EXOSAT observations of M dwarfs

We give a progress report of our EXOSAT observations of active M dwarfs. The possibilities of filter spectroscopy of coronal X-ray sources using the available CMA filters are discussed, and we confirm that M dwarfs are rather hot coronal sources with X-ray temperatures in excess of 10⁷ K, a result previously obtained with the Einstein Observatory.     

基于预估校正和嵌套网格的虚拟飞行数值模拟

 针对导弹虚拟飞行数值模拟问题,发展了空气动力学/飞行力学数值计算方法和软件。控制方程为非定常雷诺时均Navier-Stoker(RANS)方程和刚体六自由度运动方程;流场求解器为有限体积法结构网格求解器,时间推进采用双时间步法,湍流模型为Spalart-Allmaras一方程模型;采用Adams预估校正法实现飞行力学方程与流场控制方程的耦合计算;使用嵌套网格方法模拟多体运动。首先模拟了美国国家航空航天局(NASA)窄条翼导弹模型纵向虚拟飞行,研究耦合方式和时间步长的影响。仿真结果表明,双时间步三阶Adams耦合方法,同等精度下可以显著增大时间步长,缩短仿真时间。最后,采用该方法模拟了导弹自由摇滚特性和纵向虚拟飞行,模拟结果与试验值吻合较好。     

分布式边界层吸入推进系统的建模与分析

机体后部边界层吸入技术可显著改善飞机的燃油经济性,但目前尚未建立推进系统设计与分析方法。针对类似N3-X飞机的分布式边界层吸入推进系统,采用基于边界层积分方程的数值分析方法,引入功推比参数,详细分析边界层状态和推进系统参数对系统性能的影响,从而为推进系统设计提供理论和数据支撑。通过基准状态与N3-X的对比,验证了计算方法的可靠性。分析表明,当吸入边界层占比为50%左右时推进系统能耗可降低4%,边界层形状因子越小或者动量厚度越大,能耗降低越多;进气道扩张比对功推比的影响不大;随着进气道入口马赫数增大、风扇压比降低、风扇效率增大、风扇损失降低或者喷流速度降低,功推比都会下降。     

边界层吸入对方转圆进气道、风扇耦合影响

针对方转圆S弯进气道及风扇部件吸入进口边界层的影响问题,采用定常与非定常CFD数值模拟方法模拟并分析了进口吸入不同高度边界层时进气道、风扇部件的总体特性和流场特征,数值结果表明:随着进口边界层吸入厚度增加,进气道出口稳态周向总压畸变指数增大,风扇进口畸变区总压亏损增加、流量系数降低、相对气流角增大。但畸变区范围没有明显增加,进气道和风扇总体性能受进口边界层增厚影响不明显。受风扇增压作用影响,出口气流参数沿周向的畸变度得到有效削弱。     

Virtis: An Imaging Spectrometer for the Rosetta Mission

The VIRTIS (Visual IR Thermal Imaging Spectrometer) experiment has been one of the most successful experiments built in Europe for Planetary Exploration. VIRTIS, developed in cooperation among Italy, France and Germany, has been already selected as a key experiment for 3 planetary missions: the ESA-Rosetta and Venus Express and NASA-Dawn. VIRTIS on board Rosetta and Venus Express are already producing high quality data: as far as Rosetta is concerned, the Earth-Moon system has been successfully observed during the Earth Swing-By manouver (March 2005) and furthermore, VIRTIS will collect data when Rosetta flies by Mars in February 2007 at a distance of about 200 kilometres from the planet. Data from the Rosetta mission will result in a comparison – using the same combination of sophisticated experiments – of targets that are poorly differentiated and are representative of the composition of different environment of the primordial solar system. Comets and asteroids, in fact, are in close relationship with the planetesimals, which formed from the solar nebula 4.6 billion years ago. The Rosetta mission payload is designed to obtain this information combining in situ analysis of comet material, obtained by the small lander Philae, and by a long lasting and detailed remote sensing of the comet, obtained by instrument on board the orbiting Spacecraft. The combination of remote sensing and in situ measurements will increase the scientific return of the mission. In fact, the “in situ” measurements will provide “ground-truth” for the remote sensing information, and, in turn, the locally collected data will be interpreted in the appropriate context provided by the remote sensing investigation. VIRTIS is part of the scientific payload of the Rosetta Orbiter and will detect and characterise the evolution of specific signatures – such as the typical spectral bands of minerals and molecules – arising from surface components and from materials dispersed in the coma. The identification of spectral features is a primary goal of the Rosetta mission as it will allow identification of the nature of the main constituent of the comets. Moreover, the surface thermal evolution during comet approach to sun will be also studied.     

Studying the evolution of the hot universe with the X-ray evolving universe spectroscopy mission – XEUS

Europe is one of the major partners building the International Space Station (ISS) and European industry, together with ESA, is responsible for many station components including the Columbus Orbital Facility, the Automated Transport Vehicle, two connecting modules and the European Robotic Arm. Together with this impressive list of contributions there is a strong desire within the ESA Member States to benefit from this investment by utilizing the unique capabilities of the ISS to perform world-class science. XEUS is one of the astronomical applications being studied by ESA to utilize the capabilities of the ISS. XEUS will be a long-term X-ray observatory with an initial mirror area of 6 m² at 1 keV that will be expanded to 30 m² following a visit to the ISS. The 1 keV spatial resolution is expected to be 2–5″ half-energy-width. XEUS will consist of separate detector and mirror spacecraft (MSC) aligned by active control to provide a focal length of 50 m. A new detector spacecraft, complete with the next generation of instruments, will also be added after visiting the ISS. The limiting 0.1–2.5 keV sensitivity will then be 4 × 10⁻¹⁸ erg cm⁻² s⁻¹, around 200 times better than XMM-Newton, allowing XEUS to study the properties of the hot baryons and dark matter at high redshift.