Group dynamics training for manned spaceflight and the CAPSULS mission: prophylactic against incompatibility and its consequences?

On February 7, 1994, four Canadian Astronauts were sealed off in a hyperbaric chamber at the Canadian Government's Defense and Civil Institute for Environmental Medicine in Toronto, Canada. This space lab training mission lasted seven days and was the first to be conducted with astronauts outside of Russia.

The objective of this mission was to give Canadian astronauts, space scientists and the staff of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the opportunity to gain first hand experience on preparational and operational aspects of a typical space mission. Twenty-one scientific experiments involving six countries from several disciplines were involved in this mission.

This paper describes the goals and preliminary results of a psychological experiment/training program that used the CAPSULS mission as a test bed for its application in the manned space flight environment. The objective of this project was to enhance the understanding of small group behaviour with a view to maximizing team effectiveness and task accomplishment in teams living and working in isolation under difficult and confined conditions. The application of this model in the light of future missions is a key thesis in this paper.     

Radiation protection in space

Radiation environment, basic concepts of radiation protection, and specific aspects of the space radiation field are reviewed. The discussion of physico-chemical and subcellular radiation effects includes mechanisms of radiation action and cellular consequences. The discussion of radiobiological effects includes unique aspects of HZE particle effects, space flight findings, terrestrial findings, analysis of somatic radiation effects and effects on critical organs, and early and delayed effects. Other topics include the impact of the space flight environment, measurement of radiation exposure, establishing radiation protection limits, limitations in establishing space-based radiation exposure limits, radiation protection measures, and recommendations.     

Recent results of the joint ESA-DARA/IBMP experiments Biokosmos "Seeds"

Comparison of experimental data obtained from short (SDEF) and long duration exposure flights (LDEF) have recently led to results which will be significant for longer and/or repeated sojourn of man in space. Under orbital conditions biological stress and damage are induced in test subjects by cosmic radiation, especially the high energetic, densely ionizing component of heavy ions. Plant seeds were successful model systems for a biotest in studying the physiological damages and mutagenic effect caused by ionizing cosmic radiation in particular stem cells. Dosimetrically, the subdivision into charge- and Let-groups reveals the contribution of the intermediate group (LET = 350-1000 MeV/cm) due to the medium heavy ions (Z = 6-10). Their relative contribution increases with the lower inclination of the orbit of LDEF-1; on the other hand, the total fluence becomes higher with longer duration of the flight. The observed endpoints of the biological radiation damage hint at a correlation with particle dose rate rather than with the dose; additionally, data on shielding effects inside and outside the space craft and its exposure were gained from the different SDEF- and LDEF-missions.     

飞行模拟摄象装置中解决景深问题的新方法

在飞行模拟目视系统中,象是由闭路电视的光学探头由地景模型摄取的,对横过整个象区的模型表面成象,特别是当探头入瞳非常接近模型时的成象是一个重要的问题。当我们试图改善闭路电视摄象机的鉴别率和减小地景模型的比例时,这个问题就更加大了,使得在探头光学系统内部移动和倾斜透镜的普通技术对某些重要的探头系统不足以解决问题。对于大范围的物体共轭距离,探头系统光学象差的校正是一个密切相关的问题。对于标准的电视系统和激光电视系统中的这些问题都作了评论。叙述了一种新型的倾斜透镜系统。     

弹上测量仪器用的编码器

本文介绍的PCM—480编码器是高可靠的器件,平均无故障时间达48000小时。它包含串行和并行计算机接口,主/从能力,频率计数器、数据块,两个帧格式、两种码速率,加速度计信号调节单元等。文中讨论了系统结构、计算机接口、相位锁决环、信号调节器等部件。由于使用了CMOS电路的新技术,电源的功耗己减至最低限度。其结构紧凑,能更有效地利用空间。     

使用可控固化包复层降低火箭发动机的生产成本

现己发展了一种能降低固体推进剂火箭发动机工艺成本的方法。该方法是使用封端异氰酸酯生产一种可控固化包复层,这种包复层具有适用期和存放时间可长可短的性能。成本降低是通过仪器设备的合理安排和利用来实现的。业已证明,包复层于25℃温度下的适用期在400小时以上;温度更低时,适用期超过12星期。在已延长的存放期前后,封端异氰酸酯包复层与端羟基聚丁二烯推进剂和火箭发动机惰性组元的粘结性能都非常好。若包复层初始状态是未固化和预固化的,那么在-18℃～63℃温度下的存放时间能达到12个星期。并且己经证明,要求快速固化时,封端异氰酸酯包复层中可以加入固化催化剂。     

复合固体推进剂的侵蚀燃烧机理、关系式以及装药设计中的应用

由于人们对研制无喷管和高性能固体火箭发动机的兴趣越来越大,所以在确定装药设计程序时,透彻了解固体推进剂在高速横向流下的侵蚀燃烧特性是十分重要的。本研究中用一个基于紊流作用附面层分析,并经实验数据验证过的理论模型来进行范围广泛的各种马赫数、压力、表面粗糙度、压力梯度、通道直径以及推进剂初始温度等条件下的参数研究。采用非线性回归分析法,得出了一个以上述所引用参数表示的侵蚀燃烧速度关系式。并用两种发动机药型上应用的结果证实了这个关系式对装药设计的适用性。     

航天飞机尾部服务塔的设计和研制

航天飞机的成功发射取决于两个尾部服务塔的正常工作。通过完整的设计、研制和试验计划保证了尾部服务塔工作的可靠性。在前一篇文章(参考文献1)中，已叙述了尾部服务塔的方案验证试验。本文提出了方案验证试验的结果和对尾部服务塔样机设计所带来的影响。简述了设计准则，对所提出的尾部服务塔样机试验作了阐述。     

多级固体火箭飞行器的自动化设计

最佳多级固体火箭飞行器的设计是复杂的,因为它受到很多设计参数的控制,并受到现有技术和系统要求两者的约束。可以研究飞行器性能对发动机设计的敏感性,并导出一组描述飞行器的设计参数,而此飞行器对于特定的准则已最佳化了,如最高的性能或最低的成本。这种飞行器的研究表明,成本和性能对单个火箭发动机设计是敏感的。本文叙述在现有技术条件下有一套特定要求的最佳飞行器的设计方法,并且受到诸如成本、重量、几何形状、射程或有效载荷的约束。本最佳化是发动机和飞行器所有设计细节的规程,它由下述过程完成:设计单个发动机,将它们组装成飞行器,研究飞行器的性能并系统地修改发动机和飞行器的设计以得到最佳结果。这由准确地设计并组装一套协调的部件成为一台发动机的自动程序来完成。飞行器的所有发动机是序贯设计的,并以联接的级间结构、有效载荷、电缆管道和控制装置组成一个完整的飞行器说明。至于满足系统要求的飞行器的无限性,单一的最佳飞行器是所希望的。有一组设计参数满足所有约束条件以及使一些性能因子,如成本、重量、长度、射程或发射重量达到最大值或最小值。本文概述了完成此过程的方法。