The BDRG and SHOK instruments for studying gamma-ray burst prompt emission onboard the Lomonosov spacecraft

One of the goals of the Lomonosov satellite designed by scientists of Moscow State University is to study the prompt emission of cosmic gamma-ray bursts. This paper describes the gamma-ray burst monitor in the gamma-ray range (the BDRG instrument) and the wide-field optical cameras (the SHOK instrument) for detecting both the gamma-ray burst prompt emission and its precursors.     

Peculiarities of the solar proton events of 19 October 1989 and 23 March 1991 according to the measurements onboard the Mir space station.

Flux and dose rate dynamics of solar cosmic rays were measured by the Lyulin dosimeter during the events 19 October 1989 and 23 March 1991. The maximum dose rate registered was 0.4, 0.12 and 0.01 cGy/hour, respectively. Based on the latitude distribution of particle flux a power law form for the energy spectra of solar protons in the anisotropic phase of the events on 19 October 1989 and 23 March 1991 was determined. It was obtained that after the development of geomagnetic storm protons with energies more than 1 GeV were registered.     

SAA drift: Experimental results

According to the paleomagnetic analysis there are variations of Earth’s magnetic field connected with magnetic moment changing. These variations affect on the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) location. Indeed different observations approved the existence of the SAA westward drift rate (0.1–1.0 deg/year) and northward drift rate (approximately 0.1 deg/year).     

The dose rate observed on 19-21 October 1989 and its modulation by geophysical effects.

The Liulin dosimeter-radiometer on the MIR space station detected the 19 October 1989 high energy solar proton event. These results show that the main particle increase contains protons with energies up to about 9 GeV. After the main particle onset the Liulin dosimeter observed a typical geomagnetic cutoff modulation of the dose rate from the solar particles as the MIR space station traversed magnetic latitudes. When the interplanetary shock and associated solar plasma enveloped the earth on 20 October between 14 and 17 UT the radiation exposure increased significantly due to the lowering of the geomagnetic cutoff. The analysis of this event shows how various geophysical phenomena can significantly modulate the dose rate encountered by earth-orbiting spacecraft.     

Study of automatic and manual control problems of spaceplane atmospheric flight under simulated g-load effect

The descent in the atmosphere belongs to the most complicated phase of flight and presents stringent requirements for spaceplane systems. The enhanced requirements for reliability, the necessity of aircraft-type landing and a number of other reasons lead to the necessity of maximum involvement of the crew by means of creating, along with fully automatic, manual and director control systems and providing the crew with the possibility to monitor the systems operation and to actively override them. Participation of man in performance of such tasks during the atmospheric descent is hampered by a number of major difficulties caused by alteration of his state under the g-load effect.To evaluate the utmost capabilities of the manual and director control systems and to make rational selection of indication systems and controls it is necessary to create special flight simulation complexes comprising a hybrid computer complex capable of simulating vehicle trajectory and angular motions and the computer complex controlled centrifuge equipped with a crew-cabin, which would allow real-time simulation of the g-load effect upon the crew.This paper describes the structure of such complex, the distribution of tasks between the analog and digital computers and presents some results from evaluation of manual and director control system characteristics.