Prediction of Absorbed Doses for Spacecraft Irradiated by Particle Fluxes of Solar Cosmic Rays

A new method of evaluating the absorbed dose onboard spacecraft under the action of particle fluxes of solar cosmic rays (SCR) is described. The method is based on the concepts and formulas of a probabilistic model of SCR proton fluxes beyond the Earth's magnetosphere (GOST R 25645.165-2001) and takes into account variations of particle fluxes at orbits of spacecraft and behind their protective shields.     

Intracellular magnetophoresis of statoliths in Chara rhizoids and analysis of cytoplasm viscoelasticity.

The statoliths in Chara rhizoids are denser and more diamagnetic than the cytoplasm, therefore they can be displaced inside a living cell by a sufficiently strong high gradient magnetic field (HGMF). An experimental setup for intracellular magnetophoresis of statoliths was developed. The movement of statoliths and rhizoid growth was measured by video microscopy either under the influence of gravity or a HGMF equivalent to about 2 g. The contribution of the cytoskeleton to statolith motility was assayed before and after depolymerizing microtubules with oryzalin and F-actin with latrunculin B. Application of latrunculin caused immediate cessation of growth, clumping of statoliths, and application of HGMF resulted in higher displacement of statoliths. Oryzalin had no effect on the behavior of statoliths. The data indicate that magnetophoresis is a useful tool to study the gravisensing system and rheology of the Chara rhizoid.     

Detection and Prediction of Absorbed Radiation Doses from Solar Proton Fluxes onboard Orbital Stations

We consider cases of simultaneous detection of the absorbed doses produced by proton fluxes of powerful solar events onboard the Mir and ISS orbital stations and the Ekspress A3 geosynchronous satellite. Experimental data are analyzed using a software package that takes into account the energy spectra of protons at the Earth's orbit depending on the time of event evolution, as well as their penetration to near-earth orbits and through the protective shields of spacecraft. Based on a comparison of the experimental data of dosimeters with the calculation of absorbed doses under the action of solar proton events, we developed a method of estimating the effective thickness of the shielding of dosimeters and made some estimates. A possibility is considered for predicting the radiation hazard onboard orbital stations upon the appearance of solar proton events using dosimeter data from a geosynchronous orbit.     

Some features of a system for warning the helicopter critical flight regimes

In this paper, a problem of ensuring the helicopter flight safety in off-optimum situations is considered. We describe the most typical critical regimes and flight limitations imposed on the helicopter motion parameters. Also presented are some dependences that determine the operating regime limits with respect to the basic flight parameters of the critical flight regimes warning system.     

A problem of control optimization of the laminar boundary layer on a circular cylinder

A problem of minimizing friction resistance in the supersonic flow around a straight circular cylinder at the expense of gas injection into the boundary layer is considered. The problem is stated for the approximating system of equations of the laminar boundary layer [1] and the variational problem is solved by the successive approximation method of the Picard type. The analytical formula for determining the optimal injection law is derived and the results of the computational experiment are presented.     

Comparative Analysis of Models of the Earth's Gravity: 3. Accuracy of Predicting EAS Motion

This paper continues a comparative analysis of modern satellite models of the Earth's gravity which we started in [6, 7]. In the cited works, the uniform norms of spherical functions were compared with their gradients for individual harmonics of the geopotential expansion [6] and the potential differences were compared with the gravitational accelerations obtained in various models of the Earth's gravity [7]. In practice, it is important to know how consistently the EAS motion is represented by various geopotential models. Unless otherwise stated, a model version in which the equations of motion are written using the classical Encke scheme and integrated together with the variation equations by the implicit one-step Everhart's algorithm [1] was used. When calculating coordinates and velocities on the integration step (at given instants of time), the approximate Everhart formula was employed.     

Investigation of magnetospheric processes with the use of a source of strong magnetic field in the ionosphere

More than 20 years ago V.P. Shabansky suggested that the magnetic system installed aboard the satellite, could be used as a physical instrument for studying the processes which occur in the near Earth space. The corresponding space scales of an artificial “magnetosphere”—“magnisphere”—are 10 m in the experiment with relatively small magnets in the ionosphere and 100 m in the solar wind. The corresponding similarity criteria are estimated. The possible scheme of the experiment with a superconducting magnet (magnetic moment 10⁵ A · m²) installed aboard the satellite is considered. The experimental complex includes a number of systems for measuring the fluxes of charged particles in a wide energy range, DC electric and magnetic fields, the electromagnetic fields in different frequency bands (from X-rays to radio). The scientific objectives are discussed in detail.     

Stochastic motion of geosynchronous satellites

Long-period evolution of the orbital elements of geosynchronous objects moving in the neighborhood of separatrices of the region of libration resonance is studied. At the phase plane “the longitude of the subsatellite point-semi-major axis” the regions of migration of separatrices where the separatrices can move due to the influence of perturbations are isolated. The dimensions of these regions and the distances between them have the same order of magnitude, several kilometers along the semi-major axis. The regions of migration do not overlap at the initial value of the orbit inclination 0°. When inclination increases, gradual overlapping of these regions takes place. On average, the width of the zones of stochasticity increases when the area to mass ratio increases and decreases when inclination of the orbit increases. The zones of stochasticity corresponding to different separatrices are separated from each other. A catalog of the passive geosynchronous objects moving in the neighborhood of separatrices is compiled. The evolution of the objects of the catalog is studied.     

Specific features of electron distributions at altitudes of 400 km

New experimental data obtained on the orbital station ‘MIR’ in 1991 during solar maximum are discussed. Electron fluxes with E_e>75 keV were registered for three different directions as well as for electrons with E_e>300 and 600 keV. Spatial and time distributions of electron fluxes in the trapping region are presented. In the inner radiation belt an additional maximum is observed at L=1.25–1.35, and the fluxes in the 22-05^h MLT interval are 2–3 orders of magnitude smaller, than during other local times. In this region a flattening of the electron spectrum is observed. The results obtained were compared with the AE-8 model.