Research priorities and plans for the International Space Station-results of the 'REMAP' Task Force

Recent events in the International Space Station (ISS) Program have resulted in the necessity to re-examine the research priorities and research plans for future years. Due to both technical and fiscal resource constraints expected on the International Space Station, it is imperative that research priorities be carefully reviewed and clearly articulated. In consultation with OSTP and the Office of Management and budget (OMB), NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research (OBPR) assembled an ad-hoc external advisory committee, the Biological and Physical Research Maximization and Prioritization (REMAP) Task Force. This paper describes the outcome of the Task Force and how it is being used to define a roadmap for near and long-term Biological and Physical Research objectives that supports NASA's Vision and Mission. Additionally, the paper discusses further prioritizations that were necessitated by budget and ISS resource constraints in order to maximize utilization of the International Space Station. Finally, a process has been developed to integrate the requirements for this prioritized research with other agency requirements to develop an integrated ISS assembly and utilization plan that maximizes scientific output.     

航天飞机的固体火箭发动机

本文介绍了航天飞机用的助推固体火箭发动机(SRM)。其类型分为三种:当前执行任务的标准SRM,空间飞行运输8号用的高性能SRM;以及计划在1985年飞行用的纤维缠绕壳体SRM。航天飞机的SRM是获得飞行状态中最大的固体推进剂发动机,其直径为146英寸,长度为125英尺,装有1111000磅固体推进剂,最大推力(真空条件下)为3115000磅力。在首次飞行前成功地进行了7次地面试车,随后的三次飞行试验满足了发动机的全部技术指标。计划提高航天飞机的性能,从东海岸发射的有效载荷达到65000磅,在西海岸发射时(极轨道)达到32000磅。航天飞机性能提高是由于:1.采用高性能的SRM使航天飞机的有效载荷增加3000磅。2.SRM使用纤维缠绕壳体结构使航天飞机的有效载荷增加6000磅。前者靠改变SRM的推力——时间曲线和提高喷管的膨胀比来实现;后者靠减少壳体的消极重量来实现。     

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.     

Function-morphological investigations of fish inner ear otoliths as basis for interpretation of human space sickness

In man, altered gravity may lead to a vestibular dysfunction causing space motion sickness. A hypothesis was developed, according to which asymmetric inner ear statoliths might be the morphological basis of space sickness. The animal model, fish, revealed further information: inner ear "stone" (otolith) growth is dependent on the amplitude and the direction of gravity, regulated by a negative feedback mechanism. The present study was focused on the question, where the regulation centre of adaptive otolith growth may be situated. Therefore, the vestibular nerve was unilaterally transected in neonate swordtail fish (Xiphophorus helleri). As growth marker, the calcium tracer alizarin-complexone was used. It was found that otolith growth had ceased on the operated head sides indicating that the brain is significantly involved in regulating otolith growth. About 2 weeks after nerve transection, otoliths had regained normal growth, probably due to nerve regeneration. Concerning fish, it has now to be tested, if this regeneration is affected by altered gravity, e.g. in a long-term experiment on the International Space Station. Regarding mammals, it has to be proved if asymmetric statoliths are the basis of kinetosis and whether or not the mammalian brain has an effect on statolith growth in the course of compensating altered gravity.     

Changes in chromatin and nucleic acids in rat tissues after two-week spaceflight

The quantitative changes in nucleic acids and chromatin breakdown were followed in blood, thymus and spleen in rats after 14 day flights on board the biosatellites Cosmos-1887 and Cosmos-2044. Quantitative nucleic acid changes within 8-11 h after landing were only mild, most statistically non-significant. An analysis at 48 h after landing showed a marked decrease in a total content of DNA and RNA in spleen and thymus. Within 8-11 h after landing, the symptoms of chromatin breakdown were found as is seen in an increased concentration of its fragments-polydeoxyribonucleotides. The obtained results show that a partial adaptation to microgravity occurs up to flight day 14 in lymphoid organs. Adaptation is accompanied with a reappearing of the sensitive cells. Their chromatin breaks down, then, in a final phase of flight due to hypergravity stress manifesting itself by a temporary increase in polydeoxyribonucleotide concentration several hours after landing. The results are discussed in relation to the changes in chosen parameters after shorter or more prolonged flights.     

The Suess-Urey mission (return of solar matter to Earth)

The Suess-Urey (S-U) mission has been proposed as a NASA Discovery mission to return samples of matter from the Sun to the Earth for isotopic and chemical analyses in terrestrial laboratories to provide a major improvement in our knowledge of the average chemical and isotopic composition of the solar system. The S-U spacecraft and sample return capsule will be placed in a halo orbit around the L1 Sun-Earth libration point for two years to collect solar wind ions which implant into large passive collectors made of ultra-pure materials. Constant Spacecraft-Sun-Earth geometries enable simple spin stabilized attitude control, simple passive thermal control, and a fixed medium gain antenna. Low data requirements and the safety of a Sun-pointed spinner, result in extremely low mission operations costs.     

应用于航天的专家系统外壳

从地面对航天器上复杂的、紧密耦合的系统进行控制是一项非常复杂的任务。在起飞期间,操作员不停地监视着输入的系统数据,并作出各种判断以保证发射成功。在大多数系统中,操作员从嵌入地面控制计算机的软件中获取这些原始数据。如果数据超过了某一固定门限,则软件触发一个警告。然而,紧密耦合的子系统经常会引发几个警告并同时发声,信息大量涌向操作员,延误操作员的反应时间,导致慌乱、疏忽和系统失败。