Shock protection of penetrator-based instrumentation via a sublimation approach

It is often necessary for space-borne instrumentation to cope with substantial levels of shock acceleration both in the initial launch phase, as well as during entry, descent and landing in the case of planetary exploration. Current plans for a new generation of penetrator-based space missions will subject the associated on-board instrumentation to far greater levels of shock, and ways must therefore be found to either ruggedize or else protect any sensitive components during the impact phase. In this paper, we present an innovative method of shock protection that is suited for use in a number of planetary environments, based upon the temporary encapsulation of said components within a waxy solid which may then be sublimated to return the instrument back to its normal operation. We have tested this method experimentally using micromachined silicon suspensions under applied shock loads of up to 15,000g, and found that these were able to survive without incurring damage. Furthermore, quality factor measurements undertaken on these suspensions indicate that their mechanical performance remains unaffected by the encapsulation and subsequent sublimation process.     

Telemetry,telecommand and safety sub-systems for scientific ballooning from Hyderabad

Highly sophisticated balloon-borne scientific payloads have stringent requirement on the telemetry and command system. The development and fabrication of the on-board TT&C package for telemetry, tracking, command, safety and ranging for these experiments is done in-house at the National Balloon Facility (NBF) at Hyderabad. In the last few years, we have made major improvements both in the ground station and the on-board sub-systems, thereby improving the data quality, data handling speed and the general flight control along with aviation safety. The new system has telemetry data rate up to 1 Mbps. A reduction in weight, power and cost of the reengineered on-board integrated package has also lead to the ease of operation during field tests prior to launch and at remote recovery sites. In this paper, we describe the details of the new control package, its flight performance and our plans for portable S-band telemetry and telecommand system to cater to the balloon flights from Antarctic station and long duration balloon flights.     

Two-dimensional radiation-hydrodynamics calculations of the formation of O-B associations in dense molecular clouds

Two-dimensional calculations of ionization-shockwave propagation into a curved molecular cloud are presented. Density enhancement occurs due to the combined effects of cloud curvature and radiation flow. The star formation process is expected to be enhanced near the edges of irregularly shaped molecular clouds.Authors listed alphabetically