Mineralogical biosignatures and the search for life on Mars

If life ever existed, or still exists, on Mars, its record is likely to be found in minerals formed by, or in association with, microorganisms. An important concept regarding interpretation of the mineralogical record for evidence of life is that, broadly defined, life perturbs disequilibria that arise due to kinetic barriers and can impart unexpected structure to an abiotic system. Many features of minerals and mineral assemblages may serve as biosignatures even if life does not have a familiar terrestrial chemical basis. Biological impacts on minerals and mineral assemblages may be direct or indirect. Crystalline or amorphous biominerals, an important category of mineralogical biosignatures, precipitate under direct cellular control as part of the life cycle of the organism (shells, tests, phytoliths) or indirectly when cell surface layers provide sites for heterogeneous nucleation. Biominerals also form indirectly as by-products of metabolism due to changing mineral solubility. Mineralogical biosignatures include distinctive mineral surface structures or chemistry that arise when dissolution and/or crystal growth kinetics are influenced by metabolic by-products. Mineral assemblages themselves may be diagnostic of the prior activity of organisms where barriers to precipitation or dissolution of specific phases have been overcome. Critical to resolving the question of whether life exists, or existed, on Mars is knowing how to distinguish biologically induced structure and organization patterns from inorganic phenomena and inorganic self-organization. This task assumes special significance when it is acknowledged that the majority of, and perhaps the only, material to be returned from Mars will be mineralogical.     

Economy of modular low-technology launch vehicles

The paper comprises an assessment of the design and the economics of so-called “low-cost” simple modular launch vehicles. It is shown that the performance is very marginal and that the cost per launch cannot compete with technically more advanced fully reusable vehicles. Especially a private-funded development cannot be amortized economically in case of an expendable launch vehicle.     

On the structure of the floating zone in melting

Floating zone melting is used in crystal growth and purification of high melting materials. The use of a reduced gravity environment will remove the constraint imposed on the length of the zone by the hydrostatic pressure. The equilibrium of the floating zone may involve, (1) Hydrostatic forces, when the zone rotates as a whole. (2) Convective driving forces, when the zone is stationary but fluid property gradients appear. (3) Hydrodynamic forces, when some parts of the zone are set into motion with respect to others. The last effects are considered in this paper. The flow pattern of a floating zone held between two discs in relative motion is complicated, and thence the solution of the problem is difficult even assuming a constant property-newtonian liquid. Nevertheless, when a small parameter appears in the problem, the complete flow field can be split into zones where simple solutions are found. To illustrate this approach, the spin-up from rest of an initially cylindrical floating zone is considered with detail. Here the small parameter is the time elapsed from the impulsive starting of motion. Since the problem which has been considered, as well as some others which can be tackled by use of similar methods, concern the viscous layer close to either plate, they can be simulated experimentally in the ground laboratory with short floating zones. Procedures to produce these zones are indicated.     

The evolution of a serviceable EURECA

Within the European space platform program the EURECA is being established as a ground-based platform for short microgravity missions. The development towards a serviceable platform for longer, scientific missions is described. The plan of an advanced space-based platform for increasing payload demands is outlined. The platform design and the adaptation to scientific missions and servicing operations are investigated. The cost-effective utilization of the different platform types using new operational concepts is analyzed in parametric life cycle cost calculations for different payloads and mission scenarios.     

深度节流补燃循环发动机系统稳定性研究

补燃循环发动机深度节流过程中,系统参数大范围变化,低工况时喷注器压降和供应系统节流元件压降较低,容易出现推进剂供应系统与热力组件耦合的不稳定问题。针对10∶1深度节流富氧补燃循环发动机,通过Nyquist稳定性分析方法,对发动机全工况范围内泵后供应系统和燃气系统耦合稳定性进行仿真研究。结果表明:富氧补燃循环发动机燃料供应路与燃气路形成的闭环系统在低工况时,稳定裕度较低,改善燃气发生器喷雾燃烧效果以缩短时滞、增加燃气停留时间、在靠近燃气发生器位置增加供应系统压降能提高系统稳定裕度。     

The European Astronaut Centre prepares for International Space Station operations

The European Space Agency (ESA) contribution to the International Space Station (ISS) goes much beyond the delivery of hardware like the Columbus Laboratory, its payloads and the Automated Transfer Vehicles. ESA Astronauts will be members of the ISS crew. ESA, according to its commitments as ISS international partner, will be responsible to provide training on its elements and payloads to all ISS crewmembers and medical support for ESA astronauts. The European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne has developed over more than a decade into the centre of expertise for manned space activities within ESA by contributing to a number of important co-operative spaceflight missions. This role will be significantly extended for ISS manned operations. Apart from its support to ESA astronauts and their onboard operations, EAC will have a key role in training all ISS astronauts on ESA elements and payloads. The medical support of ISS crew, in particular of ESA astronauts has already started. This paper provides an overview on status and further plans in building up this homebase function for ESA astronauts and on the preparation towards Training Readiness for ISS crew training at EAC, Cologne. Copyright 2001 by the European Space Agency. Published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc., with permission. Released to IAF/IAA/AIAA to publish in all forms.     

大型复合材料结构优化设计方法研究

建立了适合于大型复合材料结构的优化设计方法，该方法在复合材料结构有限元分析的基础上对复合材料结构进行优化设计。在建立有限元模型时应用了区域划分技术，然后对结构分两级进行优化：第一级是对结构的铺层角度进行优化。第二级对结构的铺层厚度进行优化。最后，以工字梁结构为例，进行了算法验证。     

高分辨率星载聚束式SAR改进的ECS成像算法

提出一种适用于高星载聚束式合成孔径雷达（SAR）的改进Extended Chirp Scaling（ECS）算法。基于斜视距离等效模型，推导出改进的ECS算法，给出改进的方位Scaling因了以及算法的实现步骤。在斜视情况下改进的方法Scaling因子可以减小算法所需要的方位时间展宽，提高方位处理效率。为解决高分辨率星载聚束式SAR脉冲重复频率（PRF）过高等问题，在算法中结合了子孔径处理，并分析了采用子孔径处理的必要性及其实现方法。最后，通过计算机仿真，验证了算法的有效性。     

Gravitational Interaction of Celestial Bodies and neutron flux bursts from Their Surfaces

The gravitational interaction between the Sun and the planetary solar system gives rise to the well-known tidal waves at the planets. The tidal wave originating in the Earth's crust perpetually transforms the microstructure of the Earth's crust leading to a variation of the concentration of natural radioactive gases in the terrestrial air and to changed conditions of their leakage to the Earth's atmosphere. These variations give rise to bursts of thermal and slow neutrons in the vicinity of the Earth's crust, because the radioactive gases are sources of energetic alpha particles that induce neutron production upon the interaction with the nuclei of elements of the Earth's crust and atmosphere. In this work, the idea of neutron production in the ground coat is extended to the other celestial bodies interacting with one another.