10Be Production in the Atmosphere by Galactic Cosmic Rays

Galactic cosmic ray nuclei and energetic protons produced in solar flares and accelerated by coronal mass ejections are the main sources of high-energy particles of extraterrestrial origin in near-Earth space and inside the Earth’s atmosphere. The intensity of galactic cosmic rays inside the heliosphere is strongly influenced by the modulation of the interstellar source particles on their way through interplanetary space. Among others, this modulation depends on the activity of the Sun, and the resulting intensity of the energetic particles in the atmosphere is an indicator of the solar activity. Therefore, rare isotopes found in historical archives and produced by spallation reactions of primary and secondary hadrons of cosmic origin in the atmosphere, so-called cosmogenic nuclides, can be used to reconstruct the solar activity in the past. The production rate of ¹⁰Be, one of the cosmogenic nuclides most adequate to study the solar activity, is presented showing its variations with geographic latitude and altitude and the dependence on different production cross-sections present in literature. In addition, estimates for altitude integrated production rates of ¹⁰Be at different locations since the early nineteen sixties are shown.     

Application of a Multiple Hypothesis Filter to near GEO high area-to-mass ratio space objects state estimation

Optical surveys have identified a class of high area-to-mass ratio (HAMR) objects in the vicinity of the Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) regime. The nature of these objects is not well known, though their proximity to the GEO belt implies origins from space objects (SOs) near GEO. These HAMR objects pose a collision hazard as they transit through the vicinity of active GEO satellites. Due to their high area-to-mass ratios (AMRs), ranging from 0.1 to 20 m²/kg and higher, the effective solar radiation pressure perturbs their orbits significantly. Improvements in detection sensitivity will result in large numbers of uncorrelated tracks from surveys. A Multiple Hypothesis Filter (MHF) approach to the initial state estimation and track association provides a potentially automated and efficient approach to the processing of multiple un-correlated tracks.The availability of long-term optical angles data collected for a set of near GEO HAMR objects provides the means for testing candidate estimation processes such as the MHF. A baseline orbit determination (OD) process uses an Extended Kalman Filter/Smoother to manually estimate the 6 orbital elements and the effective area-to-mass ratio (AMR) which drives the solar radiation pressure perturbations on the orbital trajectories. In addition to allowing the characterization of the long-term behavior of the AMR, this process establishes a pseudo-truth trajectory to which the MHF analysis can be compared. An Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) is applied in the MHF estimation process to estimate the 6 orbital elements and AMR, with no a priori state assumptions, and the results are compared to the pseudo-truth results for validation.The work to be presented summarizes the UKF/MHF process and assesses state estimation performance based on selected data for selected near GEO HAMR objects having a range of AMR value and variations. The prediction accuracy is also assessed by comparing predictions derived from filter updates to segments of the pseudo-truth trajectory determined from data not included in the updates.     

Geochemical constraints on sources of metabolic energy for chemolithoautotrophy in ultramafic-hosted deep-sea hydrothermal systems

Numerical models are employed to investigate sources of chemical energy for autotrophic microbial metabolism that develop during mixing of oxidized seawater with strongly reduced fluids discharged from ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal systems on the seafloor. Hydrothermal fluids in these systems are highly enriched in H(2) and CH(4) as a result of alteration of ultramafic rocks (serpentinization) in the subsurface. Based on the availability of chemical energy sources, inferences are made about the likely metabolic diversity, relative abundance, and spatial distribution of microorganisms within ultramafic-hosted systems. Metabolic reactions involving H(2) and CH(4), particularly hydrogen oxidation, methanotrophy, sulfate reduction, and methanogenesis, represent the predominant sources of chemical energy during fluid mixing. Owing to chemical gradients that develop from fluid mixing, aerobic metabolisms are likely to predominate in low-temperature environments (<20-30 degrees C), while anaerobes will dominate higher-temperature environments. Overall, aerobic metabolic reactions can supply up to approximately 7 kJ of energy per kilogram of hydrothermal fluid, while anaerobic metabolic reactions can supply about 1 kJ, which is sufficient to support a maximum of approximately 120 mg (dry weight) of primary biomass production by aerobic organisms and approximately 20-30 mg biomass by anaerobes. The results indicate that ultramafic-hosted systems are capable of supplying about twice as much chemical energy as analogous deep-sea hydrothermal systems hosted in basaltic rocks.     

