Microbial life in a liquid asphalt desert

Pitch Lake in Trinidad and Tobago is a natural asphalt reservoir nourished by pitch seepage, a form of petroleum that consists of mostly asphaltines, from the surrounding oil-rich region. During upward seepage, pitch mixes with mud and gases under high pressure, and the lighter portion evaporates or is volatilized, which produces a liquid asphalt residue characterized by low water activity, recalcitrant carbon substrates, and noxious chemical compounds. An active microbial community of archaea and bacteria, many of them novel strains (particularly from the new Tar ARC groups), totaling a biomass of up to 10(7) cells per gram, was found to inhabit the liquid hydrocarbon matrix of Pitch Lake. Geochemical and molecular taxonomic approaches revealed diverse, novel, and deeply branching microbial lineages with the potential to mediate anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation processes in different parts of the asphalt column. In addition, we found markers for archaeal methane metabolism and specific gene sequences affiliated with facultative and obligate anaerobic sulfur- and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. The microbial diversity at Pitch Lake was found to be unique when compared to microbial communities analyzed at other hydrocarbon-rich environments, which included Rancho Le Brea, a natural asphalt environment in California, USA, and an oil well and a mud volcano in Trinidad and Tobago, among other sites. These results open a window into the microbial ecology and biogeochemistry of recalcitrant hydrocarbon matrices and establish the site as a terrestrial analogue for modeling the biotic potential of hydrocarbon lakes such as those found on Saturn's largest moon Titan.     

Survival of Deinococcus radiodurans against laboratory-simulated solar wind charged particles

In this experimental study, cells of the radiation-resistant bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans were exposed to several different sources of radiation chosen to replicate the charged particles found in the solar wind. Naked cells or cells mixed with dust grains (basalt or sandstone) differing in elemental composition were exposed to electrons, protons, and ions to determine the probability of cell survival after irradiation. Doses necessary to reduce the viability of cell population to 10% (LD(10)) were determined under different experimental conditions. The results of this study indicate that low-energy particle radiation (2-4?keV), typically present in the slow component of the solar wind, had no effect on dehydrated cells, even if exposed at fluences only reached in more than 1000 years at Sun-Earth distance (1 AU). Higher-energy ions (200?keV) found in solar flares would inactivate 90% of exposed cells after several events in less than 1 year at 1 AU. When mixed with dust grains, LD(10) increases about 10-fold. These results show that, compared to the highly deleterious effects of UV radiation, solar wind charged particles are relatively benign, and organisms protected under grains from UV radiation would also be protected from the charged particles considered in this study.     

Properties of an Earth-like planet orbiting a Sun-like star: Earth observed by the EPOXI mission

NASA's EPOXI mission observed the disc-integrated Earth and Moon to test techniques for reconnoitering extrasolar terrestrial planets, using the Deep Impact flyby spacecraft to observe Earth at the beginning and end of Northern Hemisphere spring, 2008, from a range of ～1/6 to 1/3 AU. These observations furnish high-precision and high-cadence empirical photometry and spectroscopy of Earth, suitable as "ground truth" for numerically simulating realistic observational scenarios for an Earth-like exoplanet with finite signal-to-noise ratio. Earth was observed at near-equatorial sub-spacecraft latitude on 18-19 March, 28-29 May, and 4-5 June (UT), in the range of 372-4540?nm wavelength with low visible resolving power (λ/Δλ=5-13) and moderate IR resolving power (λ/Δλ=215-730). Spectrophotometry in seven filters yields light curves at ～372-948?nm filter-averaged wavelength, modulated by Earth's rotation with peak-to-peak amplitude of ≤20%. The spatially resolved Sun glint is a minor contributor to disc-integrated reflectance. Spectroscopy at 1100-4540?nm reveals gaseous water and carbon dioxide, with minor features of molecular oxygen, methane, and nitrous oxide. One-day changes in global cloud cover resulted in differences between the light curve beginning and end of ≤5%. The light curve of a lunar transit of Earth on 29 May is color-dependent due to the Moon's red spectrum partially occulting Earth's relatively blue spectrum. The "vegetation red edge" spectral contrast observed between two long-wavelength visible/near-IR bands is ambiguous, not clearly distinguishing between the verdant Earth diluted by cloud cover versus the desolate mineral regolith of the Moon. Spectrophotometry in at least one other comparison band at short wavelength is required to distinguish between Earth-like and Moon-like surfaces in reconnaissance observations. However, measurements at 850?nm alone, the high-reflectance side of the red edge, could be sufficient to establish periodicity in the light curve and deduce Earth's diurnal period and the existence of fixed surface units.     

