Subsurface Water Oceans on Icy Satellites: Chemical Composition and Exchange Processes

The state of knowledge about the structure and composition of icy satellite interiors has been significantly extended by combining direct measurements from spacecraft, laboratory experiments, and theoretical modeling. The existence of potentially habitable liquid water reservoirs on icy satellites is dependent on the radiogenic heating of the rock component, additional contributions such as the dissipation of tidal energy, the efficiency of heat transfer to the surface, and the presence of substances that deplete the freezing point of liquid water. This review summarizes the chemical evolution of subsurface liquid water oceans, taking into account a number of chemical processes occuring in aqueous environments and partly related to material exchange with the deep interior. Of interest are processes occuring at the transitions from the liquid water layer to the ice layers above and below, involving the possible formation of clathrate hydrates and high-pressure ices on large icy satellites. In contrast, water-rock exchange is important for the chemical evolution of the liquid water layer if the latter is in contact with ocean floor rock on small satellites. The composition of oceanic floor deposits depends on ambient physical conditions and ocean chemistry, and their evolutions through time. In turn, physical properties of the ocean floor affect the circulation of oceanic water and related thermal effects due to tidally-induced porous flow and aqueous alteration of ocean floor rock.     

Inferring Nighttime Ionospheric Parameters with the Far Ultraviolet Imager Onboard the Ionospheric Connection Explorer

The Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) Far Ultraviolet (FUV) imager, ICON FUV, will measure altitude profiles of OI 135.6 nm emissions to infer nighttime ionospheric parameters. Accurate estimation of the ionospheric state requires the development of a comprehensive radiative transfer model from first principles to quantify the effects of physical processes on the production and transport of the 135.6 nm photons in the ionosphere including the mutual neutralization contribution as well as the effect of resonant scattering by atomic oxygen and pure absorption by oxygen molecules. This forward model is then used in conjunction with a constrained optimization algorithm to invert the anticipated ICON FUV line-of-sight integrated measurements. In this paper, we describe the connection between ICON FUV measurements and the nighttime ionosphere, along with the approach to inverting the measured emission profiles to derive the associated O⁺ profiles from 150–450 km in the nighttime ionosphere that directly reflect the electron density in the F-region of the ionosphere.     

Polar caps and auroral zones under idealized axisymmetric magnetic fields

The geomagnetic field, modified by the solar wind, determines the shape, area and location of polar caps and auroral zones, among other magnetosphere and upper atmosphere characteristics. Since the field varies greatly with time it is of interest to analyze polar caps and auroral zones variations linked to magnetic field variations of intensity and pattern. Polar caps and auroral zones locations and areas for various single harmonic axial field configurations are obtained analytically assuming a simple magnetopause model. As the axial degree n increases, the polar caps and auroral zones total number, given by n + 1 and 2n respectively, also increase. However, their total areas decrease from a larger value in the case of an axial dipole to a minimum for an axial octupole (n = 3), and then increase for increasing degrees. The increasing rate is much higher in the auroral zones case to the point that it exceeds the dipolar value at n = 5 while in the polar caps case this occurs at n = 8. The absolute latitudes of the auroral zones and polar caps that reside around the geographical poles increase with axial degree. Our results represent an end-member case of the evolution of auroral zones and polar caps during polarity reversals if the transition involves axial dipole energy cascade to higher axial degrees. Evidence for such an energy transfer is found in the historical record of the geomagnetic secular variation.     

The dynamics and control of the CubeSail mission: A solar sailing demonstration

The CubeSail mission is a low-cost demonstration of the UltraSail solar sailing concept (, ,  and ), using two near-identical CubeSat satellites to deploy a 260 m-long, 20 m² reflecting film. The two satellites are launched as a unit, detumbled, and separated, with the film unwinding symmetrically from motorized reels. The conformity to the CubeSat specification allows for reduction in launch costs as a secondary payload and utilization of the University of Illinois-developed spacecraft bus. The CubeSail demonstration is the first in a series of increasingly-complex missions aimed at validating several spacecraft subsystems, including attitude determination and control, the separation release unit, reel-based film deployment, as well as the dynamical behavior of the sail and on-orbit solar propulsion. The presented work describes dynamical behavior and control methods used during three main phases of the mission. The three phases include initial detumbling and stabilization using magnetic torque actuators, gravity-gradient-based deployment of the film, and steady-state film deformations in low Earth orbit in the presence of external forces of solar radiation pressure, aerodynamic drag, and gravity-gradient.     

