Planetary Magnetic Dynamo Effect on Atmospheric Protection of Early Earth and Mars

In light of assessing the habitability of Mars, we examine the impact of the magnetic field on the atmosphere. When there is a magnetic field, the atmosphere is protected from erosion by solar wind. The magnetic field ensures the maintenance of a dense atmosphere, necessary for liquid water to exist on the surface of Mars. We also examine the impact of the rotation of Mars on the magnetic field. When the magnetic field of Mars ceased to exist (about 4 Gyr ago), atmospheric escape induced by solar wind began. We consider scenarios which could ultimately lead to a decrease of atmospheric pressure to the presently observed value of 7 mbar: a much weaker early martian magnetic field, a late onset of the dynamo, and high erosion rates of a denser early atmosphere.     

Solar corona irradiance variability during the 1943–1999 period

We present different aspects of the large-scale distribution of the coronal Fe XIV 530.3 nm emission line brightness (the abbreviation CGL — coronal green line — is used below). Evolution of this line intensity over the solar cycles is demonstrated and the relevance of the solar middle-latitude zones in displaying the coronal activity and variability is underlined.     

Neural network learning of low-probability events

In the problem of stationary target identification (STI) via millimeter wave (MMW) seeker radars in heavy clutter environments, it is often necessary to use nonparametric identification procedures, as detailed parametric models of clutter and target returns are generally unavailable. Neural networks provide an attractive approach to perform nonparametric identification. However, when identifying low-probability events, the computational overhead associated with training a neural network can become excessive. This is because low-probability events must be adequately represented in the training sample. We present a modified backpropagation training algorithm based on a likelihood ratio weighting function (LRWF) to train the neural network using a much smaller training set than that required using the standard backpropagation algorithm This algorithm is closely related to the importance sampling technique used in digital communication systems to obtain probability of error estimates by using a much smaller number of simulation runs than what is required with standard Monte Carlo simulation. The modified backpropagation technique results in a significant reduction in computational overhead in training the network, resulting from a substantial reduction in the size of the training set required to achieve a given level of performance. We demonstrate the performance of the algorithm on simulated data for the STI problem in MMW radar     

Optimization of Interplanetary Flights of Spacecraft with Low-Thrust Engines Taking into Account the Ellipticity and Noncoplanarity of Planetary Orbits

The problem of optimization of the interplanetary flight Earth–Mars–Earth is formulated with restrictions on the total duration of this mission and with taking the ellipticity and noncoplanarity of planetary orbits into account. An iteration scheme for solving the problem is developed, which is based on applying a sequence of flight models with increasing complexity. An approach to choosing the points of mating the planetocentric and heliocentric trajectory segments is suggested. The influence of the errors of method of the model on the results of optimization is estimated. Software tools are developed, and full computer start-to-finish simulation of the flight is carried out with graphic representation of the trajectory segments.     

The characteristics of arm movements executed in unusual force environments.

Human subjects pointed at stationary visual targets without sight of their arm while the force environment was varied by applying weight or spring loads to the hand. The path travelled by the finger, pointing accuracy, and the shape of the finger velocity profile remained invariant across all force environments after a single practice trial. However, the magnitude and duration of the velocity profile depended consistently on the presence and size of a weight load. In contrast, velocity was not affected by spring loads. An analysis of movement dynamics in our study indicated that inertial and gravitational load components were compensated by separate mechanisms, the former employing time- and the latter magnitude scaling of muscle force profiles. The presence of such separate mechanisms led us to predict little problems for movement dynamics in weightlessness, which was indeed confirmed in a study on pointing movements aboard the KC-135 aircraft.     

Analog clutter cancellation algorithms for dynamic range reduction

A technique that effectively reduces the dynamic range of the input signal in a radar receiver prior to digitization is presented. The dynamic range reduction is accomplished through a process that predicts the next radar return signal from the previous return signals, generates a replica waveform, and subtracts this replica waveform from the radar return signal prior to digitization. This process allows the radar return signal to be digitized without distortion by an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) having a limited dynamic range. The full dynamic range of the radar return signal is then restored by adding the replica waveform to the ADC output. Test and evaluation results using both synthetic and recorded radar data demonstrate in excess of a 30-dB reduction in the dynamic range of the signal at the ADC input when strong clutter is present     

Results of XUV full sun imaging spectroscopy for eruptive and transient events by the spirit spectroheliograph on the CORONAS-F mission

SPIRIT (SPectroheliograph Ic soft X-Ray Imaging Telescope) is the current experiment on board theCORONAS-F satellite launched on July 31, 2001 (Oraevskii & Sobelman, 2002). The main goal of this experiment is to study a structure and dynamics of the solar atmosphere in the wide scale of heights (from the chromosphere to a far corona) and of temperatures (from ten thousands through thirty millions Kelvins) by means of the XUV imaging spectroscopy. Since the launch of the CORONAS-F satellite more than three hundred thousands of images and spectroheliograms have been recorded. For the first time continuous series of monochromatic full Sun images in MgXII lines at 8.42 Å (doublet: 8.418 and 8.423 Å) were obtained. These series include long-term continuous observations of duration up to 10 days with the cadence of 100 sec as well as temporal sequences with duration of a few minutes and high resolution of 7 sec, synchronized with flares. The spectroheliograms for the whole disk and off-limb regions are also recorded in the spectral bands 177 – 207 and 285 – 335 Å providing spectra with high resolution of various coronal structures including eruptive and transient events. This paper presents preliminary results of quick look analysis of some observational data obtained by means of the SPIRIT spectroheliographs.     

UV photobiochemistry of anhydrobiotic organisms at extremely low temperatures

Spores of Bacillus subtilis (TKJ 3412), cells of Deinococcus radiodurans R₁ (wild type) and conidia of Aspergillus ochraceus (strain 3174) have been UV irradiated (254 nm) in the dry state (3% relative humidity, argon) or in aqueous suspension at room temperature, at −55°C to −70°C and at −165°C to −170°C. The following effects have been analyzed: decrease in viability, occurrence of DNA strand breaks (pulsed-field gel electrophoresis) and production of DNA-protein cross-links (membrane filter method). The loss in viability is usually more pronounced at around −70°C than at room temperature, but it is lowest around −170°C. The kind of prevailing DNA damage varies from organism to organism. The amount of UV induced DNA-protein cross-link products steadily decreases with the temperature and is lowest at −170°C. The decrease in highly polymeric DNA by double strand breaks follows no universal pattern. The observed hypersensitivity of the three very different species at −70°C can therefore not be simply explained on the basis of the number of DNA lesions analyzed in the course of this work. We suggest that also the changing state of cellular water below and above about −130°C significantly contributes to the change in photosensitivity.