A technique for selecting a rational variant of a multifunctional aircraft system

A technique for selecting a rational variant of a multifunctional aircraft system using the analytic hierarchy process is proposed and a solution of a practical problem is presented.     

Investigation of the infrared characteristics of the rocket nozzle

Investigation of the infrared characteristics of a rocket nozzle is very important for the study of infrared initiating technology. The Narrow-Band Zone model is developed for that purpose. The spectral transmission and absorption factors are introduced, and the equations between radiative heat flux and the temperature of waill surfaces and gas are developed. The radiative heat transfer in one axisymmetric cylindrical enclosure filled with homogeneous radiative participating medium is computed with the Narrow-Band Zone model and compared with those in the reference documents. The comparison shows good agreement. The radiative heat transfer to the nozzle of one rocket engine is also calculated with the Narrow-Band Zone model, and the outgoing radiative energy flux and energy rate integrated in a mid-wave infrared band 2-6 pm, a long-wave infrared band 8-14 pm and the full wave band are analyzed. The following conclusions can be derived: the spectral radiation from the inlet and outlet of the nozzle show apparent spectral discontinuity, which appears greater in the 2.7-2.95 pm than in the neighboring wave band. The spectral outgoing radiative energy flux of nozzle wail is similar to that of gray body, which decreases with wavelength in 2-14 pm. The outgoing radiative energy flux on the nozzle wall is greater in the cylindrical and contracting section of nozzle, but smaller in the divergent section, which is determined by temperature. The nozzle of the rocket engine radiates most energy in the mid-wave surfaces by absorption. The most important feature of gas radiation is the strong selection of the waveband, so the detailed study of the infrared characteristics of nozzle of the rocket engine should be carried out on narrow-band computation.     

Development of an Italian low cost GNSS/INS system universally suitable for mobile mapping

The first studies for the mobile mapping and creation of a vehicle for this kind of research was carried out by Canadian Researchers in the 1980s. Since then, these vehicles have been widely employed in several applications (road cadastre maps, terrestrial photogrammihetry, road sign recognition, etc.) for both commercial and research purposes throughout the world. Many GNSSIINS vehicles which can be equipped in different ways with one or more GPS, inertial sensors, and one or several cameras, have been realized. A characteristic shared by most of these devices concerns the high costs of the sensors, of the realization and of the maintenance. For this reason, a GNSSIINS system, that is suitable for any vehicle, made up of low cost devices (two GPS receivers, an INS, and a camera rigidly placed on a metallic bar), has been designed and built by our research group. Two tests run at different velocities have been carried out to evaluate the reliability of the system. After a presentation of the system, the differences that were witnessed during the application of these calibration methods are explained herein.     

Investigating Earth’s Atmospheric Electricity: a Role Model for Planetary Studies

The historical development of terrestrial atmospheric electricity is described, from its beginnings with the first observations of the potential gradient to the global electric circuit model proposed by C.T.R. Wilson in the early 20th century. The properties of the terrestrial global circuit are summarised. Concepts originally needed to develop the idea of a global circuit are identified as “central tenets”, for example, the importance of radio science in establishing the conducting upper layer. The central tenets are distinguished from additional findings that merely corroborate, or are explained by, the global circuit model. Using this analysis it is possible to specify which observations are preferable for detecting global circuits in extraterrestrial atmospheres. Schumann resonances, the extremely low frequency signals generated by excitation of the surface-ionosphere cavity by electrical discharges, are identified as the most useful single measurement of electrical activity in a planetary atmosphere.     

DEMETER Observations of EM Emissions Related to Thunderstorms

The paper is related to specific emissions at frequency <3 MHz observed by the low altitude satellite DEMETER in relation with the thunderstorm activity. At its altitude (～700 km), the phenomena observed on the E-field and B-field spectrograms recorded by the satellite are mainly dominated by whistlers. Particular observations performed by DEMETER are reported. It concerns multiple hop whistlers and interaction between whistlers and lower hybrid noise. Two new phenomena discovered by the satellite are discussed. First, V-shaped emissions up to 20 kHz are observed at mid-latitude during night time. They are centered at the locations of intense thunderstorm activity. By comparison with VLF saucers previously observed by other satellites in the auroral zones it is hypothesized that the source region is located below the satellite and that the triggering mechanism is due to energetic electrons accelerated during sprite events. Second, emissions at frequency ～2 MHz are observed at the time of intense whistlers. These emissions are produced in the lower ionosphere in probable relation with Transient Luminous Events (TLEs).     

The Confrontation Between General Relativity and Experiment

We review the experimental evidence for Einstein’s general relativity. A variety of high precision null experiments confirm the Einstein Equivalence Principle, which underlies the concept that gravitation is synonymous with spacetime geometry, and must be described by a metric theory. Solar system experiments that test the weak-field, post-Newtonian limit of metric theories strongly favor general relativity. Binary pulsars test gravitational-wave damping and aspects of strong-field general relativity. During the coming decades, tests of general relativity in new regimes may be possible. Laser interferometric gravitational-wave observatories on Earth and in space may provide new tests via precise measurements of the properties of gravitational waves. Future efforts using X-ray, infrared, gamma-ray and gravitational-wave astronomy may one day test general relativity in the strong-field regime near black holes and neutron stars.     

NOAA -14 September 28, 2006 (DOY 271) tumble anomaly

This describes a NOAA-14 spacecraft loss of control event and the lessons learned. The lessons learned are in two categories: contingency recovery operations; and on-orbit propulsion system isolation methods. The work is motivated in recognition of the effort of the NOAA off-line engineering support team and their NOAA civil servant mission leads and operations support staff.     

Current Issues and Future Trends: DVB-RCS Satellite Systems

The telecommunications market is reaching new types of customers who require their applications anywhere and anyway. Therefore, the DVB-RCS standard, which had great success in the fixed version is changing in this direction. The main objective of this work is to give an overview of architectures and technologies that can be used for implementation of a first-generation of advanced mobile satellite systems for the provision of broadband multimedia services.     

System of works on numerical modeling of the dynamics of the structure of the Space Radiotelescope in the RadioAstron project

The results of modeling the dynamics of the Space Radiotelescope are presented. The results of ground-based vibration-dynamic tests are used to validate the calculation models and estimate the damping levels. The dynamic distortions of the reflecting surface caused by the operation of the pointing mechanism of the high-gain antenna are estimated.