Analysis of a spacecraft life support system for a Mars mission

This report summarizes a trade study conducted as part of the Fall 2002 semester Spacecraft Life Support System Design course (ASEN 5116) in the Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department at the University of Colorado. It presents an analysis of current life support system technologies and a preliminary design of an integrated system for supporting humans during transit to and on the surface of the planet Mars. This effort was based on the NASA Design Reference Mission (DRM) for the human exploration of Mars [NASA Design Reference Mission (DRM) for Mars, Addendum 3.0, from the world wide web: http://exploration.jsc.nasa.gov/marsref/contents.html.]. The integrated design was broken into four subsystems: Water Management, Atmosphere Management, Waste Processing, and Food Supply. The process started with the derivation of top-level requirements from the DRM. Additional system and subsystem level assumptions were added where clarification was needed. Candidate technologies were identified and characterized based on performance factors. Trade studies were then conducted for each subsystem. The resulting technologies were integrated into an overall design solution using mass flow relationships. The system level trade study yielded two different configurations--one for the transit to Mars and another for the surface habitat, which included in situ resource utilization. Equivalent System Mass analyses were used to compare each design against an open-loop (non-regenerable) baseline system.     

DAME: planetary-prototype drilling automation

We describe results from the Drilling Automation for Mars Exploration (DAME) project, including those of the summer 2006 tests from an Arctic analog site. The drill hardware is a hardened, evolved version of the Advanced Deep Drill by Honeybee Robotics. DAME has developed diagnostic and executive software for hands-off surface operations of the evolved version of this drill. The DAME drill automation tested from 2004 through 2006 included adaptively controlled drilling operations and the downhole diagnosis of drilling faults. It also included dynamic recovery capabilities when unexpected failures or drilling conditions were discovered. DAME has developed and tested drill automation software and hardware under stressful operating conditions during its Arctic field testing campaigns at a Mars analog site.     

Results of space experiment program "Interferon"

The results of the biological space experiment "Interferon" performed by two international cosmonaut teams (26 May 1980, and 16 May 1981) aboard space laboratory Solyut-6 are reported: (1) Human lymphocytes separated from blood of healthy donors and placed into "Interferon I" equipment could be kept for 7 days in suspension culture under spaceflight conditions. Interferon production could be induced in human lymphocytes by preparations of different origin: virus, synthetic polyribonucleotides, bacterial protein and plant pigment. An increased lymphocyte interferon production in space laboratory compared to ground control was observed. (2) Human interferon preparations and interferon inducers placed in space laboratory at room temperature for 7 days maintained their biological activity. (3) A decrease of induced interferon production and natural killer activity of lymphocytes isolated from peripheral blood of cosmonauts was observed on the 1st day on Earth after 7-days spaceflight.     

The face inversion effect in microgravity: is gravity used as a spatial reference for complex object recognition?

Complex objects are better recognized under a specific orientation. When presented upside down, a face, even very familiar, is recognized with greater difficulty than when presented upright ("Inversion effect"). Up to now it was not possible to decide whether the direction provided by gravity or the one provided by the retina and the body constitutes the spatial reference involved in this "Inversion effect". Three cosmonautes learned photographed faces on the ground and had to recognize them both on ground and on flight. Other photographed faces were learned in flight and where presented for recognition on flight. Results show that the Inversion effect is still present on flight for faces that have been learned on ground as well as for those learned on flight. Persistence of the inversion effect in 0-G shows that gravity is not involved as a spatial reference in recognition of faces. Learning and recognition performances of faces learned in flight were significantly lower than performances for faces learned on ground. A possible role of gravity in configural processing, but not in the Inversion effect, is suggested.     

欧洲空间操作中心的精密轨道确定

目前,欧洲空间操作中心正在进行着一项需4年时间的开发计划,以支持未来的需要高精度轨道确定的ESA近地飞行任务。该工作是围绕着欧洲空间操作中心已开发的供轨道确定和误差分析用的一个软件系统进行的,该软件含有适合于各种轨道摄动和测量类型的先进模型。除了卫星轨道参数外,它还能对地球物理参数和测地参数进行估计和误差分析。     

广角目视模拟技术的新评价

前言1970年召开了两次飞行模拟技术会议(AIAA 于三月在佛里罗达州卡纳维拉尔角召开,RAES 于十月在英国伦敦召开),但对广角目视模拟技术没有作出客观的评价。在1967年第二届海军训练装置中心和工业会议、1968年3月于洛杉矶召开的 AIAA 会议上,威廉、埃贝林提供了对窄视场目视系统的简要评述。     

Pre-adaptation to shiftwork in space

Astronauts are often required to work in shift schedules. To test pre-mission adaptation strategies and effects on the circadian system, a study was performed using microgravity simulation by head-down bedrest. Eight male subjects were studied over 4 control days, and 7 days each for pre-mission adaptation, bedrest, and readjustment. The circadian system was assessed by monitoring ECG and temperature, and by collecting urine for determination of hormones and electrolytes. Rhythms did not achieve complete adjustment within the adaptation period when the sleep-wake cycle was shortened by 1 h/day, but resynchronization continued during bedrest. After the bedrest period when the time shift was reversed by a 7-h delay within 2 days, resynchronization was achieved satisfactorily only within 7 days. From the results it is concluded that a sleep-wake cycle advance as used in this study is insufficient to keep the circadian system in pace. Under operational conditions the circadian system of astronauts may become longer and more destabilized than under controlled laboratory conditions.     

用于SAR、GMTI和海上监视的X波段宽带试验机载雷达

加拿大渥太华的防务研究和发展部门已完成了一种新型多模X波段宽带试验机载雷达（XWEAR）第一阶段的研制工作，这是对合成孔径雷达（SAR）成像、逆合成孔径雷达（ISAR）、地面动目标显示（GMTI）雷达和海上监视雷达的支持研究，特别集中在对小型目标的探测和远距离的面上目标监视。特别关注的领域有：静止和运动目标的SAR成像技术、海上和陆地动目标的时间一频率分析、用于GMTI的空时自适应处理、对海面电磁后向散射特性的研究、自动目标识别和特征提取的特征产生、以及宽带系统对付电子干扰的抗干扰性分析。第一阶段是以SAR和海上监视模式的飞行试验结束的。第二阶段将进行大范围监视GMTI（WASGMTI）和综合SAR-GMTI模式的飞行试验。简述了试验雷达并介绍了它的数据采集能力。区别特征包括X波段的运行、SAR和海上监视的单通道运行以及WAS-GMTI和综合SAR-GMTI的双通道运行。该新型雷达将现有的数字扫描转换器的用途扩大为控制器，已有的商用元件有：发射机、A／D转换器和计算机电路板。定时电路、波形产生器、单通道和双通道的接收机可以按用户需要定制。