Traverses for the ISECG-GER design reference mission for humans on the lunar surface

This study explores the Design Reference Mission (DRM) architecture developed by Hufenbach et al. (2015) as a prelude to the release of the 2018 Global Exploration Roadmap (GER) developed by the International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG). The focus of this study is the exploration of the south polar region of the Moon, a region that has not been visited by any human missions, yet exhibits a multitude of scientifically important locations – the investigation of which will address long standing questions in lunar research. This DRM architecture involves five landing sites (Malapert massif, South Pole/Shackleton crater, Schrödinger basin, Antoniadi crater, and the South Pole-Aitken basin center), to be visited in sequential years by crew, beginning in 2028. Two Lunar Electric Rovers (LER) are proposed to be tele-robotically operated between sites to rendez-vous with crew at the time of the next landing. With engineering parameters in mind we explore the feasibility of tele-robotic operation of these LERs between lunar landing sites, and identify potential high interest sampling locations en-route. Additionally, in-depth sample collection and return traverses are identified for each individual landing site across key geologic terrains that also detail crew Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA). Exploration at and between landing sites is designed to address a suite of National Research Council (2007) scientific concepts.     

Earth-Based Visible and Near-IR Imaging of Mercury

New planned orbiter missions to Mercury have prompted renewed efforts to investigate the surface of Mercury via ground-based remote sensing. While the highest resolution instrumentation optical telescopes (e.g., HST) cannot be used at angular distances close to the Sun, advanced ground-based astronomical techniques and modern analytical and software can be used to obtain the resolved images of the poorly known or unknown part of Mercury. Our observations of the planet presented here were carried out in many observatories at morning and evening elongation of the planet. Stacking the acquired images of the hemisphere of Mercury, which was not observed by the Mariner 10 mission (1974–1975), is presented. Huge features found there change radically the existing hypothesis that the “continental” character of a surface may be attributed to the whole planet. We present the observational method, the data analysis approach, the resulting images and obtained properties of the Mercury’s surface.     

The Pluto Energetic Particle Spectrometer Science Investigation (PEPSSI) on the New Horizons Mission

The Pluto Energetic Particle Spectrometer Science Investigation (PEPSSI) comprises the hardware and accompanying science investigation on the New Horizons spacecraft to measure pick-up ions from Pluto’s outgassing atmosphere. To the extent that Pluto retains its characteristics similar to those of a “heavy comet” as detected in stellar occultations since the early 1980s, these measurements will characterize the neutral atmosphere of Pluto while providing a consistency check on the atmospheric escape rate at the encounter epoch with that deduced from the atmospheric structure at lower altitudes by the ALICE, REX, and SWAP experiments on New Horizons. In addition, PEPSSI will characterize any extended ionosphere and solar wind interaction while also characterizing the energetic particle environment of Pluto, Charon, and their associated system. First proposed for development for the Pluto Express mission in September 1993, what became the PEPSSI instrument went through a number of development stages to meet the requirements of such an instrument for a mission to Pluto while minimizing the required spacecraft resources. The PEPSSI instrument provides for measurements of ions (with compositional information) and electrons from 10 s of keV to ～1 MeV in a 160°×12° fan-shaped beam in six sectors for 1.5 kg and ～2.5 W.     

