Design,Development, Implementation,and On-orbit Performance of the Dynamic Ionosphere CubeSat Experiment Mission

Funded by the NSF CubeSat and NASA ELaNa programs, the Dynamic Ionosphere CubeSat Experiment (DICE) mission consists of two 1.5U CubeSats which were launched into an eccentric low Earth orbit on October 28, 2011. Each identical spacecraft carries two Langmuir probes to measure ionospheric in-situ plasma densities, electric field probes to measure in-situ DC and AC electric fields, and a science grade magnetometer to measure in-situ DC and AC magnetic fields. Given the tight integration of these multiple sensors with the CubeSat platforms, each of the DICE spacecraft is effectively a “sensor-sat” capable of comprehensive ionospheric diagnostics. The use of two identical sensor-sats at slightly different orbiting velocities in nearly identical orbits permits the de-convolution of spatial and temporal ambiguities in the observations of the ionosphere from a moving platform. In addition to demonstrating nanosat-based constellation science, the DICE mission is advancing a number of groundbreaking CubeSat technologies including miniaturized mechanisms and high-speed downlink communications.     

On choice of turbulence models and grid parameters for computation of flows in diffuser ducts

The results of analyzing the reliability of six turbulence models are presented as applied to calculations of flows in the asymmetric plane diffuser. The influence of grid parameters upon the calculation results is studied and the accuracy of flow separation and reattachment points prediction is determined. Also carried out is the comparison of processor time spent for calculations with the aid of each model.     

Plants + soil/wetland microbes: Food crop systems that also clean air and water

The limitations that will govern bioregenerative life support applications in space, especially volume and weight, make multi-purpose systems advantageous. This paper outlines two systems which utilize plants and associated microbial communities of root or growth medium to both produce food crops and clean air and water. Underlying these approaches are the large numbers and metabolic diversity of microbes associated with roots and found in either soil or other suitable growth media. Biogeochemical cycles have microbial links and the ability of microbes to metabolize virtually all trace gases, whether of technogenic or biogenic origin, has long been established. Wetland plants and the rootzone microbes of wetland soils/media also been extensively researched for their ability to purify wastewaters of a great number of potential water pollutants, from nutrients like N and P, to heavy metals and a range of complex industrial pollutants. There is a growing body of research on the ability of higher plants to purify air and water. Associated benefits of these approaches is that by utilizing natural ecological processes, the cleansing of air and water can be done with little or no energy inputs. Soil and rootzone microorganisms respond to changing pollutant types by an increase of the types of organisms with the capacity to use these compounds. Thus living systems have an adaptive capacity as long as the starting populations are sufficiently diverse. Tightly sealed environments, from office buildings to spacecraft, can have hundreds or even thousands of potential air pollutants, depending on the materials and equipment enclosed. Human waste products carry a plethora of microbes which are readily used in the process of converting its organic load to forms that can be utilized by green plants. Having endogenous means of responding to changing air and water quality conditions represents safety factors as these systems operate without the need for human intervention. We review this research and the ability of systems using these mechanisms to also produce food or other useful crops. Concerns about possible pathogens in soils and wastewater are discussed along with some methods to prevent contact, disease transmission and to pre-screen and decrease risks. The psychological benefits of having systems utilizing green plants are becoming more widely recognized. Some recent applications extending the benefits of plants and microbes to solve new environmental problems are presented. For space applications, we discuss the use of in situ space resources and ways of making these systems compact and light-weight.     

Landforms of Europa and selection of landing sites

Three major features make Europa a unique scientific target for a lander-oriented interplanetary mission: (1) the knowledge of the composition of the surface of Europa is limited to interpretations of the spectral data, (2) a lander could provide unique new information about outer parts of the solar system, and (3) Europa may have a subsurface ocean that potentially may harbor life, the traces of which may occur on the surface and could be sampled directly by a lander. These characteristics of Europa bring the requirement of safe landing to the highest priority level because any successful landing on the surface of this moon will yield scientific results of fundamental importance. The safety requirements include four major components. (1) A landing site should preferentially be on the anti-Jovian hemisphere of Europa in order to facilitate the orbital maneuvers of the spacecraft. (2) A landing site should be on the leading hemisphere of Europa in order to extend the lifetime of a lander and sample pristine material of the planet. (3) Images with the highest possible resolution must be available for the selection of landing sites. (4) The terrain for landing must have morphology (relief) that minimizes the risk of landing and represents a target that is important from a scientific point of view. These components severely restrict the selection of regions for landing on the surface of Europa. After the photogeologic analysis of all Galileo images with a resolution of better than about 70 m/pixel taken for the leading hemisphere of Europa, we propose one primary and two secondary (backup) landing sites. The primary site (51.8°S, 177.2°W) is within a pull-apart zone affected by a small chaos. The first backup site (68.1°S, 196.7°W) is also inside of a pull-apart zone and is covered by images of the lower resolution (51.4 m/pixel). The second backup site (2.4°N, 181.1°W) is imaged by relatively low-resolution images (∼70 m/pixel) and corresponds to a cluster of small patches of dark and probably smooth plains that may represent landing targets of the highest scientific priority from the scientific point of view. The lack of the high-resolution images for this region prevents, however, its selection as the primary landing target.     

