An improved Green's function for ion beam transport.

Ion beam transport theory allows testing of material transmission properties in the laboratory environment generated by particle accelerators. This is a necessary step in materials development and evaluation for space use. The approximations used in solving the Boltzmann transport equation for the space setting are often not sufficient for laboratory work and those issues are the main emphasis of the present work. In consequence, an analytic solution of the linear Boltzmann equation is pursued in the form of a Green's function allowing flexibility in application to a broad range of boundary value problems. It has been established that simple solutions can be found for high charge and energy (HZE) ions by ignoring nuclear energy downshifts and dispersion. Such solutions were found to be supported by experimental evidence with HZE ion beams when multiple scattering was added. Lacking from the prior solutions were range and energy straggling and energy downshift with dispersion associated with nuclear events. Recently, we have found global solutions including these effects providing a broader class of HZE ion solutions.     

Coronal radio-sounding detection of a CME during the 1997 Galileo solar conjunction

Frequency fluctuations of the Galileo S-band radio signal were recorded nearly continuously during the spacecraft’s solar conjunction from December 1996 to February 1997. A strong propagating disturbance, most probably associated with a coronal mass ejection (CME), was detected on 7 February when the radio ray path proximate point was on the west solar limb at about 54 solar radii from the Sun. The CME passage through the line of sight is characterized by a significant increase in the fluctuation intensity of the recorded frequency and by an increase in the plasma speed from about 234 km s⁻¹ up to about 755 km s⁻¹. These velocity estimates are obtained from a correlation analysis of frequency fluctuations recorded simultaneously at two widely-separated ground stations. The density turbulence power spectrum is found to steepen behind the CME front. The Galileo radio-sounding data are compared with SOHO/LASCO observations of the CME in the corona and with WIND spacecraft data near the Earth’s orbit.     

Cell inactivation, repair and mutation induction in bacteria after heavy ion exposure: results from experiments at accelerators and in space.

To understand the mechanisms of accelerated heavy ions on biological matter, the responses of spores of B. subtilis to this structured high LET radiation was investigated applying two different approaches. 1) By the use of the Biostack concept, the inactivation probability as a function of radial distance to single particles' trajectory (i.e. impact parameter) was determined in space experiments as well as at accelerators using low fluences of heavy ions. It was found that spores can survive even a central hit and that the effective range of inactivation extends far beyond impact parameters where inactivation by delta-ray dose would be effective. Concerning the space experiment, the inactivation cross section exceeds those from comparable accelerator experiments by roughly a factor of 20. 2) From fluence effect curves, cross sections for inactivation and mutation induction, and the efficiency of repair processes were determined. They are influenced by the ions characteristics in a complex manner. According to dependence on LET, at least 3 LET ranges can be differentiated: A low LET range (app. < 200 keV/micrometers), where cross sections for inactivation and mutation induction follow a common curve for different ions and where repair processes are effective; an intermediate LET range of the so-called saturation cross section with negligible mutagenic and repair efficiency; and a high LET range (>1000 keV/micrometers) where the biological endpoints are majorly dependent on atomic mass and energy of the ion under consideration.     

Improved Accuracy Metallic Resonator CVG

Metallic resonator Q-factor is very sensitive to the resonator's material, its thermal and chemical treatment, design, and environment; i.e., pressure and temperature. In order to obtain higher accuracy for CVG it is necessary to use resonator evacuation. Resonator mass plays a very important role in sensitivity to angle rate, in stability of vibration, in response to environmental condition changes, and also to external vibration and shock resistance. tnnalabs Holding Inc. uses a cylindrical resonator with increased rim thickness of up to 2 mmn and more. This concerns resonator material and design parameters selection, material thermal treatment to increase resonator Q-factor, and improved control algorithms in order to increase metallic CVG accuracy. As a result, CVG bias instability of 0.025 degth and random walk of 0.008 degvh for the resonator diameter 43 mmn, and 0.2 deg/h for the resonator diameter 25 mm were obtained. Future opportunities for Innalabs CVG is also discussed herein. Test results are presented for CVG43 and CVG25. Three-axis CVG unit under control of one DSP "Sharc" and IMU parameters are forecasted.     

