A Far Infrared Photometer (FIRP) for the Infrared Telescope in Space (IRTS)

We describe the design and calibration of the Far-Infrared Photometer (FIRP), one of four focal plane instruments on the Infrared Telescope in Space (IRTS). The FIRP will provide absolute photometry in four bands centered at 150, 250, 400, and 700 μm with spectral resolution λ/Δλ ≈ 3 and spatial resolution ΔΘ = 0.5 degrees. High sensitivity is achieved by using bolometric detectors operated at 300 mK in an AC bridge circuit. The closed-cycle ³He refrigerator can be recycled in orbit. A 2 K shutter provides a zero reference for each field of view. More than 10% of the sky will be surveyed during the ≈3 week mission lifetime with a sensitivity of <10⁻¹³ W·cm⁻²·sr⁻¹ per 0.5 degree pixel.     

Determination of parameters of rotational motion of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Monitor-E</Emphasis> spacecraft from the telemetry data on solar batteries’ current

The Monitor-E spacecraft executed uncontrolled flight due to emergency situation, no telemetry information on parameters of the spacecraft’s attitude motion being available. So, the problem arose to determine the spacecraft’s rotational motion from the accessible indirect information—the electric current provided by solar batteries. In this paper the integrated statistical technique is described, that allows one to solve this problem. The values of current, obtained over the time interval some tens of minutes long, have been processed simultaneously by the least squares method using the integration of the equations of spacecraft’s rotational motion. As a result of processing, the initial conditions of motion were estimated, and the spacecraft’s moments of inertia were updated, as well as the angles, specifying solar batteries position in the spacecraft-fixed coordinate system. The results of processing of 12 data sets are presented, which allowed us to reconstruct the actual rotational motion of the spacecraft.     

Pseudorandom Frequency Modulation in Range-Doppler Radar

In many radar systems, efficient use of transmitter power requires the transmission of a constant-amplitude signal for a substantial fraction of time; for a monotonic transmission, however, the range resolution is restricted by the length of the transmitted pulse. Linear frequency modulation removes this constraint for targets with negligible, or known, radial velocities; it is not suitable, however, for simultaneous observations of range and radial velocity (Doppler shift). This paper describes a class of waveforms suitable for simultaneous measurement of range and Doppler shift. These waveforms are characterized by a uniform distribution in frequency and by pseudorandom frequency changes. Uniform frequency distribution is attained by a uniform spacing of frequencies with each frequency present for an identical length of time. Frequency changes are effected by sequencing the frequencies with a pseudorandom number generator. Ambiguity functions are computed for pseudorandom frequencymodulated waveforms designed for ionospheric backscatter studies. By suitable choice of parameters, the ambiguity function becomes a narrow central peak surrounded by a plateau whose height varies randomly between zero and approximately twice its average. Waveform generation by means of a digital frequency synthesizer and data reconstruction considerations are described.     

Sedimenting particles and swimming micro-organisms in a rotating fluid.

Experiments and calculations on the trajectories of micron-sized spheres, suspended in a fluid that fills a dosed container which rotates about an axis perpendicular to g, relate to the planning and interpretation of clinostat experiments. For low Reynolds number motion, the orbits are nearly circular, the radius being inversely proportional to the rotation rate. The swimming direction of micro-organisms can be affected by light, gravity, vorticity etc. The trajectories of algae swimming in steadily rotating environments have been observed and compared with theoretical predictions for ideal gyrotactic micro-organisms, thus providing some insights into the mechanisms of gravitaxis, gyrotaxis and the behaviour of the cells.     

The Freja wave and plasma density experiment

The Wave Experiment, F4, on the Swedish/German satelliteFreja, is designed to measure the electric wave fields up to 4 MHz, the magnetic wave fields up to 16 kHz and the plasma density and its relative variations up to 2 kHz. Six wave signals and four density probe signals can be measured simultaneously. The wave forms of all signals are transmitted to ground without any analysis onboard. The limited TM allocation does not allow continuous sampling of the wave signals, so normally the measurements are made in snapshots of various lengths dependent on sampling frequency, etc. Continuous sampling can be made for shorter time periods by using a 6 Mbyte memory as a buffer.     

Design and characteristics of a multiband communication satelliteantenna system

Feasibility studies on a multiband communication satellite antenna system and the key technologies involved in devising this system are described. The proposed multiband communication satellite utilizes four frequency bands: Ka (30/20 GHz), Ku (14/12 GHz), C (6/4 GHz), and S (2.6/2.5 GHz). It has six beam configurations, three multibeam and three shaped-beam. The following key technologies are presented: (1) a low-loss frequency selective subreflector (FSR) for compact feeds, (2) a low-loss and broadband frequency selective surface (FSS), and (3) a highly accurate and reliable mesh reflector     

Identification of seismic activity sources on the subsatellite track by ionospheric plasma disturbances detected with the Sich-2 onboard probes

Using a cylindrical Langmuir probe and the authors’ proprietary two-channel pressure transducer, ionospheric plasma parameter distributions along the orbit of the Sich-2 satellite (Ukraine, 2011–2012) were measured. This paper is concerned with identifying the space–time location of ionospheric plasma disturbance sources, including the epicenters of actual earthquakes (before or during the satellite flyover) and incipient earthquakes on the subsatellite track, from the measured distributions of the electron density and temperature and the neutral particle temperature along the satellite orbit. To do this, the measured ionospheric plasma parameter distributions are connected to the coordinates on the subsatellite track.It is shown that local disturbances in the electron density and temperature and neutral particle temperature distributions in the satellite orbit in the ionosphere may serve as indicators of seismic activity on the subsatellite track. The epicenters of incipient earthquakes may be set off from other plasma parameter disturbance sources associated with seismic activity using information provided by special monitoring and survey centers that monitor the current seismic situation.