Geosynchronous magnetic field response to the large and fast solar wind dynamic pressure change

We present a comparison of large and sharp solar wind dynamic pressure changes, observed by several spacecraft, with fast disturbances in the magnetospheric magnetic field measured by the GOES-8, 9 and 10 geosynchronous satellites. Almost 400 solar wind pressure changes in the period 1996–2003 were selected for this study. Using the large statistics we confirmed that increases (decreases) in the dynamic pressure always results in increases (decreases) in the magnitude of geosynchronous B_z component. The amplitude of the geosynchronous B_z response strongly depends on the location of observer relative to the noon meridian, from the value of solar wind pressure before the disturbance arriving and firstly – from the amplitude of the pressure change.     

Voyager imaging experiment

The overall objective of this experiment is exploratory reconnaissance of Jupiter, Saturn, their satellites, and Saturn's rings. Such reconnaissance, at resolutions and phase angles unobtainable from Earth, can be expected to provide much new data relevant to the atmospheric and/or surface properties of these bodies. The experiment also has the following specific objectives:Observe and characterize the global circulation of the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn;Determine the horizontal and vertical structure of the visible clouds and establish their relationship to the belted appearance and dynamical properties of the planetary atmospheres;Determine the vertical structure of high, optically-thin, scattering layers on Jupiter and Saturn;Determine the nature of anomalous features such as the Great Red Spot, South Equatorial Belt disturbances, etc.;Characterize the nature of the colored material in the clouds of Jupiter and Saturn, and identify the nature and sources of chromophores on Io and Titan;Perform comparative geologic studies of many satellites at less than 15-km resolution;Map and characterize the geologic structure of several satellites at high resolution (1 km);Investigate the existence and nature of atmospheres on the satellites;Determine the mass, size, and shape of many of the satellites by direct measurement;Determine the direction of the spin axes and periods of rotation of several satellites, and establish coordinate systems for the larger satellites;Map the radial distribution of material in Saturn's rings at high resolution;Determine the optical scattering properties of the primaries, rings, and satellites at several wavelengths and phase angles;Search for novel physical phenomena, e.g., phenomena associated with the Io flux tube, meteors, aurorae, lightning, or satellite shadows.Team leader.Deputy team leader.     

The gravitational field and brain function.

The frontal cortex is recognized as the highest adaptive control center of the human brain. The principle of the "frontalization" of human brain function offers new possibilities for brain research in space. There is evolutionary and experimental evidence indicating the validity of the principle, including it's role in nervous response to gravitational stimulation. The gravitational field is considered here as one of the more constant and comprehensive factors acting on brain evolution, which has undergone some successive crucial steps: "encephalization", "corticalization", "lateralization" and "frontalization". The dominating effects of electrical responses from the frontal cortex have been discovered 1) in experiments under gravitational stimulus; and 2) in processes potentially relating to gravitational adaptation, such as memory and learning, sensory information processing, motor programing, and brain state control. A brain research experiment during space flight is suggested to test the role of the frontal cortex in space adaptation and it's potentiality in brain control.     

Frequency Domain Error Correction for Monopulse Radar Signals

Angle-measurement error of a coherent monopulse radar signalresulting from imbalances between in-phase and quadraturecomponents, as well as between sigma and delta channels, arecorrected in a simple procedure. No correction is needed for I,Qimbalances in the time domain [1]. Instead, a postintegrationcorrection is performed. This reduces the number of calibrationoperations of the monopulse signal by a factor X, 2 ? X ? N (N isthe number of DFT samples), depending on the degree of filtering.It also reduces the number of numerical operations necessary forthe production of the correction term by a factor of three. A firstorderrder estimation is made of the residual error after correction, dueto bias and image sidelobes.     

Modeling of brushless DC generating systems using diakoptics

The mathematical modeling of a brushless DC generator is described, as an illustration of the application of diakoptic techniques to the analysis of small-scale electrical power supply systems. Modeling of the generator and its output rectifier is accomplished using an established matrix technique that accounts for the continuously changing conduction pattern of the diode bridge network. The advantages of using diakoptics are discussed together with the main generator linked to its exciter and to the automatic voltage regulator and permanent magnet generator which are often included in a complete unit. A solution algorithm is presented for this overall arrangement and a comparison is made between theoretical and practical results for a typical 3-stage, 4000-rev/min, 10.3-kW, 28-V unit     

Validation test of 125 Ah advanced design IPV nickel-hydrogenflight cells

An update of validation test results confirming the advanced design nickel-hydrogen cell is presented. An advanced 125 Ah individual pressure vessel (IPV) nickel-hydrogen cell was designed for storing and delivering energy for long-term, low-earth-orbit (LEO) spacecraft missions. The new features of this design are: the use of 26% rather than 31% potassium hydroxide (KOH) electrolyte; a patented catalyzed wall wick; serrated-edge separators to facilitate gaseous oxygen and hydrogen flow within the cell, while maintaining physical contact with the wall wick for electrolyte management; and a floating rather than a fixed stack to accommodate nickel electrode expansion. The resulting improvements include extended cycle life and enhanced thermal, electrolyte, and oxygen management; and accommodation of nickel electrode expansion. Six 125-Ah flight cells based on this design are in the process of being evaluated in a LEO cycle life test     

Modeling gas exchange in a closed plant growth chamber.

Fluid transport models for fluxes of water vapor and CO2 have been developed for one crop of wheat and three crops of soybean grown in a closed plant growth chamber. Correspondence among these fluxes is discussed. Maximum fluxes of gases are provided for engineering design requirements of fluid recycling equipment in growth chambers. Furthermore, to investigate the feasibility of generalized crop models, dimensionless representations of water vapor fluxes are presented. The feasibility of such generalized models and the need for additional data are discussed.     

Effects of salts and temperatures on post-irradiation growth of penicillium exposed to ultraviolet

The growth of Penicillium notatum colonies after UV irradiation of dried mycelium or spores was studied in relation to post-irradiation temperature and salt environment. Dried mycelium and spores behaved differently with respect to sensitivity to temperature, salts and UV, especially the latter. Threshold inhibitory doses for spores were modified markedly either at 4°C or in magnesium and calcium chlorides. It is suggested that these temperature and salt effects are related to prevention of photochemical membrane damage.     

Corotating events in the energy range 4–13 MeV as observed on board Helios 1 and 2 in 1975 and 1976

Intensity increases of 4 – 13 MeV protons correlated with recurrent high speed solar wind streams were observed on board Helios 1 and 2 at heliocentric distances between 0.3 and 1.0 AU. Study of events which occurred in the time period 1975 – 1976 showed that recurrent fast solar wind streams were sometimes not accompanied by corotating events and small events were more frequently observed than large corotating events, which occurred only occasionally. The explanation for these phenomena seems to be the variation of the number of suprathermal particles injected into the acceleration process. Radial gradients of corotating events from February till April 1976 were investigated. The gradient changed its sign in successive solar rotations and exhibited strong time dependence inside 1 AU. Clearly negative gradients were measured in corotating events which occurred in February and April 1976. These observations showed that probably there were no stationary corotating structures in interplanetary space. We suggest that this effect is related to local disturbances of solar origin, e. g. flare initiated shocks.