Radiance calibration of CRISTA-NF

The CRISTA-NF instrument is the airborne version of the CRISTA satellite infrared limb sounder. It has been successfully flown on the Geophysica research airplane during a test campaign in July 2005, during the SCOUT-O3 Tropical Aircraft Campaign in November/December 2005 and during the AMMA campaign in August 2006. Radiance calibrations of the airborne instrument are more complex compared to the satellite instrument because the vacuum shell of CRISTA-NF is confined by a ZnSe (zinc–selenide) window and the detectors can thermally drift during measurement flights. By comprehensive radiance calibrations with a blackbody source the window’s emissivity and transmissivity are determined and the dependence of the instrument sensitivity on the detector temperature is characterized. Taking these effects into account, the remaining radiance error of the calibration is smaller than 3%.     

Comparison of solar soft X-ray irradiance from broadband photometers to a high spectral resolution rocket observation

The solar soft X-ray (XUV; 1–30 nm) radiation is highly variable on all time scales and strongly affects the ionosphere and upper atmosphere of Earth, Mars, as well as the atmospheres and surfaces of other planets and moons in the solar system; consequently, the solar XUV irradiance is important for atmospheric studies and for space weather applications. While there have been several recent measurements of the solar XUV irradiance, detailed understanding of the solar XUV irradiance, especially its variability during flares, has been hampered by the lack of high spectral resolution measurements in this wavelength range. The conversion of the XUV photometer signal into irradiance requires the use of a solar spectral model, but there has not been direct validation of these spectral models for the XUV range. For example, the irradiance algorithm for the XUV Photometer System (XPS) measurements uses multiple CHIANTI spectral models, but validation has been limited to other solar broadband measurements or with comparisons of the atmospheric response to solar variations. A new rocket observation of the solar XUV irradiance with 0.1 nm resolution above 6 nm was obtained on 14 April 2008, and these new results provide a first direct validation of the spectral models used in the XPS data processing. The rocket observation indicates very large differences for the spectral model for many individual emission features, but the differences are significantly smaller at lower resolution, as expected since the spectral models are scaled to match the broadband measurements. While this rocket measurement can help improve a spectral model for quiet Sun conditions, many additional measurements over a wide range of solar activity are needed to fully address the spectral model variations. Such measurements are planned with a similar instrument included on NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), whose launch is expected in 2009.     

CRB: Sinusoid-Sources' Estimation using Collocated Dipoles/Loops

This work derives new asymptotic Cram?r-Rao lower bounds (CRB) for the estimation of multiple pure-tone incident signals' azimuth-elevation arrival-angles, polarization parameters, frequencies, amplitudes, and temporal phases—based on data collected by spatially collocated but orthogonally oriented dipoles and/or loops. The incident sources are pure-tones at distinct, deterministic but unknown frequencies, in contrast to the case of all incident sources at one common known frequency, as has been investigated in the existing research literature on the CRB for diversely-polarized direction-finding. The derived CRBs are closed-form expressions, explicitly in terms of the signal parameters. The new CRBs presented here reveal how a constituent dipole and/or loop's presence and orientation may affect estimation precision, thereby offering guidelines to the system engineer on what dipole(s) and/or loop(s) to include or to omit in constructing the electromagnetic vector-sensor.     

Outskirts of Galaxy Clusters

Until recently, only about 10 % of the total intracluster gas volume had been studied with high accuracy, leaving a vast region essentially unexplored. This is now changing and a wide area of hot gas physics and chemistry awaits discovery in galaxy cluster outskirts. Also, robust large-scale total mass profiles and maps are within reach. First observational and theoretical results in this emerging field have been achieved in recent years with sometimes surprising findings. Here, we summarize and illustrate the relevant underlying physical and chemical processes and review the recent progress in X-ray, Sunyaev–Zel’dovich, and weak gravitational lensing observations of cluster outskirts, including also brief discussions of technical challenges and possible future improvements.     

Development of a thin section device for space exploration: Rock cutting mechanism

We have developed a rock cutting mechanism for in situ planetary exploration based on abrasive diamond impregnated wire. Performance characteristics of the rock cutter, including cutting rate on several rock types, cutting surface lifetime, and cut rock surface finish are presented. The rock cutter was developed as part of a broader effort to develop an in situ automated rock thin section (IS-ARTS) instrument. The objective of IS-ARTS was to develop an instrument capable of producing petrographic rock thin sections on a planetary science spacecraft. The rock cutting mechanism may also be useful to other planetary science missions with in situ instruments in which sub-sampling and rock surface preparation are necessary.     

