The Radio Plasma Imager investigation on the IMAGE spacecraft

Radio plasma imaging uses total reflection of electromagnetic waves from plasmas whose plasma frequencies equal the radio sounding frequency and whose electron density gradients are parallel to the wave normals. The Radio Plasma Imager (RPI) has two orthogonal 500-m long dipole antennas in the spin plane for near omni-directional transmission. The third antenna is a 20-m dipole along the spin axis. Echoes from the magnetopause, plasmasphere and cusp will be received with the three orthogonal antennas, allowing the determination of their angle-of-arrival. Thus it will be possible to create image fragments of the reflecting density structures. The instrument can execute a large variety of programmable measuring options at frequencies between 3 kHz and 3 MHz. Tuning of the transmit antennas provides optimum power transfer from the 10 W transmitter to the antennas. The instrument can operate in three active sounding modes: (1) remote sounding to probe magnetospheric boundaries, (2) local (relaxation) sounding to probe the local plasma frequency and scalar magnetic field, and (3) whistler stimulation sounding. In addition, there is a passive mode to record natural emissions, and to determine the local electron density, the scalar magnetic field, and temperature by using a thermal noise spectroscopy technique.     

Mass Measurements of Stellar and Intermediate-Mass Black Holes

We discuss the method, and potential systematic effects therein, used for measuring the mass of stellar-mass black holes in X-ray binaries. We restrict our discussion to the method that relies on the validity of Kepler’s laws; we refer to this method as the dynamical method. We briefly discuss the implications of the mass distribution of stellar-mass black holes and provide an outlook for future measurements. Further, we investigate the evidence for the existence of intermediate-mass black holes i.e. black holes with masses above 100 M_⊙, the limit to the black hole mass that can be produced by stellar evolution in the current Universe.     

Influence of Body Waves,Instrumentation Resonances,and Prior Assumptions on Rayleigh Wave Ellipticity Inversion for Shallow Structure at the InSight Landing Site

Based on an updated model of the regolith’s elastic properties, we simulate the ambient vibrations background wavefield recorded by InSight’s Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) on Mars to characterise the influence of the regolith and invert SEIS data for shallow subsurface structure. By approximately scaling the synthetics based on seismic signals of a terrestrial dust devil, we find that the high-frequency atmospheric background wavefield should be above the self-noise of SEIS’s SP sensors, even if the signals are not produced within 100–200 m of the station. We compare horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratios and Rayleigh wave ellipticity curves for a surface-wave based simulation on the one hand with synthetics explicitly considering body waves on the other hand and do not find any striking differences. Inverting the data, we find that the results are insensitive to assumptions on density. By contrast, assumptions on the velocity range in the upper-most layer have a strong influence on the results also at larger depth. Wrong assumptions can lead to results far from the true model in this case. Additional information on the general shape of the curve, i.e. single or dual peak, could help to mitigate this effect, even if it cannot directly be included into the inversion. We find that the ellipticity curves can provide stronger constraints on the minimum thickness and velocity of the second layer of the model than on the maximum values. We also consider the effect of instrumentation resonances caused by the lander flexible modes, solar panels, and the SEIS levelling system. Both the levelling system resonances and the lander flexible modes occur at significantly higher frequencies than the expected structural response, i.e. above 35 Hz and 20 Hz, respectively. While the lander and solar panel resonances might be too weak in amplitude to be recorded by SEIS, the levelling system resonances will show up clearly in horizontal spectra, the H/V and ellipticity curves. They are not removed by trying to extract only Rayleigh-wave dominated parts of the data. However, they can be distinguished from any subsurface response by their exceptionally low damping ratios of 1% or less as determined by random decrement analysis. The same applies to lander-generated signals observed in actual data from a Moon analogue experiment, so we expect this analysis will be useful in identifying instrumentation resonances in SEIS data.     

Dynamics of Quasi-Biennal Variations of Cosmic Rays and Solar Activity

The quasi-biennial variations in the flux of galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) have been studied based on the data of stratospheric sensing and measurements by neutron monitors, as well as in various manifestations of solar activity and interplanetary medium parameters. It has been shown that quasi-biennial GCR variations are caused by variations with the same period in the mean magnetic field of the Sun that coincide with them over time and have been identified in the anti-phase, which respond to the sign of this field. The variations in the quasi-biennial cosmic ray are caused by quasi-biennial variations in the mean magnetic field of the Sun via the quasi-biennial variations in the interplanetary magnetic field.     

Influence Analysis of the Second Bypass Air Bleed Parameters on the Engine Performance

This paper considers double bypass aircraft engine with controlled air bleed to the second bypass duct. Its performance is evaluated by mathematical modeling techniques. The second bypass air bleed amount is determined to provide the best engine efficiency at various operating modes.     

A comparison of semi-empirical models in the lower thermosphere

Semi-empirical models are derived predominantly from satellite-borne observations. The nature of these observations restricts the applicability of the models mainly to the atmospheric regions sampled, i.e. the upper thermosphere. Current models are only capable of reproducing a zero-order approximation of the structure of the lower thermosphere. Based on selected examples, the progress in atmospheric research since CIRA-72 as well as the continuing deficiencies are demonstrated.     

Plan for the implementation of the world climate research programme

The objectives of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) are expressed in terms of increasing time scales, from several weeks to several decades. The Programme calls for substantial developments in modelling the interaction of the global atmosphere with the ocean, land surface and sea-ice, as well as improved computations of radiation transfer in the presence of clouds, aerosols and absorbing gases. These developments require a large variety of space as well as surface based observations, and especially, additional efforts for systematic processing of available data to produce consistent records of significant climatological variables. The forthcoming development of a new generation of ocean observing satellites will be an essential component of the WCRP, as they will provide the data base for the large-scale oceanographic projects, the World Ocewan Circulation Experiment (WOCE) and the study of thew Tropical Ocean and the Global Atmosphere (TOGA).     

Investigation of Hypervelocity Impacts on Retrieved Surfaces by Direct Simulation Monte Carlo

Hypervelocity impacts on the retrieved Hubble Space Telescope (HST) solar array was investigated by our extended Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) model and the result matches well with the measured data in most of the particle mass range. The revelation of the altitude dependence of particles flux onto the retrieved surfaces provides some insight in understanding the observed higher flux onto Mir space station relative to that onto Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF). Our analysis suggests that a slightly higher primary flux onto Mir space station would be possible even without taking into account the secondary impacts, as a result of the existence of the highly eccentric orbits of small-sized debris. It is, furthermore, predicted that 43% of the measured impact flux onto Mir station in PIE experiment may be from secondary impacts, and a corresponding 7% for the detectors in Echantillions experiment.     

Processing of nutritious, safe and acceptable foods from CELSS candidate crops.

A controlled ecological life-support system (CELSS) is required to sustain life for long-duration space missions. The challenge is preparing a wide variety of tasty, familiar, and nutritious foods from CELSS candidate crops under space environmental conditions. Conventional food processing technologies will have to be modified to adapt to the space environment. Extrusion is one of the processes being examined as a means of converting raw plant biomass into familiar foods. A nutrition-improved pasta has been developed using cowpea as a replacement for a portion of the durum semolina. A freeze-drying system that simulates the space conditions has also been developed. Other technologies that would fulfill the requirements of a CELSS will also be addressed.