Analysis of the Boeing 747-100 using CEASIOM

One of the requirements for the SimSAC project was to use existing aircraft to act as benchmarks for comparison with CEASIOM generated models. Within this paper, results are given for one of these examples, the Boeing 747-100. This aircraft was selected because a complete dataset exists in the open domain, which can be used to validate SimSAC generated data. The purpose of this paper is to both give confidence in, and to demonstrate the capabilities of, the CEASIOM environment when used for preliminary aircraft and control system design. CEASIOM is the result of the integration of a set of sophisticated tools by the European Union funded, Framework 6 SimSAC program. The first part of this paper presents a comparison of the aerodynamic results for each of the solvers available within CEASIOM together with data from the 747-100 model published by NASA. The resulting nonlinear model is then trimmed and analysed using the Flight Control System Designer Toolkit (FCSDT) module. In the final section of the paper a state-feedback controller is designed within CEASIOM in order to modify the longitudinal dynamics of the aircraft. The open and closed loop models are subsequently evaluated with selected failed aerodynamic surfaces and for the case of a single failed engine. Through these results, the CEASIOM software suite is shown to be able to generate excellent quality adaptive-fidelity aerodynamic data. This data is contained within a full nonlinear aircraft model to which linear analysis and control system design can be easily applied.     

Predicting the effects of gas diffusivity on photosynthesis and transpiration of plants grown under hypobaria

As part of a Bio-regenerative Life Support System (BLSS) for long-term space missions, plants will likely be grown at reduced pressure. This low pressure will minimize structural requirements for growth chambers on missions to the Moon or Mars. However, at reduced pressures the diffusivity of gases increases. This will affect the rates at which CO₂ is assimilated and water is transpired through stomata. To understand quantitatively the possible effects of reduced pressure on plant growth, CO₂ and H₂O transport were calculated for atmospheres of various total pressures (101, 66, 33, 22, 11 kPa) and CO₂ concentrations (0.04, 0.1 and 0.18 kPa). The diffusivity of a gas is inversely proportional to total pressure and shows dramatic increases at pressures below 33 kPa (1/3 atm). A mathematical relationship based on the principle of thermodynamics was applied to low pressure conditions and can be used for calculating the transpiration and photosynthesis of plants grown in hypobaria. At 33 kPa total pressure, the stomatal conductance increases by a factor of three with the boundary layer conductance increasing by a factor of ∼1.7, since the leaf conductance is a function of both stomatal and the boundary layer conductance, the overall conductance will increase resulting in significantly higher levels of transpiration as the pressure drops. The conductance of gases is also regulated by stomatal aperture in an inverse relationship. The higher CO₂ concentration inside the leaf air space during low pressure treatments may result in higher CO₂ assimilation and partial stomata closure, resulting in a decrease in transpiration rate. The results of this analysis offer guidelines for experiments in pressure and high CO₂ environments to establish ideal conditions for minimizing transpiration and maximizing the plant biomass yield in BLSS.     

ESA + EU: Ideology or pragmatic task sharing?

This paper analyses the different positions in the debate about the institutional integration of ESA and the EU. In particular it considers previous articles published in Space Policy on both sides of the argument, i.e. ESA incorporation into the EU or EU membership in ESA. ESA becoming the space agency of the EU seems to be the compromise position. The analytical focus of this paper is whether these positions are realistic or whether we really need a common European space policy under one leadership, and therefore implicitly under the EU.     

Charge Structure and Dynamics in Thunderstorms

The electrical structure inside thunderstorm clouds and the changes with time of this structure are fundamental parameters for atmospheric electricity studies on Earth. This paper gives a review of the current state of knowledge about thunderstorm charge structure based primarily on in-cloud vertical profiles through different types of deep convective clouds, cirriform anvil clouds, and stratiform precipitation regions associated with mid-latitude mesoscale convective systems. Results on the dynamical evolution of the vertical charge structure during the early and decay stages from series of balloon soundings through small thunderstorms are described, along with recent findings regarding the importance of the charge structure in determining the current contribution of small and large thunderstorms to the Earth’s global electrical circuit.