Survival in extreme dryness and DNA-single-strand breaks.

A wide variety of organisms (the so-called "anhydrobiotes') is able to survive long periods of time in a state of utmost dehydration and can thus survive in extremely dry environments including artificially imposed or space vacuum. Known strategies of survival include the accumulation of certain polyols, especially disaccharides, which help prevent damage to membranes and proteins. Here we report that DNA in vacuum-dried spores is damaged to a very substantial degree by processes leading to DNA strand breaks. Most of these lesions are obviously repaired during germination, but extensive damage to DNA and enzymes after long exposure times (months to years) finally diminish the chances of survival.     

Galileo Photopolarimeter/Radiometer experiment

The Photopolarimeter/Radiometer (PPR) is a remote sensing instrument on the Galileo Orbiter designed to measure the degree of linear polarization and the intensity of reflected sunlight in ten spectral channels between 410 and 945 nm to determine the physical properties of Jovian clouds and aerosols, and to characterize the texture and microstructure of satellite surfaces. The PPR also measures thermal radiation in five spectral bands between 15 and 100 m to sense the upper tropospheric temperature structure. Two additional channels which measure spectrally integrated solar and solar plus thermal radiation are used to determine the planetary radiation budget components. The PPR photopolarimetric measurements utilize previously flown technology for high-precision polarimetry using a calcite Wollaston prism and two silicon photodiodes to enable simultaneous detection of the two orthogonal polarization components. The PPR radiometry measurements are made with a lithium tantalate pyroelectric detector utilizing a unique arrangement of radiometric stops and a scene/space chopper blade to enable a warm instrument to sense accurately the much colder scene temperatures.     

The plasma instrumentation for the Galileo Mission

The plasma instrumentation (PLS) for the Galileo Mission comprises a nested set of four spherical-plate electrostatic analyzers and three miniature, magnetic mass spectrometers. The three-dimensional velocity distributions of positive ions and electrons, separately, are determined for the energy-per-unit charge (E/Q) range of 0.9 V to 52 kV. A large fraction of the 4-steradian solid angle for charged particle velocity vectors is sampled by means of the fan-shaped field-of-view of 160°, multiple sensors, and the rotation of the spacecraft spinning section. The fields-of-view of the three mass spectrometers are respectively directed perpendicular and nearly parallel and anti-parallel to the spin axis of the spacecraft. These mass spectrometers are used to identify the composition of the positive ion plasmas, e.g., H⁺, O⁺, Na⁺, and S⁺, in the Jovian magnetosphere. The energy range of these three mass spectrometers is dependent upon the species. The maximum temporal resolutions of the instrument for determining the energy (E/Q) spectra of charged particles and mass (M/Q) composition of positive ion plasmas are 0.5 s. Three-dimensional velocity distributions of electrons and positive ions require a minimum sampling time of 20 s, which is slightly longer than the spacecraft rotation period. The two instrument microprocessors provide the capability of inflight implementation of operational modes by ground-command that are tailored for specific plasma regimes, e.g., magnetosheath, plasma sheet, cold and hot tori, and satellite wakes, and that can be improved upon as acquired knowledge increases during the tour of the Jovian magnetosphere. Because the instrument is specifically designed for measurements in the environs of Jupiter with the advantages of previous surveys with the Voyager spacecraft, first determinations of many plasma phenomena can be expected. These observational objectives include field-aligned currents, three-dimensional ion bulk flows, pickup ions from the Galilean satellites, the spatial distribution of plasmas throughout most of the magnetosphere and including the magnetotail, and ion and electron flows to and from the Jovian ionosphere.     

The Lightning And Radio Emission Detector (LRD) instrument

The Lightning and Radio Emission Detector (LRD) instrument will be carried by the Galileo Probe into Jupiter's atmosphere. The LRD will verify the existence of lightning in the atmosphere and will determine the details of many of its basic characteristics. The instrument, operated in its magnetospheric mode at distances of about 5, 4, 3, and 2 planetary radii from Jupiter's center, will also measure the radio frequency (RF) noise spectrum in Jupiter's magnetosphere. The LRD instrument is composed of a ferritecore radio frequency antenna ( 100 Hz to 100 kHz) and two photodiodes mounted behind individual fisheye lenses. The output of the RF antenna is analyzed both separately and in coincidence with the optical signals from the photodiodes. The RF antenna provides data both in the frequency domain (with three narrow-band channels, primarily for deducing the physical properties of distant lightning) and in the time domain with a priority scheme (primarily for determining from individual RF waveforms the physical properties of closeby-lightning).     