用于助推段目标自动捕获跟踪和助推结束定位的小型地基红外传感等

本文介绍一种叫作ＧＢＡＴＳ的小型，地基红外角度跟踪系统。ＧＢＡＴＳ设计来被动地对感兴趣的助推目标进行二维角度跟踪。     

NASA任务操作与控制结构项目

航天任务复杂性的增加与航天任务预算的急剧削减之间的矛盾造成了要求迅速降低卫星的设计与操作费用的巨大压力。为实现这些费用的降低,一种主要的方法是降低支持任务操作系统的开发和操作费用。 NASA总部通信与数据系统部用以解决该难题的一个策略是其任务操作控制结构(MOCA)项目。该项目的技术方面授权哥达德航天中心(GSFC)的任务操作部(MOD)负责。MOCA将开发出一种任务控制与数据获取结构及可支持标准,以引导未来卫星和GSFC的任务控制设施的开发。该结构将降低对全天24小时操作的需求,实现飞行与地面软件组件在不同任务间的高级别重复应用,并通过实现相应功能从地面到卫星的转移来增强整个系统的适应能力。 最终的结果是为GSFC自己开发的卫星的星地系统接口设计形成一种确定的方式,以及包括数据结构、接口和协议等在内的端一端卫星控制过程的规范。这些方式和规范都适宜于包含在对未来的空间卫星的征购文件中。如在征购文件中飞行软件核作为政府提供设备供给的话,将可得到开发和维护。 本文介绍了MOCA项目,包括其当前状态和未来结果。     

全球星系统48星星座的高效卫星控制

全球星股份有限公司正在开发的全球星系统将使用４８颗低轨卫星建立一个世界范围内的移动通讯系统，该系统符合副总统七尔先生在全球信息基础设施方面的观点。作为一个由新公司开发的大型长期商业系统，全球星系统提供了一个绝好的机会去探索高效卫星指令控制的的新方法。正在研究的设计方案和操作方案不受已有物理或组织结构的影响。该项目确实称得上是“白手起家”。全球星系统的操作难度很大。显然，即使每颗星一天２４小时仅安排     

采用机载合成孔径雷达探测运动目标

本文论述了采用合成孔径雷达对点状目标进行探测与聚焦的问题，将广泛应用于地面雷达系统中的运目标检测概念动用到合成孔径雷达系统中，并采用分析与模拟方法评估了其检测性能。     

全球星系统48星星座的高效卫星控制

全球星股份有限公司正在开发的全球星系统将使用48颗低轨卫星(见图1,略)建立一个世界范围内的移动通讯系统,该系统符合副总统戈尔先生在全球信息基础设施方面的观点。作为一个由新公司开发的大型长期商业系统,全球星系统提供了一个绝好的机会去探索高效卫星指令控制的新方法。正在研究的设计方案和操作方案不受已有物理或组织结构的影响。该项目确实称得上是“白手起家”。 全球星系统的操作难度很大。显然,即使每颗星一天24小时仅安排一个人来监视和控制,对全球星系统来说也是开支不起的(需要200个工作人员)。即使对每颗星每圈只测控一次,数据获取也要每45秒启停一次。尽管各显基本相同,随着时间的推移,卫星将要显示出自己的“特点”,并要求不同的数据校正和不同级别的服务。 本文讨论了全球星系统的技术难点、目前的工程方案、系统设计决策,并阐述处理卫星、地面系统和操作小组的综合需求和相互关系的操作方案。系统吸取了过去任务中的经验教训,打破了组织机构上的壁障,系统各部分建立了合作关系,为星座的管理制定了新的操作方案。然后由操作方案导出控制中心的要求。 本文最后总结了这些工程方法和方案在将来不同等级卫星星座中的适用性。     

开发TDRSS对政府和商业运载火箭的全球覆盖能力

NASA天基通信网—TDRSS可为哈勃太空望远镜、Compton天文台、TOPEX以及航天飞机等多种低轨道飞行航天器提供跟踪和通信服务。当前NASA正集中研究采用最经济的办法完成其各项航天任务,这就促使它加倍努力,寻求从其TDRSS独特资源获得更大价值的一切可能性。现已证明利用3颗地球同步卫星加上高增益S波段跟踪天线能为一次性运载火箭(ELV)的发射阶段提供近全球覆盖能力。 运载火箭在上升和级间分离期间,由TDRSS提供遥测覆盖要比利用高级靶场测量飞机(ARIA)或多个航区站费用低得多。 TDRSS可望承担各类运载火箭的发射服务,其中包括德尔它、大力神/顶上级、飞马座、民兵、改进型火箭(EELV)和海射火箭以及国外运载火箭。对于装有相应转发器的顶上级,可以覆盖到转移轨道段。还在研究利用TDRSS波段前向链路传递靶场安全指令,从而还可能得到明显的经济效益。 本文详细介绍TDRSS为大力神/半人马座和阿特拉斯/半人马座发射提供通信保障所获得的经验,并叙述为各种运载火箭发射服务的余量、发射机和天线特性以及费用和前景。