Effects of ice accretions on aircraft aerodynamics

This article is a systematic and comprehensive review, correlation, and assessment of test results available in the public domain which address the aerodynamic performance and control degradations caused by various types of ice accretions on the lifting surfaces of fixed wing aircraft. To help put the various test results in perspective, overviews are provided first of the important factors and limitations involved in computational and experimental icing simulation techniques, as well as key aerodynamic testing simulation variables and governing flow physics issues. Following these are the actual reviews, assessments, and correlations of a large number of experimental measurements of various forms of mostly simulated in-flight and ground ice accretions, augmented where appropriate by similar measurements for other analogous forms of surface contamination and/or disruptions. In-flight icing categories reviewed include the initial and inter-cycle ice accretions inherent in the use of de-icing systems which are of particular concern because of widespread misconceptions about the thickness of such accretions which can be allowed before any serious consequences occur, and the runback/ridge ice accretions typically associated with larger-than-normal water droplet encounters which are of major concern because of the possible potential for catastrophic reductions in aerodynamic effectiveness. The other in-flight ice accretion category considered includes the more familiar large rime and glaze ice accretions, including ice shapes with rather grotesque features, where the concern is that, in spite of all the research conducted to date, the upper limit of penalties possible has probably not been defined. Lastly, the effects of various possible ground frost/ice accretions are considered. The concern with some of these is that for some types of configurations, all of the normally available operating margins to stall at takeoff may be erased if these accretions are not adequately removed prior to takeoff. Throughout this review, important voids in the available database are highlighted, as are instances where previous lessons learned have tended to be overlooked.     

Power variation analysis of echo signals from ionospheric reflectors

A series of Power Virtual Height measurements (PVH) of radio echoes reflected from the ionosphere were acquired at a given frequency during the period 3–22 January 2008 with the purpose of studying the slow fading variations through time of the ionospheric channel. To obtain PVH data, an ionospheric vertical sounding system was suitably adapted to work at a single fixed frequency. PVH measurements were recorded between two routine ionospheric vertical soundings, providing a data type that enables evaluation of fading fluctuation through time. The time stability of the ionospheric layers is determined by analyzing the level of the received signal power within a chosen threshold. In this paper the fading behaviour and its characteristics are described, considering only temporal periodicity above 0.5 s. In a further analysis a relation is demonstrated between the recorded fading and the time stability of the signal within a fixed interval of values.     

Skeletogenesis in sea urchin larvae under modified gravity conditions.

From many points of view, skeletogenesis in sea urchins has been well described. Based on this scientific background and considering practical aspects of sea urchin development (i.e. availability of material, size of larvae, etc.), we wanted to know whether orderly skeletogenesis requires the presence of gravity. The objective has been approached by three experiments successfully performed under genuine microgravity conditions (in the STS-65 IML-2 mission of 1994; in the Photon-10 IBIS mission of 1995 and in the STS-76 S/MM-03 mission of 1996). Larvae of the sea urchin Sphaerechinus granularis were allowed to develop in microgravity conditions for several days from blastula stage onwards (onset of skeletogenesis). At the end of the missions, the recovered skeletal structures were studied with respect to their mineral composition, architecture and size. Live larvae were also recovered for post-flight culture. The results obtained clearly show that the process of mineralisation is independent of gravity: that is, the skeletogenic cells differentiate correctly in microgravity. However, abnormal skeleton architectures were encountered, particularly in the IML-2 mission, indicating that the process of positioning of the skeletogenic cells may be affected, directly or indirectly, by environmental factors, including gravity. Larvae exposed to microgravity from blastula to prism/early pluteus stage for about 2 weeks (IBIS mission), developed on the ground over the next 2 months into normal metamorphosing individuals.     

On uncertainties in carbon flux modelling and remotely sensed data assimilation: The Brasschaat pixel case

Uncertainty on carbon fluxes is determined by the uncertainties of ecosystem model structure, data and model parameter uncertainties and the temporal and spatial inaccuracy of the input data retrieval. The objective of this paper is to understand the error propagation and uncertainty of evaporative fraction (EF), soil moisture content (SMC) and water limited net ecosystem productivity (NEP). In this respect, C-Fix and spaceborne remote sensing are used for the ‘Brasschaat’ pixel. A simple model based on error theory and a Monte-Carlo approach are used. Different error scenarios are implemented to assess input uncertainty on EF, SMC and NEP as estimated with C-Fix.     

Protostellar Winds and Chondritic Meteorites

We discuss the interaction between the magnetosphere of a young star and its surrounding accretion disk. We consider how an X-wind can be driven magnetocentrifugally from the inner edge of the disk where accreting gas is diverted onto stellar field lines either to flow onto the Sun or to be flung outwards with the wind. The X-wind satisfies many observational tests concerning optical jets, Herbig-Haro objects, and molecular outflows. Connections may exist between primitive solar system materials and X-winds. Chondrules and calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) experienced short melting events uncharacteristic of the asteroid belt where meteorites originate. The inner edge of the solar nebula has the shortest orbital timescale available to the system, a few days. Protosolar flares introduce another timescale, tens of minutes to hours. CAIs may form when solids are lifted from shaded portions of the disk close to the Sun and are exposed to its intense light for a day or so before they are flung by the X-wind to much larger distances. Chondrules were melted, perhaps many times, by flares at larger distances from the Sun before being launched and annealed, but not remelted, in the X-wind. Aerodynamic sorting explains the narrow range of sizes with which CAIs and chondrules are found in chondritic meteorites. Flare-generated cosmic-rays may induce spallation reactions that produce some of the short-lived radioactivities associated with primitive solar system rocks. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.