Launch Envelope Optimization of Virtual Sliding Target Guidance Scheme

This paper presents an optimization of the performance of a recently proposed virtual sliding target (VST) guidance scheme in terms of maximization of its launch envelope for three-dimensional (3-D) engagements. The objective is to obtain the launch envelope of the missile using the VST guidance scheme for different lateral launch angles with respect to the line of sight (LOS) and demonstrate its superiority over kinematics-based guidance laws like proportional navigation (PN). The VST scheme uses PN as its basic guidance scheme and exploits the relation between the atmospheric properties, missile aerodynamic characteristics, and the optimal trajectory of the missile. The missile trajectory is shaped by controlling the instantaneous position and the speed of a virtual target which the missile pursues during the midcourse phase. In the proposed method it is shown that an appropriate value of initial position for the virtual target in 3-D, combined with optimized virtual target parameters, can significantly improve the launch envelope performance. The paper presents the formulation of the optimization problem, obtains the approximate models used to make the optimization problem more tractable, and finally presents the optimized performance of the missile in terms of launch envelope and shows significant improvement over kinematic-based guidance laws. The paper also proposes modification to the basic VST scheme. Some simulations using the full-fledged six degrees-of-freedom (6-DOF) models are also presented to validate the models and technique used.     

A technique for selecting a rational variant of a multifunctional aircraft system

A technique for selecting a rational variant of a multifunctional aircraft system using the analytic hierarchy process is proposed and a solution of a practical problem is presented.     

Investigating Earth’s Atmospheric Electricity: a Role Model for Planetary Studies

The historical development of terrestrial atmospheric electricity is described, from its beginnings with the first observations of the potential gradient to the global electric circuit model proposed by C.T.R. Wilson in the early 20th century. The properties of the terrestrial global circuit are summarised. Concepts originally needed to develop the idea of a global circuit are identified as “central tenets”, for example, the importance of radio science in establishing the conducting upper layer. The central tenets are distinguished from additional findings that merely corroborate, or are explained by, the global circuit model. Using this analysis it is possible to specify which observations are preferable for detecting global circuits in extraterrestrial atmospheres. Schumann resonances, the extremely low frequency signals generated by excitation of the surface-ionosphere cavity by electrical discharges, are identified as the most useful single measurement of electrical activity in a planetary atmosphere.     

Experiences in Managing the Prometheus Project

Congress authorized NASA's Prometheus Project in February 2003, with the first Prometheus mission slated to explore the icy moons of Jupiter. The project had two major objectives: 1) to develop a nuclear reactor that would provide unprecedented levels of power and show that it could be processed safely and operated reliably in space for long-duration, deep-space exploration; and 2) to explore the three icy moons of Jupiter - Callisto, Ganymede, and Europa - and return science data that would meet the scientific goals as set forth in the Decadal Survey Report of the National Academy of Sciences. Early in project planning, it was determined that the development of the Prometheus nuclear-powered spaceship would be complex and require the intellectual knowledge residing at numerous organizations across the country. In addition, because of the complex nature of the project and the multiple partners, approaches beyond those successfully used to manage a typical JPL project would be needed. This describes the key experiences in managing Prometheus, which should prove useful for future projects of similar scope and magnitude.     

An interactive system for global ship monitoring

The US Navy has more than 300 ships equipped with over 500 PHALANX weapon systems. Ordalts (ordnance alterations) and casreps (casualty reports) are received frequently by Naval Ordnance. Ordalts are done when parts need replacing or a design is exchanged for an old. Casreps are an urgent request for parts or service. Information pertaining to ordalts and casreps is put into several databases, which are continually updated and used in reports among the PHALANX community. Ship locations are used for sending parts and/or assistance to the ship. The ordalt and casrep requests have been combined with the ship locations report to produce a more efficient manner in which to monitor ordalt requests, casrep requests and ship locations, using a sample database containing ordalt and casrep data and ship locations. The database is interfaced to a computer graphics program that monitors ship movement throughout the world and supplies information from the database whenever requested. The hardware and software used to implement the project are described