Detectability of planetary characteristics in disk-averaged spectra. I: The Earth model

Over the next 2 decades, NASA and ESA are planning a series of space-based observatories to detect and characterize extrasolar planets. This first generation of observatories will not be able to spatially resolve the terrestrial planets detected. Instead, these planets will be characterized by disk-averaged spectroscopy. To assess the detectability of planetary characteristics in disk-averaged spectra, we have developed a spatially and spectrally resolved model of the Earth. This model uses atmospheric and surface properties from existing observations and modeling studies as input, and generates spatially resolved high-resolution synthetic spectra using the Spectral Mapping Atmospheric Radiative Transfer model. Synthetic spectra were generated for a variety of conditions, including cloud coverage, illumination fraction, and viewing angle geometry, over a wavelength range extending from the ultraviolet to the farinfrared. Here we describe the model and validate it against disk-averaged visible to infrared observations of the Earth taken by the Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer, the ESA Mars Express Omega instrument, and ground-based observations of earthshine reflected from the unilluminated portion of the Moon. The comparison between the data and model indicates that several atmospheric species can be identified in disk-averaged Earth spectra, and potentially detected depending on the wavelength range and resolving power of the instrument. At visible wavelengths (0.4-0.9 microm) O3, H2O, O2, and oxygen dimer [(O2)2] are clearly apparent. In the mid-infrared (5-20 microm) CO2, O3, and H2O are present. CH4, N2O, CO2, O3, and H2O are visible in the near-infrared (1-5 microm). A comprehensive three-dimensional model of the Earth is needed to produce a good fit with the observations.     

Detectability of planetary characteristics in disk-averaged spectra II: synthetic spectra and light-curves of earth

Spatially and spectrally resolved models were used to explore the observational sensitivity to changes in atmospheric and surface properties and the detectability of surface biosignatures in the globally averaged spectra and light-curves of the Earth. Compared with previous efforts to characterize the Earth using disk-averaged models, a more comprehensive and realistic treatment of the surface and atmosphere was taken into account here. Our results are presented as a function of viewing geometry and phases at both visible/near-infrared (0.5-1.7 microm) and mid-infrared (5-25 microm) wavelength ranges, applicable to the proposed NASA-Terrestrial Planet Finder visible coronagraph and mid-infrared interferometer and to the ESADarwin mission architectures. Clouds can change the thermal emission by as much as 50% compared with the cloud-free case and increase the visible albedo by up to 500% for completely overcast cases at the dichotomy phase. Depending on the observed phase and their distribution and type, clouds can also significantly alter the spectral shape. Moreover, clouds impact the detectability of surface biosignatures in the visible wavelength range. Modeling the disk-averaged sensitivity to the "red-edge," a distinctive spectral signature of vegetation, showed that Earth's land vegetation could be seen in disk-averaged spectra, even with cloud cover, when the signal was averaged over the daily time scale. We found that vegetation is more readily discriminated from clouds at dichotomy (50% illumination) rather than at full phase. The detectability of phytoplankton was also explored, but was found to be more difficult to detect in the disk-average than land vegetation.     

A Review of Density Holes Upstream of Earth's Bow Shock

Larmor size transient structures with density depletions as large as 99% of ambient solar wind density levels occur commonly upstream of Earth＇s collisionless bow shock. These ＂density holes＂ have a me...     

对高雷诺数风洞模型表面外形特性测定方法的评定

由于国家跨音速试验设备(简称 NTF,以下同)的高雷诺数,及其伴随薄的边界层,因此,美国国家航空和宇宙航行局正在重新探讨与模型表面形状定义有关的空气动力效应。但目前还没有通过实验证明模型制造车间采用的触针式仪器能准确确定 NTF 模型表面形状的数据。本文叙述了由国家航空和宇宙航行局赞助的,国家标准局正在进行的一项工作。即:评价测量模型表面形状用的触针仪器的性能,和研制出一种新颖的光散射测量仪,它能准确测量表面微观几何形状特性,并克服了触针轮廓仪带来的一些问题。     

