A reappraisal of the habitability of planets around M dwarf stars

Stable, hydrogen-burning, M dwarf stars make up about 75% of all stars in the Galaxy. They are extremely long-lived, and because they are much smaller in mass than the Sun (between 0.5 and 0.08 M(Sun)), their temperature and stellar luminosity are low and peaked in the red. We have re-examined what is known at present about the potential for a terrestrial planet forming within, or migrating into, the classic liquid-surface-water habitable zone close to an M dwarf star. Observations of protoplanetary disks suggest that planet-building materials are common around M dwarfs, but N-body simulations differ in their estimations of the likelihood of potentially habitable, wet planets that reside within their habitable zones, which are only about one-fifth to 1/50th of the width of that for a G star. Particularly in light of the claimed detection of the planets with masses as small as 5.5 and 7.5 M(Earth) orbiting M stars, there seems no reason to exclude the possibility of terrestrial planets. Tidally locked synchronous rotation within the narrow habitable zone does not necessarily lead to atmospheric collapse, and active stellar flaring may not be as much of an evolutionarily disadvantageous factor as has previously been supposed. We conclude that M dwarf stars may indeed be viable hosts for planets on which the origin and evolution of life can occur. A number of planetary processes such as cessation of geothermal activity or thermal and nonthermal atmospheric loss processes may limit the duration of planetary habitability to periods far shorter than the extreme lifetime of the M dwarf star. Nevertheless, it makes sense to include M dwarf stars in programs that seek to find habitable worlds and evidence of life. This paper presents the summary conclusions of an interdisciplinary workshop (http://mstars.seti.org) sponsored by the NASA Astrobiology Institute and convened at the SETI Institute.     

新时期航空航天工业的标准战略

本文是荣获美国庆祝2004年世界标准日论文竞赛头奖的作品,中心内容是在新世纪航空航天工业如何在广泛国际合作,信息技术迅猛发展的环境下结合本行业的实际,制定并适时调整其标准战略。文中分析问题的方法,解决问题的思路具有某种普遍意义,现将该文详细摘译刊登于下,供参考。     

Modelling of Geomagnetic Storm Effects in the Ionosphere of East Asia

This paper presents simulated results of the ionospheric behavior during few geomagnetic storms,which were occurred in the different seasons. The numerical model for ionosphere-plasmasphere coupling was used to interpret the observed variation of ionosphere structure. Reasons why the positive storms are dominant in the winter whereas the negative ones are dominant in the summer season present the special interest for the mid-latitude ionosphere. A theoretical analysis of the processes controlling the ionospheric response to the geomagnetic storms has showed a good agreement between the simulated results and measurements, as well as the crucial role of the neutral composition variations to fit the calculated and the observed ionospheric parameters.      

典型的—天

在一个与世隔绝的世界里待上105天,生活会是什么样子呢？常人难以想象。而通过“Mars-500”前期试验的志愿者的日志,却能获知他们在试验过程中每天都做些什么？试验之余又如何寻找生活的乐趣？因此．本刊特选载志愿者西里尔·富尼耶于2009年6月23日在封闭模拟舱内写的一篇日志,以帮助大家了解志愿者在模拟舱内的真实生活。     

流动聚焦中锥形和射流直径影响因素的实验研究

介绍了一种制备微纳米量级颗粒的流动聚焦技术,它的最基本特点是从毛细管流出的液体由高速运动气体驱动经小孔聚焦形成稳定的锥,锥顶端射出的微射流因不稳定性破碎成小颗粒.实验在自行设计的装置上完成,分析了流动聚焦技术中影响锥-射流以及颗粒形貌的因素,总结了过程中装置的结构参数以及气体压力降、液体流量和物性等流动参数对射流直径的影响.结果显示该技术制备的颗粒单分散性好,直径达到微米和亚微米量级,在工业方面有重大应用前景.     

考虑液体晃动效应的运载火箭等效转动惯量对姿控系统稳定裕度的影响

基于某型火箭,分析了考虑液体晃动后的全箭等效转动惯量变化,同时仿真了对姿控系统设计结果的影响,给出了姿控系统相关裕度的变化。结果表明:液体晃动的等效效应对一级转动惯量Jz的影响较小,对二级转动惯量Jz的影响较大;等效转动惯量对二级高频稳定裕度基本不产生影响,而系统的中、低频稳定裕度均有一定程度的下降。     

美军作战快速响应太空计划发展综述

美国东部时间2011年6月29日23:09,美国空军利用人牛怪-1(Minotaur-1)火箭在沃勒普斯发射场成功发射了作战快速响应太空-1(ORS-1)卫星,9月15日开始业务运行。ORS-1卫星是一颗战术侦察卫星,质量约430kg,从研制到发射历时30个月,是ORS办公室的第一颗业务卫星。该卫星的发射标志着美军大力推动     

Resistance of bacterial endospores to outer space for planetary protection purposes--experiment PROTECT of the EXPOSE-E mission

Spore-forming bacteria are of particular concern in the context of planetary protection because their tough endospores may withstand certain sterilization procedures as well as the harsh environments of outer space or planetary surfaces. To test their hardiness on a hypothetical mission to Mars, spores of Bacillus subtilis 168 and Bacillus pumilus SAFR-032 were exposed for 1.5 years to selected parameters of space in the experiment PROTECT during the EXPOSE-E mission on board the International Space Station. Mounted as dry layers on spacecraft-qualified aluminum coupons, the "trip to Mars" spores experienced space vacuum, cosmic and extraterrestrial solar radiation, and temperature fluctuations, whereas the "stay on Mars" spores were subjected to a simulated martian environment that included atmospheric pressure and composition, and UV and cosmic radiation. The survival of spores from both assays was determined after retrieval. It was clearly shown that solar extraterrestrial UV radiation (λ≥110?nm) as well as the martian UV spectrum (λ≥200?nm) was the most deleterious factor applied; in some samples only a few survivors were recovered from spores exposed in monolayers. Spores in multilayers survived better by several orders of magnitude. All other environmental parameters encountered by the "trip to Mars" or "stay on Mars" spores did little harm to the spores, which showed about 50% survival or more. The data demonstrate the high chance of survival of spores on a Mars mission, if protected against solar irradiation. These results will have implications for planetary protection considerations.