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.     

具有最低旁瓣电平和使用粒子群优化算法控制零陷的线性阵几何综合

描述了具有最低旁瓣电平和使用粒子群优化算法（PSO）控制零陷的线性阵几何综合方法。PSO是一种最新开发的高性能优化算法，它能解决一般的N维线性和非线性优化问题。与遗传算法和模拟退火等其他进化算法相比，PSO算法更易于理解和实现，并且要求最少的数学预处理。针对以旁瓣抑制（SLL）和／或在特定方向放置零陷为目标的优化问题，首先提出了阵列几何综合的公式，然后运用PSO算法来解决单元的位置优化问题。最后给出了3个PSO算法应用的设计实例，且每个实例中的优化目标都易于实现。通过与使用二次规划方法（QPM）获得的结果相比较，验证了PSO算法结果的有效性。     

改造哈勃太空望远镜地面系统以降低操作费用

哈勃太空望远镜（ＨＳＴ）的卫星遥测处理工作主要由专用软件和专用硬件完成，ＨＳＴ地面系统的操作和维护费用都很高。为了在２０００年前使卫星地面系统的操作和维护费用降下来，ＮＡＳＡ已决定改造ＨＳＴ的控制中心系统，从而增强其数据处理能力，降低操作难度，提高系统标准化程度。为此成立了Ｖｉｓｉｏｎ２０００控制中心系统（ＣＣＳ）产品开发工作组，重新设计和开发ＨＳＴ地面系统。ＣＣＳ地面系统的开发包括：前端处理机（     

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...     

东方上空的霍克飞机（HAWKS）

中国航空事业的发展过程是复杂的。开创早期 ,中国从西方几个航空先进国家购买若干名牌产品 ,其中有的型号是仅为中国生产的。寇梯士霍克 (CURTISS HAWK)双翼及单翼战斗机是在 1 930年由美国出口售给中国。到第二次世界大战开始时 ,寇梯士公司曾出口 2 99架双翼机 ,另在两个国家特许制造若干架。寇梯士 75机有两种出口型。一种是带有固定起落架 ,装有莱特赛克隆 780马力发动机 ,简称为 H— 75。此型飞机自 1 937年为中国、泰国、阿根廷共生产 73架。另一种为稍重而轻快飞机 ,有可回收起落架 ,装置双 WASP或CYCL ONE1 1 0 0 / 1 2 …     

可缩放的多功能有源相控阵：从概念到实施

最近重组到EDA（欧洲防务司）的WEAG（西欧武装集团）曾提出SMRF（可缩放多功能射频系统）概念。本文介绍了它衍生出来的概念，即SMRF—APAS（可缩放多功能射频．有源相控阵系统）概念。本文将SMRF—APAS概念推导出的成本／效率与没有采用可缩放技术的有源相控阵系统的成本／效率进行了比较。特别对SMRF．APAS方案和常规方案的非经常性成本（即雷达设计成本）和经常性成本（即雷达构成成本）进行了比较。可以发现，由于采用SMRF—APAS概念，非经常性成本减少约80％，经常性成本减少约40％。这种成本的降低越来越与引入这些正在研究的新技术有关。     

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.     

Photochemical synthesis of citric acid cycle intermediates based on titanium dioxide

The emergence of the citric acid cycle is one of the most remarkable occurrences with regard to understanding the origin and evolution of metabolic pathways. Although the chemical steps of the cycle are preserved intact throughout nature, diverse organisms make wide use of its chemistry, and in some cases organisms use only a selected portion of the cycle. However, the origins of this cycle would have arisen in the more primitive anaerobic organism or even back in the proto-metabolism, which likely arose spontaneously under favorable prebiotic chemical conditions. In this context, we report that UV irradiation of formamide in the presence of titanium dioxide afforded 6 of the 11 carboxylic acid intermediates of the reductive version of the citric acid cycle. Since this cycle is the central metabolic pathway of contemporary biology, this report highlights the role of photochemical processes in the origin of the metabolic apparatus.     

The O/OREOS mission: first science data from the Space Environment Survivability of Living Organisms (SESLO) payload

We report the first telemetered spaceflight science results from the orbiting Space Environment Survivability of Living Organisms (SESLO) experiment, executed by one of the two 10?cm cube-format payloads aboard the 5.5?kg Organism/Organic Exposure to Orbital Stresses (O/OREOS) free-flying nanosatellite. The O/OREOS spacecraft was launched successfully to a 72° inclination, 650?km Earth orbit on 19 November 2010. This satellite provides access to the radiation environment of space in relatively weak regions of Earth's protective magnetosphere as it passes close to the north and south magnetic poles; the total dose rate is about 15 times that in the orbit of the International Space Station. The SESLO experiment measures the long-term survival, germination, and growth responses, including metabolic activity, of Bacillus subtilis spores exposed to the microgravity, ionizing radiation, and heavy-ion bombardment of its high-inclination orbit. Six microwells containing wild-type (168) and six more containing radiation-sensitive mutant (WN1087) strains of dried B. subtilis spores were rehydrated with nutrient medium after 14 days in space to allow the spores to germinate and grow. Similarly, the same distribution of organisms in a different set of microwells was rehydrated with nutrient medium after 97 days in space. The nutrient medium included the redox dye Alamar blue, which changes color in response to cellular metabolic activity. Three-color transmitted intensity measurements of all microwells were telemetered to Earth within days of each of the 48?h growth experiments. We report here on the evaluation and interpretation of these spaceflight data in comparison to delayed-synchronous laboratory ground control experiments.