雷达系统中最少阵元的天线阵对多重干扰的抑制

1 前言 自适应天线阵因其能有效抑制由主天线方向图旁瓣所接收的强干扰信号，已被广泛用于许多先进的雷达、声纳和通讯系统。在抑制干扰的自适应天线系统中，通常设定阵列是由均匀间隔的阵元组成，并要避免天线方向图中的混淆或栅瓣；设定阵元之间的间隔为波长的一半（λ／2）。其阵元假设相同且为全向的这一阵列结构，称作均匀规整阵列（URA）。然而完全自适应URA的成本和复杂性对于要求大量阵元的某些应用来说是不可能的。     

用于CATV光纤／同轴混合网络的基于CDMA的通信框架的初始化协议

描述了用于光纤电缆混合（ＨＦＣ）公用天线电视（ＣＡＴＶ）网络通信系统的基于ＣＤＭＡ通信系统的初始化协议。ＨＦＣ ＣＡＴＶ网络是媒体共享的存取网络，它是利用在光链路终端和用户之间的同轴电缆总线原理实现媒体共享的。为了实现上行方向的存取，可以采用基于ＣＤＭＡ（码分多址）的多址存取方案（１，２，３），然而，在允许上行存取之前，要对连接在电缆总线上的每个电缆调制解调器进行初始化，在允许上行存取之前，要对连     

用钢纤维增强砼覆面层修复工业楼板

用钢纤维增强砼覆面修复工业接板，比全厚度更换能减少停工时间，延长使用寿命，且施工技术简单，费用合理。文中介绍了用钢纤维砼修复工业楼板的施工过程和应注意的问题，可供专业人员参考借鉴。     

DARA就小卫星利用商业卫星通信系统传递数据的概念性研究结果

国家对航天计划的预算要求航天工程低成本和高效费比。德国航天局（ＤＡＲＡ）规定了一项指标，通过综合利用新概念来减少小卫星的开发和操作费用。ＤＡＲＡ提出一项研究课题，研究利用现有或即将建成的商业卫星通信系统来减少小卫星操作费用的替力，本文就介绍该项研究的成果。设想了多种数据传输方案，分析了低轨小卫星（科学）和下列通信卫星星座之间的几种方案：ａ）低轨通信卫星，即铱和全球星系统；ｂ）中轨卫星，即ＩＣＯ系统     

Investigation of low-energy proton effects on aptamer performance for astrobiological applications

Biochips are promising instruments for the search for organic molecules in planetary environments. Nucleic acid aptamers are powerful affinity receptors known for their high affinity and specificity, and therefore are of great interest for space biochip development. A wide variety of aptamers have already been selected toward targets of astrobiological interest (from amino acids to microorganisms). We present a first study to test the resistance of these receptors to the constraints of the space environment. The emphasis is on the effect of cosmic rays on the molecular recognition properties of DNA aptamers. Experiments on beam-line facilities have been conducted with 2 MeV protons and fluences much higher than expected for a typical mission to Mars. Our results show that this irradiation process did not affect the performances of DNA aptamers as molecular recognition tools.     

Damage escape and repair in dried Chroococcidiopsis spp. from hot and cold deserts exposed to simulated space and martian conditions

The cyanobacterium Chroococcidiopsis, overlain by 3?mm of Antarctic sandstone, was exposed as dried multilayers to simulated space and martian conditions. Ground-based experiments were conducted in the context of Lichens and Fungi Experiments (EXPOSE-E mission, European Space Agency), which were performed to evaluate, after 1.5 years on the International Space Station, the survival of cyanobacteria (Chroococcidiopsis), lichens, and fungi colonized on Antarctic rock. The survival potential and the role played by protection and repair mechanisms in the response of dried Chroococcidiopsis cells to ground-based experiments were both investigated. Different methods were employed, including evaluation of the colony-forming ability, single-cell analysis of subcellular integrities based on membrane integrity molecular and redox probes, evaluation of the photosynthetic pigment autofluorescence, and assessment of the genomic DNA integrity with a PCR-based assay. Desiccation survivors of strain CCMEE 123 (coastal desert, Chile) were better suited than CCMEE 134 (Beacon Valley, Antarctica) to withstand cellular damage imposed by simulated space and martian conditions. Exposed dried cells of strain CCMEE 123 formed colonies, maintained subcellular integrities, and, depending on the exposure conditions, also escaped DNA damage or repaired the induced damage upon rewetting.