Moon first versus flexible path exploration strategies: Considering international contributions

This paper analyses potential future collaborative space exploration architectures in terms of 1) the technical capabilities of contributing partners; and 2) the constraints imposed by internal and international politics. We find that when international partners are considered endogenously, the argument for a “flexible path” approach is weakened substantially. This is because international contributions can make “Moon first” economically feasible; and characteristics of proposed “flexible path” approaches may preclude international involvement because of the disproportionate risk that those contributions inherently bear. This could have serious implications for future collaborations. We also note that while there are multiple feasible collaborative architectures, there is currently substantial overlap among the potential niche contributions identified by the international partners.     

Biological implications of the Viking mission to Mars

A central purpose of Viking was to search for evidence that life exists on Mars or may have existed in the past. The missions carried three biology experiments the prime purpose of which was to seek for existing microbial life. In addition the results of a number of the other experiments have biological implications: (1) The elemental analyses of the atmosphere and the regolith showed or implied that the elements generally considered essential to terrestrial biology are present. (2) But unexpectedly, no organic compounds were detected in Martian samples by an instrument that easily detected organic materials in the most barren of terrestrial soils. (3) Liquid water is believed to be an absolute requisite for life. Viking obtained direct evidence for the presence of water vapor and water ice, and it obtained strong inferential evidence for the existence of large amounts of subsurface permafrost now and in the Martain past. However it obtained no evidence for the current existence of liquid water possessing the high chemical potential required for at least terrestrial life, a result that is consistent with the known pressure-temperature relations on the planet's surface. On the other hand, the mission did obtain strong indications from both atmospheric analyses and orbital photographs that large quantities of liquid water flowed episodically on the Martian surface 0.5 to 2.5 G years ago.The three biology experiments produced clear evidence of chemical reactivity in soil samples, but it is becoming increasingly clear that the chemical reactions were nonbiological in origin. The unexpected release of oxygen by soil moistened with water vapor in the Gas Exchange experiment together with the negative findings of the organic analysis experiment lead to the conclusion that the surface contains powerful oxidants. This conclusion is consistent with models of the atmosphere. The oxidants appear also to have been responsible for the decarboxylation of the organic nutrients that were introduced in the Label Release experiment. The major results of the GEX and LR experiments have been simulated at least qualitatively on Earth. The third, Pyrolytic Release, experiment obtained evidence for organic synthesis by soil samples. Although the mechanism of the synthesis is obscure, the thermal stability of the reaction makes a biological explanation most unlikely. Furthermore, the response of soil samples in all three experiments to the addition of water is not consistent with a biological interpretation.The conditions now known to exist at and below the Martian surface are such that no known terrestrial organism could grow and function. Although the evidence does not absolutely rule out the existence of favourable oases, it renders their existence extremely unlikely. The limiting conditions for the functioning of terrestrial organisms are not the limits for conceivable life elsewhere, and accordingly one cannot exclude the possibility that indigenous life forms may currently exist somewhere on Mars or may have existed sometime in the past. Nevertheless, the available information about the present Martian environment puts severe constraints and presents formidable challenges to any putative Martian organisms. The Martian environment in the past, on the other hand, appears to have been considerably less hostile biologically, and it might possibly have permitted the origin and transient establishment of a biota.     

Genetic modification and selection of microorganisms for growth on Mars

Genetic engineering has often been suggested as a mechanism for improving the survival prospects of terrestrial microoganisms when seeded on Mars. The survival characteristics that these pioneer microorganisms could be endowed with and a variety of mechanisms by which this can be achieved are discussed, together with an overview of some of the potential hurdles that must be overcome. Also, a number of biologically useful properties for these microorganisms are presented that could facilitate the initial human colonisation and ultimately the planetary engineering of Mars.     

Evolution of anticodons

Anticodons are trinucleotides in transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules. The latter carry amino acids for insertion into the polypeptide sequences of proteins during the translation of messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules. Messenger RNA molecules are transcribed from genes. Evolution of tRNA molecules has resulted in a set of anticodons for the 20 amino acids that are used in protein synthesis. This set of anticodons is slightly different in mitochondrial codes from the set that is used in the nuclear “universal” code. Theories for the evolution of the code include frozen accident, doublet expansion, repeating triplets and coevolutionary distribution. The number of codons has always been fixed at 64 by mathematical rules, but because an anticodon may pair with more than one codon, the number of anticodons is only 54 in the universal code, is smaller in mitochondrial codes, and was probably even smaller in archetypal primitive codes. Evidence of anticodon evolution can be seen by comparing mitochondrial codes with the universal code. Codes used by very primitive organisms that are now extinct might have specified fewer amino acids than are now used.