叶片之间的相对运动、进口端壁附面层内速度分布是对叶尖间隙流有重要影响的因素。     

飞行航迹动态逆跟踪控制的神经网络方法

针对用动态逆方法设计飞行控制系统在极慢模态设计中所遇到的完全非线性问题，以及飞行器在执行低空突防任务时所面临的程度无法精确控制的条件，提出了一种以前向神经网络为核心的解决方案。文中给出了神经网络的拓扑结构、样本采集方法以及动态逆控制器的构造方法，仿结果表明，该方案具有良好的指令跟踪能力。     

负压实型铸造金属基复合材料的成型理论研究

负压实型铸造金属基复合材料的合金液前沿受到气化模气化产生的气体阻力Pc，凝固阻力Pf，毛细作用力Pc，自身重力G，纤维间的摩擦阻力f以及充型时端部紊流引起的非线性力等，其中气体的阻力，凝固阻力，毛细作用力是主要的作用力，文中通过分析影响这些作用力的因素，提出了改善合金液充填的有效途径；严格控制气化模中纤维的分布形态，使得合金液的充填速度均匀，控制浇注过程中的工艺参数，对纤维进行适当的表面处理，改善润湿性能等。