Development of an advanced rocket propellant handler's suit.

Most launch vehicles and satellites in the US inventory rely upon the use of hypergolic rocket propellants, many of which are toxic to humans. These fuels and oxidizers, such as hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide have threshold limit values as low as 0.01 PPM. It is essential to provide space workers handling these agents whole body protection as they are universally hazardous not only to the respiratory system, but the skin as well. This paper describes a new method for powering a whole body protective garment to assure the safety of ground servicing crews. A new technology has been developed through the small business innovative research program at the Kennedy Space Center. Currently, liquid air is used in the environmental control unit (ECU) that powers the propellant handlers suit (PHE). However, liquid air exhibits problems with attitude dependence, oxygen enrichment, and difficulty with reliable quantity measurement. The new technology employs the storage of the supply air as a supercritical gas. This method of air storage overcomes all of three problems above while maintaining high density storage at relatively low vessel pressures (<7000 kPa or approximately 1000 psi). A one hour prototype ECU was developed and tested to prove the feasibility of this concept. This was upgraded by the design of a larger supercritical dewar capable of holding 7 Kg of air, a supply which provides a 2 hour duration to the PHE. A third version is being developed to test the feasibility of replacing existing air cooling methodology with a liquid cooled garment for relief of heat stress in this warm Florida environment. Testing of the first one hour prototype yielded data comparable to the liquid air powered predecessor, but enjoyed advantages of attitude independence and oxygen level stability. Thermal data revealed heat stress relief at least as good as liquid air supplied units. The application of supercritical air technology to this whole body protective ensemble marked an advancement in the state-of-the-art in personal protective equipment. Not only was long duration environmental control provided, but it was done without a high pressure vessel. The unit met human performance needs for attitude independence, oxygen stability and relief of heat stress. This supercritical air (and oxygen) technology is suggested for microgravity applications in life support such as the Extravehicular Mobility Unit.     

Energy storage at 77 K in multilayer ceramic capacitors

A ceramic material having a large dielectric constant at 77 K, ε=8000-12000, has been developed for capacitive energy storage at this temperature. A large matrix of multilayer ceramic capacitors were fabricated using conventional tape-casting methods to optimize the dielectric breakdown strength at 77 K, and measured energy storage values on these capacitors range up to 6 J/cm³ at 77 K. An unfused bank of these capacitors was voltage-cycled 10⁵ times at 77 K without failure, and the heating effects during cycling were immeasurably small (i.e., nitrogen boiloff was monitored). An electrocaloric effect on discharge (ΔT~1 K) contributes to the thermal stability. Measurements of the frequency dependence of the dielectric properties of the ceramic at 77 K indicate a fundamental limit of about 8 μs for the switching repetition rate. Improved capacitor-manufacturing methods are discussed which can increase the energy density to the 20-30 J/cm³ range     

How valuable is remotely sensed information? The case of tropical deforestation modelling

An economic approach to remote-sensing applications needs to be developed to demonstrate the cost–advantage ratio of Earth observation for decision makers. This article aims to conduct such an analysis of the information derived by remote sensing for a specific operational project, following some general chemical consideration about the economic value the economic value of information highlight that: of information. In our study of tropical deforestation modelling the main advantages of the remote-sensing-based information system came from: (i) an improvement of decision making as decisions could be made with a higher degree of confidence, leading to a shorter and less expensive decision cycle, and to earlier implementation of decisions; and (ii) avoidance of bad decisions, as the rate of project failure, and the associated resource wastes, was expected to decrease as a result of the availability of more accurate information. The costs of the model development and calibration and model implementation are also discussed. The economic approach is then generalised to three generic categories of remote-sensing projects (private, public with short-term implications and public with long-term implications).     

Factors influencing the heating of the auroral electrojet by high power radio waves

Results are presented from recent ionospheric modification experiments in which the EISCAT UHF radar measured the E-region temperature and density response to high power RF heating above Tromsø. A variety of electrojet conditions were encountered during these experiments. In particular, the electron drift velocity varied considerably allowing the heating efficiency of the RF heater to be investigated as a function of electron flow velocity. These observations constitute the first direct investigation of electrojet temperature modifications by high power radio waves and provide a test of a recent theoretical model in which the combined effects of RF heating and of natural plasma turbulence associated with the Farley-Buneman instability have been considered.     

Venus Express: Scientific goals, instrumentation, and scenario of the mission

The first European mission to Venus (Venus Express) is described. It is based on a repeated use of the Mars Express design with minor modifications dictated in the main by more severe thermal environment at Venus. The main scientific task of the mission is global exploration of the Venusian atmosphere, circumplanetary plasma, and the planet surface from an orbiting spacecraft. The Venus Express payload includes seven instruments, five of which are inherited from the missions Mars Express and Rosetta. Two instruments were specially designed for Venus Express. The advantages of Venus Express in comparison with previous missions are in using advanced instrumentation and methods of remote sounding, as well as a spacecraft with a broad spectrum of capabilities of orbital observations.     

Frequency-Dependent Ionospheric Refraction Effects on the Doppler Shift of Satellite Signals

Analysis of four-frequency satellite Doppler data has allowed the separation and measurement of frequency-dependent ionospheric contributions to the Doppler shift, providing information useful in the study of errors incurred when tracking radio signals through the ionosphere. These refraction errors affect the accuracy of navigational position fixes obtained by Doppler satellite tracking systems. Some measured ionospheric refraction errors reported here are of interest because their magnitudes are significantly greater than those heretofore predicted from theoretical considerations.     

The observation of the galactic anticenter region by the balloon borne gamma-ray telescope Natalya-I

This paper presents the results of measurements of gamma radiation with energies above 5 MeV, from the galactic anticenter region. The balloon-borne gamma ray telescope “Natalya-I”, was launched on 6 November, 1980 from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research's Balloon Facility (Hyderabad, India) and reached ceiling altitude of 35 km. The results on the accelerator calibration of the telescope, using a “tagged” gamma ray beam are also presented.     

A Comparison of Noncoherent and Coherent MTI Improvement Factors

An analysis based on statistical considerations and Monte Carlo simulations indicates that a noncoherent moving target indicator (MTI) using a linear envelope detector differs from one using a square law envelope detector. The square law envelope detector is usually described in the literature because of ease of analysis, and it is commonly stated or implied that the results are the same for the two cases because of the similar spectral characteristics of the detectors. A comparison is made between the two noncoherent MTIs and the coherent MTI in terms of clutter attenuation and MTI improvement factors.