Possible shock wave in the local interstellar plasma, very close to the heliosphere

We show, using the HST — GHRS data on velocity and temperature in the nearby interstellar medium, that the observed 3 – 4 km s^–1 relative velocity between the Local Interstellar Cloud (LIC) and the so-called G-cloud located in the Galactic Center hemisphere can be quite naturally explained assuming that the two clouds do interact with each other. In the proposed interpretation the two media are separated by a (quasiperpendicular) MHD shock front propagating from the LIC into the G-cloud. The LIC plasma is then nothing else but the shocked (compression 1.3 – 1.4) gas of the G-cloud. A 1-D single-fluid solution of the Rankine — Hugoniot equations can fit the most probable observed values of the relative velocity (3.75 km/s), LIC (6700 K) and G-cloud (5400 K) kinetic temperatures, if the plasma-beta of the LIC plasma is in the range 1.3 – 1.5 (Table 1). This corresponds to a super — fast magnetosonic motion of the heliosphere through the LIC, independently of LIC density. The LIC magnetic field strength is 1.9 (3.1) G for the LIC electron density n_e = 0.04 (0.10) cm^–3. In this case the shock is less than 30 000 AU away and moves at about 10 km s^–1 relative to the LIC plasma. The Sun is chasing the shock and should catch up with it in about 10⁴ years. If the heliospheric VLP emissions cutoff at 1.8 kHz is indicative of n_e (LIC) = 0.04 cm^–3 (Gurnett et al., 1993), the (pure plasma) bowshock ahead of the heliopause could be the source of quasi-continuous heliospheric 2-kHz emission band. We believe that with the expected increase in the performance of modern spectroscopic instrumentation the proposed method of magnetic field evaluation may in the future find wider application in the studies of the interstellar medium.     

The Suess-Urey mission (return of solar matter to Earth)

The Suess-Urey (S-U) mission has been proposed as a NASA Discovery mission to return samples of matter from the Sun to the Earth for isotopic and chemical analyses in terrestrial laboratories to provide a major improvement in our knowledge of the average chemical and isotopic composition of the solar system. The S-U spacecraft and sample return capsule will be placed in a halo orbit around the L1 Sun-Earth libration point for two years to collect solar wind ions which implant into large passive collectors made of ultra-pure materials. Constant Spacecraft-Sun-Earth geometries enable simple spin stabilized attitude control, simple passive thermal control, and a fixed medium gain antenna. Low data requirements and the safety of a Sun-pointed spinner, result in extremely low mission operations costs.     

Induction of high grade astrocytoma (HGA) by protons: molecular mechanisms and RBE considerations.

Protons of a specific energy, 55 MeV, have been found to induce primary high grade astrocytomas (HGA) in the Rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta). Brain tumors of this type were not induced by protons of other energies (32-2,300 MeV). Induction of HGA has been identified in human patients who have had radiation therapy to the head. We believe that the induction of HGA in the monkey is a consequence of dose distribution, not some unique "toxic" property of protons. Comparison of the human experience with the monkey data indicates the RBE for induction of brain tumors to be about one. It is unlikely that protons cause an unusual change in oncogenic expression, as compared to conventional electromagnetic radiation.     

Development of plant protoplasts during the IML-1 mission.

During the 8 day IML-1 mission, regeneration of cell walls and cell divisions in rapeseed protoplasts were studied using the Biorack microscope onboard the Space Shuttle "Discovery". Samples from microgravity and 1g protoplast cultures were loaded on microscope slides. Visual microscopic observations were reported by the payload specialist Roberta Bondar, by down-link video transmission and by use of a microscope camera. Protoplasts grown under microgravity conditions do regenerate cell walls but to a lesser extent than under 1g. Cell divisions are delayed under microgravity. Few cell aggregates with maximum 4-6 cells per aggregate are formed under microgravity conditions, indicating that microgravity may have a profound influence on plant cell differentiation.