A study of chemical systems using signal flow graph theory.

Photochemistry of giant planets and their satellites is characterized by numerous reactions involving a lot of chemical species. In the present paper, chemical systems are modeled by signal flow graphs. Such a technique evaluates the transmission of any input into the system (solar flux, electrons ... ) and gives access to the identification of the most important mechanisms in the chemical system. This method is applied to the production of hydrocarbons in the atmospheres of giant planets. In particular, the production of C2H6 in the atmosphere of Neptune from the photodissociation of CH4 is investigated. Different pathways of dissociation of CH4 are possible from L alpha radiation. A chemical system containing 14 species and 30 reactions including these different pathways of dissociation is integrated. The main mechanism of production of C2H6 is identified and evaluated for each model of dissociation. The importance of various reaction pathways as a function of time is presented.     

The message and the experience of the site project

The Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE) was a unique effort aimed at studying the possibilities of satellite broadcasting for education and national development. This one-year joint India-USA project was carried out in 1975–1976 using the ATS-6 spacecraft. This paper briefly describes the experiment and its major findings. It goes on to distill the learning experiences derived from SITE and analyses the extent to which these have influenced the design and configuration of India's domestic satellite system, INSAT. INSAT-1B, which will serve as a replacement for the short-lived INSAT-1A, will be launched shortly and will be operational by the end of 1983. Its payload includes two S-band TV transponders capable of broadcasting directly to augmented TV sets. The paper examines which lessons of SITE are being applied in the planning and operationalisation of the TV system and discusses why others are not being taken account of. Major issues confronting TV system planners in developing countries like India are highlighted and the possible role of satellite broadcasting discussed in this context. The paper concludes by outlining an “ideal scenario” for a large, multilingual country like India, towards which TV planners could attempt to strive.     

Statistical study of inverted-V events: A comparison between experiment and theory

We present a detailed study of the distribution and of the internal structure of the inverted-V electron precipitation commonly detected in the 500 – 2000 km altitude range aboard the AUREOL-3 satellite. These structured precipitations are statistically observed inside the auroral oval with a maximum occurence in the nightside sector. They correspond to primary electron fluxes peaked at energies generally below 10 keV. It is shown that, as predicted by kinetic theories, most inverted-V structures present a clear relationship between the field-aligned current density carried by the 1 – 20 keV primary electrons and the potential drop inferred from particle distribution functions. Furthermore the study demonstrates the existence of strong electron heating, related to the energy gain, when the current density exceeds some threshold of about 1 – 5 μA(m)^?2.     

Selection of sterilization methods for planetary return missions.

Two tasks must be accomplished to provide planetary protection for Mars return missions: (1) sterilization of the scientific module to be landed on Mars and (2) reliable sterilization of all material returned to Earth, while ensuring the scientific integrity of martian samples. This paper examines similarity and differences between these two tasks, and includes a discussion of technological implementation conditions and the nature of terrestrial and hypothesized martian microflora. The feasibility of a number of chemical and physical (ultraviolet and ionizing radiation and heating) methods of sterilization for use on the ground and onboard are discussed and compared. A combination of different methods will probably be selected as the most appropriate for ensuring planetary protection on the return mission.     

The effect of the magnetizing inductance on the small-signaldynamics of the isolated Cuk converter

The magnetizing inductance of the isolated Cuk converter introduces an undesirable pair of closely spaced complex zeros and poles, or a glitch, in the control-to-output transfer function. Limited analysis and experimentation in the past have shown that sufficient increase in the magnetizing inductance or manipulation of the ratio of the capacitances of the energy transfer capacitors can reduce the glitch. In this work, the isolated Cuk converter with coupled input and output inductors has been studied and the dependence of the glitch on various circuit parameters has been determined analytically. A condition has been derived for the ratio of the capacitances of the two energy transfer capacitors which completely eliminates the glitch at a given operating point. With this condition satisfied, it is shown that the energy transfer capacitors can be easily damped by a simple RC network to eliminate the glitch from a wide range of operation about an operating point     

Measurements of trace contaminants in closed-type plant cultivation chambers.

Trace contaminants generated in closed facilities can cause abnormal plant growth. We present measurement data of trace contaminants released from soils, plants, and construction materials. We mainly used two closed chambers, a Closed-type Plant and Mushroom Cultivation Chamber (PMCC) and Closed-type Plant Cultivation Equipment (CPCE). Although trace gas budgets from soils obtained in this experiment are only one example, the results indicate that the budgets of trace gases, as well as CO2 and O2, change greatly with the degree of soil maturation and are dependent on the kind of substances in the soil. Both in the PMCC and in the CPCE, trace gases such as dioctyl phthalate (DOP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), toluene and xylene were detected. These gases seemed to be released from various materials used in the construction of these chambers. The degree of increase in these trace gas levels was dependent on the relationship between chamber capacity and plant quantity. Results of trace gas measurement in the PMCC, in which lettuce and shiitake mushroom were cultivated, showed that ethylene was released both from lettuce and from the mushroom culture bed. The release rates were about 90 ng bed-1 h-1 for the shiitake mushroom culture bed (volume is 1700 cm3) and 4.1 approximately 17.3 ng dm-2 h-1 (leaf area basis) for lettuce. Higher ethylene release rates per plant and per unit leaf area were observed in mature plants than in young plants.     

Generalized Problem of Two Fixed Centers or the Darboux-Gredeaks Problem

A brief review of publications on the problem of two fixed centers is given, including its generalizations and astronomical applications. A comparison of the Darboux potential with that of Eve Gredeaks is made. An account of the basic points of development of modern high-precision theories of the motion of planetary satellites, based on the Gredeaks’ intermediate orbit, is given.__________Translated from Kosmicheskie Issledovaniya, Vol. 43, No. 3, 2005, pp. 194–200.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Lukyanov, Emeljanov, Shirmin.Dedicated to the memory of Professor Evgenii Petrovich Aksenov     

A model of radiation conditions during spacecraft flights in the interplanetary space and in the Earth's magnetosphere.

Based on the available measurement data, simulations of radiation conditions during spacecraft flights in the interplanetary space and in the Earth's and Jupiter's radiation belts has been carried out. The > or = 10 MeV and > or = 30 MeV solar flare proton fluence forecast has been proposed for Cycle 22. Radiation conditions due to both magnetospheric electrons and protons and to solar flare protons, magnetic rigidity cutoff being taken into account, have been evaluated on spacecraft trajectories in the Earth's and Jupiter's magnetospheres.     

1E 1740.7-2942 revisited: Confirmation of its identification with the core of a double sided radio jet structure

After more than two years of successful in-orbit operations, the γ-ray coded aperture SIGMA telescope has accumulated 800 hours of live-time observations of the Galactic Center region, including the remarkable hard source identified with the X-ray source 1E 1740.7–2942. The long-term behavior of the soft γ-ray emission of 1E 1740.7–2942, as determined from the SIGMA survey, supplemented with previously available soft γ-ray data, leads to its identification with a singular radio source, which consists of a double sided radio jet emanating from a compact variable core whose variability is correlated with that of the soft γ-ray source. The compact radio core, which lies well inside the improved soft γ-ray (40–150 keV) error circle (27″ radius) derived from the high-resolution SIGMA survey, is also inside the ROSAT and TTM error circle derived respectively in the soft and hard X-ray bands.