Italy's contribution, from a medical standpoint, to the space safety of payload scientists, and perspectives for the future

In Italy, the selection of the Italian payload scientists has been performed according to the Spacelab Program of ESA. Twenty-four subjects underwent a screening performed by the Health Service of Italian Air Force. They were requested to pass an exercise test on treadmill and another ten-minute test on centrifuge, subject to the effect of +3 Gz. The authors briefly describe the results of the test. Noteworthy is the determination of Central Flicker Fusion Frequency. This parameter makes it possible to assess the endurance level of the subject, much earlier than other techniques (e.g. EKG). The importance of an accurate preliminary screening is emphasized as well as of successive training periods. Future studies will be undertaken to compare evoked cortical potentials with behaviour parameters of space safety, with a view to setting up a subtle tool of evaluation for both future candidates and payload scientists.     

Spectroscopy of laboratory plasmas

Work under the heading of Laboratory Plasma Spectroscopy may be conveniently separated into three classes depending on the extent to which the interaction of the emitting atoms with their plasma environment is central to the investigation. Zero order, the longest established use of laboratory plasmas in connection with astrophysics, concerns the use of hot plasmas for the excitation, measurement, and identification of the spectra of highly-stripped ions. In such work the properties of the plasma itself are usually of secondary importance. In first-order, plasma spectroscopy is used to determine fundamental atomic data concerned with the interaction of an atom with a single particle, usually either a photon or an electron, i.e.: the determination of oscillator strengths and collision cross-sections. Finally, higher-order processes in which the plasma nature of the surrounding medium is most relevant concern the study of line-shapes, and related topics such as the excitation of satellite spectral features by plasma oscillations. Developments in plasma diagnostic techniques in the last five years have greatly extended the scope of the second and third categories and have yielded much astrophysically important information from laboratory studies. Recent advances in these areas are reviewed.     

The variable X-ray spectrum of Cyg XR-1

The variability of the X-ray spectrum of the discrete source Cyg XR-1 (α = 19^h 56^m δ = +35°.1) is reviewed. The variations observed in the energy region accessible to balloon borne detectors (energies greater than 20 keV) can be explained by assuming them to be caused by the eclipsing properties of a binary system. It is suggested that the system is composed of a source of small angular extent having a spectrum similar to that of a black body at approximately 1.5 × 10⁸ K (kT= 12.5 keV) and a non X-radiating companion which eclipses it at intervals of 2.9850 days. The system would be surrounded by an X-radiating plasma whose photon flux between 1 and 100 keV can be approximated by a power law spectrum whose exponent is — 1.7.     

X-ray scattering by intergalactic dust

The imaging capabilities of the Exosat and Einstein satellites at soft X-ray wavelengths have begun to show that suitable Galactic X-ray sources have extended ( 10 arcmin) haloes due to scattering of soft X-rays by interstellar dust. A simple argument suggests that similar haloes, due to scattering by intergalactic dust, should exist around distant (z 1) quasars and detailed analysis confirms this conclusion. A search for such haloes around suitable X-ray quasars could provide valuable, model-independent, constraints on the amount and origin of intergalactic dust.     

The Synthetic-Array Radar Image of a Flat Plate

The radar cross section of a flat plate has a sin x/x lobe structure. If a synthetic-array radar flies past the plate the resulting image is dependent upon what part of this lobe structure is sampled. When the plate is parallel to the flight path, the image is a line as wide as the plate. If the plate is not parallel, only the discontinuities at the ends of the plate are visible in the image.     

Activity Planning for the Space Station

This paper presents an overview of the identification and selection process of experiments and payloads for manned space flight missions, emphasizing the scope and magnitude of the problem of doing activity planning and the need for a methodology to assure timely flight and appropriate spacecraft design. Conclusions and results derived from the past several years are presented together with an analysis of the current procedure for defining activity for the space station.     

Application of Recursive Estimation and Kalman Filtering to Doppler Tracking

The techniques of recursive estimation and Kalman filtering are applied to the problem of estimation of space vehicle orbits and trajectories using only measurements of the Doppler shifts in radio signals transmitted by or reflected from the target. Two approaches are described. One is a global fit technique in which the parameters of an assumed trajectory model are estimated. The second is a pointwise mapping technique in which the trajectory estimate is extrapolated as the target tracking data is received. The paper provides a tutorial illustration of the direct application of recursive optimization techniques to a class of engineering problems.     

Position-Location Solutions by Taylor-Series Estimation

Taylor-series estimation gives a least-sum-squared-error solution to a set of simultaneous linearized algebraic equations. This method is useful in solving multimeasurement mixed-mode position-location problems typical of many navigational applications. While convergence is not proved, examples show that most problems do converge to the correct solution from reasonable initial guesses. The method also provides the statistical spread of the solution errors.