太空探索 前沿播报

于5月20日在北京召开的第16届"人在太空"国际学术会议可说是一个载人航天的高峰论坛,亦可说是一次关于"人在太空"的新想法、新概念、新思路的碰撞和融合。21世纪探月高潮即将来临,火星征途正在开启,我们的航天装备需要改进吗?航天员会遇到哪些困难,我们该怎样解决,而他们自身应做出怎样的努力?在行星探险和地外生命探索的过程中,只有人类在到达某个地方之前,能够了解自己将会带来的生物污染并能加以控制,航天员的独特能力才是有益的。以此来看,太空环保是人类得以向外探索的道德基石和利益保证,这也是人类必须面临并思索的问题……有意思的话题还有很多,比如航天员如何捆住小行星来进行太空行走,航天员可以有"第二皮肤"吗,太空游客的居住环境该如何设计?航天无疑最需要一个想象的殿堂。这次会议无疑带给我们思维一次强烈的冲击,就让我们站在各国航天专家的肩膀上,看得更高,梦得更远,让我们儿时就憧憬的航天之梦沿着科学的轨迹飞翔……     

Production of neutrons from interactions of GCR-like particles

In order to help assess the risk to astronauts due to the long-term exposure to the natural radiation environment in space, an understanding of how the primary radiation field is changed when passing through shielding and tissue materials must be obtained. One important aspect of the change in the primary radiation field after passing through shielding materials is the production of secondary particles from the breakup of the primary. Neutrons are an important component of the secondary particle field due to their relatively high biological weighting factors, and due to their relative abundance, especially behind thick shielding scenarios. Because of the complexity of the problem, the estimation of the risk from exposure to the secondary neutron field must be handled using calculational techniques. However, those calculations will need an extensive set of neutron cross section and thicktarget neutron yield data in order to make an accurate assessment of the risk. In this paper we briefly survey the existing neutron-production data sets that are applicable to the space radiation transport problem, and we point out how neutron production from protons is different than neutron production from heavy ions. We also make comparisons of one the heavy-ion data sets with Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck (BUU) calculations.     

一种对磁场和震动具有低灵敏度的简单新颖的铷原子频标

TFL开发了一种设计简单,耐用的新型铷原子频标。这个设计在传统的设计上进行了两项改进: ·采用适当的电路措施改进震动和加速度的频率灵敏度 ·进行适当的电路改进降低频标的磁场灵敏度     

Using the PROGRESS transport spacecraft in structure of the International Space Station for realization of scientific experiments under microgravity conditions

The problem is considered of using the PROGRESS transport spacecraft, which will deliver the payload on the ISS, as a free flying platform for realization of space experiments. For maintenance of the ISS 5-6 PROGRESS flights per year are planned. Usually after delivery of the payload the PROGRESS undocks from the ISS and burns down in the Earth atmosphere. However, the operating conditions of its onboard systems allow to prolong operation and to make free flight near to the station and repeatedly to be docked to it. It is offered to use this possibility for performing experiments on Material Science.     

The Interplanetary Internet: a communications infrastructure for Mars exploration

A strategy is being developed whereby the current set of internationally standardized space data communications protocols can be incrementally evolved so that a first version of an operational "Interplanetary Internet" is feasible by the end of the decade. This paper describes its architectural concepts, discusses the current set of standard space data communications capabilities that exist to support Mars exploration and reviews proposed new developments. We also speculate that these current capabilities can grow to support future scenarios where human intelligence is widely distributed across the Solar System and day-to-day communications dialog between planets is routine.     

Why Raman spectroscopy on Mars?--a case of the right tool for the right job

We provide a scientific rationale for the astrobiological investigation of Mars. We suggest that, given practical constraints, the most promising locations for the search for former life on Mars are palaeolake craters and the evaporite deposits that may reside within them. We suggest that Raman spectroscopy offers a promising tool for the detection of evidence of former (or extant) biota on Mars. In particular, we highlight the detection of hopanoids as long-lived bacterial cell wall products and photosynthetic pigments as the most promising targets. We further suggest that Raman spectroscopy as a fibre optic-based instrument lends itself to flexible planetary deployment.     

傅里叶变换法用于脉冲多普勒雷达检测加速运动目标的研究

傅里叶变换法通常用于脉冲多普勒雷达检测加速运动目标，尽管该方法的性能会受多普勒拖尾现象限制。机动飞机和导弹属于加速运动目标。本文作者量化了多普勒拖尾的影响。在运用脉冲多普勒雷达检测附加白高斯噪声的非加速目标并估算该目标的径向速度试验中，傅里叶变换法能够使输出信噪比(SNR)随脉冲数线性增加。当目标加速时，只要加速度足够小，那么傅里叶方法仍可以检测目标并估算其平均速度。针对某一给定的加速度，当脉冲数增加时，傅里叶变换法得到的输出信噪比(SNR)随脉冲数的增加成凹函数变化，即输出SNR先增加到最大值然后开始下降，直到该方法不适用为止。因此脉冲数和加速度必须匹配才能获得最佳性能。文中给出了最佳SNR、最佳脉冲数与加速度关系的经验公式。这些结果被证明与采用栅格搜寻的广义似然比检测器设计是相符的。     

Artificial gravity: a possible countermeasure for post-flight orthostatic intolerance

Four payload crewmembers were exposed to sustained linear acceleration in a centrifuge during the Neurolab (STS-90) flight. In contrast to previous studies, otolith–ocular reflexes were preserved during and after flight. This raised the possibility that artificial gravity may have acted as a countermeasure to the deconditioning of otolith–ocular reflexes. None of the astronauts who were centrifuged had orthostatic intolerance when tested with head-up passive tilt after flight. Thus, centrifugation may also have helped maintain post-flight hemodynamic responses to orthostasis by preserving the gain of the otolith–sympathetic reflex. A comparison with two fellow Neurolab orbiter crewmembers not exposed to artificial gravity provided some support for this hypothesis. One of the two had hemodynamic changes in response to post-flight tilt similar to orthostatically intolerant subjects from previous missions. More data is necessary to evaluate this hypothesis, but if it were proven correct, in-flight short-radius centrifugation may help counteract orthostatic intolerance after space flight.     

Immobilization induces a very rapid increase in osteoclast activity

We studied in a randomized, strictly controlled cross-over design, the effects of 6 days 6 degrees head-down tilt bed rest (HDT) in eight male healthy subjects in our metabolic ward. The study consisted of two periods (phases) of 11 days each in order to allow for the test subjects being their own controls. Both study phases were identical with respect to environmental conditions, study protocol and diet. Two days before arriving in the metabolic ward the subjects started with a diet. The diet was continued in the metabolic ward. The metabolic ward period (1l days) was divided into three parts: 4 ambulatory days, 6 days either HDT or control and 1 recovery day. Continuous urine collection started on the first day in the metabolic ward to analyze calcium excretion and bone resorption markers. On the 2nd ambulatory day in the metabolic ward and on the 5th day in HDT or control blood was drawn to analyze serum calcium, parathyroid hormone, and bone formation markers. Urinary calcium excretion was, as early as the first day in immobilization, increased (p<0.01). CTX- and NTX-excretion stayed unchanged in the first 24 h in HDT compared to the control. But already on the 2nd day of immobilization, both bone resorption markers significantly increased. We conclude from these results--pronounced rise of bone resorption markers--that already 24 h of immobilization induce a significant rise in osteoclast activity in healthy subjects. Thus, it appears possible to use short-term bed rest studies as a first step for the development of countermeasures to immobilization.