ISCCP cloud analysis algorithm intercomparison

The International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) will provide a uniform global climatology of satellite-measured radiances and derive a climatology of cloud radiative properties from these radiances. For this purpose, a pilot study of cloud analysis algorithms was initiated to define a state-of-the-art algorithm for ISCCP. This study compared the results of applying the nine different algorithms to the same satellite radiance data. The comparison allowed for a sharper understanding of the process of detecting clouds and shows that all algorithms can be improved by better information about clear sky radiance values (essentially equivalent to surface property information) and by better understanding of cloud size distribution variations. The dependence of all methods on cloud size distribution led to selection of an advanced bispectral threshold technique for ISCCP because this method is currently better understood and more developed. Further research on cloud algorithms is clearly suggested by these results.     

Cataractogenic potential of ionizing radiations in animal models that simulate man.

Aspects of experiments on radiation-induced lenticular opacification during the life spans of two animal models, the New Zealand white rabbit and the rhesus monkey, are compared and contrasted with published results from a life span study of another animal model, the beagle dog, and the most recent data from the ongoing study of the survivors from radiation exposure at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. An important connection among the three animal studies is that all the measurements of cataract indices were made by one of the authors (A.C.L.), so variation form personal subjectivity was reduced to a minimum. The primary objective of the rabbit experiments (radiations involved: 56Fe, 40Ar and 20Ne ions and 60Co gamma photons) is an evaluation of hazards to astronauts from galactic particulate radiations. An analogous evaluation of hazards from solar flares during space flight is being made with monkeys exposed to 32, 55, 138 and 400 MeV protons. Conclusions are drawn about the proper use of animal models to simulate radiation responses in man and the levels of radiation-induced lenticular opacification that pose risks to man in space.     

Model QA3000 Q-Flex accelerometer high performance test results

Q-Flex quartz flexure suspension technology has evolved to produce a world class accelerometer with thousands of units delivered in 1991. The Sundstrand Model QA3000 Q-Flex design achieves a new level of inertial grade performance while maintaining a competitive market price. The specification for the QA3000, supported by actual performance data, depicts performance characteristics superior in both bias and scale factor. Long term measurements display bias and scale factor repeatability obtained across temperature over a period of three years. These data exhibit improved thermal behavior with reduced errors. Reaction time and radiation data highlight the performance of the hybrid position detector circuit     

Status of the emerging technology of Stirling machines

The commercialization status of Stirling machines varies from established niche market products to potential products that are in early stages of development. In other words, we are talking about a typical emerging technology. Many organizations are actively pursuing product development based on Stirling machine technology. Stirling machines offer significant performance advantages, but many obstacles remain to be fully resolved, including cost and demonstrated reliability. This article describes the technology upon which Stirling machines are based. Several application areas are then explored, including hot air engines, remote power, solar thermal power, sensor cooling, refrigeration, cogeneration and air-independent propulsion     

Numerical investigation on the shock wave transition in a three-dimensional scramjet isolator

The scramjet isolator, which is used to prevent the hypersonic inlet from disturbances that arise from the pressure rise in the scramjet combustor due to the intense turbulent combustion, is one of the most critical components in hypersonic airbreathing propulsion systems. Any engineering error that is possible in the design and manufacturing procedure of the experimental model, and the intense heat release in the scramjet combustor, may cause the performance of the isolator to decrease, leading to its lack of capability in supporting the back pressure. The coupled implicit Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations and the two-equation standard k?ε turbulent model have been employed to numerically simulate the flow fields in a three-dimensional scramjet isolator. The effects of the divergent angle and the back pressure on the shock wave transition and the location of the leading edge of the shock wave train have been estimated and discussed. The obtained results show that the present numerical results are in very good agreement with the available experimental shadow-pictures, and the numerical method is more suitable for capturing the shock wave train and predicting the location of the leading edge of the shock wave train in the scramjet isolator than the present two-dimensional numerical methods. This is due to the small width-to-height ratio of the isolator and the intense three-dimensional flow structures. On increasing the divergent angle of the scramjet isolator, the static pressure along the central symmetrical line of the isolator decreases sharply. This is due to the strong expansion wave generated at the entrance of the isolator, and when the divergent angle of the isolator is sufficiently large, namely 1.5°, a zone of negative pressure is formed just ahead of the leading edge of the shock wave train. At the same time, the shock wave train varies from being oblique to being normal, and then back to oblique. With an increase in the prescribed back pressure at the exit of the scramjet isolator, the leading edge of the shock wave train moves forward towards the entrance of the isolator, and when the back pressure is sufficiently large, unstart conditions in the hypersonic inlet can take place if the shock train reaches the inlet.