Public good or commercial opportunity? Case studies in remote sensing commercialization

The US government is once again attempting to commercialize the Landsat program and is asking the private sector to develop a next-generation mid-resolution remote sensing system that will provide continuity with the thirty-year data archive of Landsat data. Much of the case for commercializing the Landsat program rests on the apparently successful commercialization of high-resolution remote sensing activities coupled with the belief that conditions have changed since the failed attempt to commercialize Landsat in the 1980s. This paper analyzes the economic, political and technical conditions that prevailed in the 1980s as well as conditions that might account for the apparent success of the emerging high-resolution remote sensing industry today. Lessons are gleaned for the future of the Landsat program.     

Information theory,animal communication,and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence

We present ongoing research in the application of information theory to animal communication systems with the goal of developing additional detectors and estimators for possible extraterrestrial intelligent signals. Regardless of the species, for intelligence (i.e., complex knowledge) to be transmitted certain rules of information theory must still be obeyed. We demonstrate some preliminary results of applying information theory to socially complex marine mammal species (bottlenose dolphins and humpback whales) as well as arboreal squirrel monkeys, because they almost exclusively rely on vocal signals for their communications, producing signals which can be readily characterized by signal analysis. Metrics such as Zipf's Law and higher-order information-entropic structure are emerging as indicators of the communicative complexity characteristic of an “intelligent message” content within these animals’ signals, perhaps not surprising given these species’ social complexity. In addition to human languages, for comparison we also apply these metrics to pulsar signals—perhaps (arguably) the most “organized” of stellar systems—as an example of astrophysical systems that would have to be distinguished from an extraterrestrial intelligence message by such information theoretic filters. We also look at a message transmitted from Earth (Arecibo Observatory) that contains a lot of meaning but little information in the mathematical sense we define it here. We conclude that the study of non-human communication systems on our own planet can make a valuable contribution to the detection of extraterrestrial intelligence by providing quantitative general measures of communicative complexity. Studying the complex communication systems of other intelligent species on our own planet may also be one of the best ways to deprovincialize our thinking about extraterrestrial communication systems in general.     

People's Republic of China Cumulative Index on Radar Systems (FirstEdition) 1978-87

This bibliography of Chinese radar papers was compiled by the PLA Air Force Radar Institute under the sponsorship of the China Institute of Electronics Radar Society. It covers the period from 1978 through 1987 and was prepared under the supervision of the Vice Chairman of the CIE Radar Society. It follows the format of the IEEE AES Cumulative Index on Radar Systems. Entries are listed chronologically under each subject heading. All papers listed have been released for foreign acquisition. Papers presented at the various conferences listed are written in English; however, others are generally in Chinese, although an abstract written in English is provided by some of them     

CESM-a new category of radar ECCM

Radar ECCM techniques are well known. Heretofore the listed ECCM effects have generally been to counteract the effects of ECM. This approach is one of attempting to cure an illness, rather than preventing it. Modem ECM systems usually include an ESM receiver to detect the radar signal, identify it by its emission characteristics, assess its importance, select the proper ECM, and signal to initiate ECM. If the ESM receiver detection of the radar signal can be delayed/denied, or the identification be confused, either the wrong ECM may be applied, or delayed. The radar may thus not be confronted with timely, proper ECM. Radar operation may therefore be possible. This paper introduces and defines CESM, a new category of radar ECCM. There are two principles of CESM-those which delay/deny ESM receiver detection, and those which confuse/impede signal identification. Illustrative examples of CESM techniques/operating techniques are given. It is shown that many CESM techniques may have multiple roles by impeding detection, impeding identification, and also diluting effects of ECM     

Development of Skylab medical equipment and flight preparations

The purpose of this report is to provide an introduction and overview of the Skylab medical program. Some of the more important medical systems and equipment provided for crew sustenance are described. The major inflight medical experiments are reviewed, and the test programs are discussed. The medical operations procedures and the techniques used to monitor crew health are reviewed to provide an understanding of the medical management of this complex mission.     

U.S. manned space flight: the first twenty years, a biomedical status report.

In the last 20 years, the biomedical problems facing man in space have been brought into sharper focus. Space motion sickness is presently our most serious problem. Its etiology remains obscure, but the "sensory conflict" theory appears most plausible. No valid predictive tests of susceptibility exist and presently we must rely on medication for prevention or mitigation of symptoms. Adaptation/biofeedback techniques may prove useful. Cardiovascular "deconditioning" may be effectively attenuated by use of anti-g suits or plasma expanding techniques. Recent bedrest simulation studies would seem to indicate that concerns about chronically elevated central venous pressure during space flight are unfounded. The loss of red cell mass in space flight appears to be self-limited, independent of mission duration, and not of clinical concern, based on recent Soviet experiences. And finally, clodronate, a new diphosphonate effective in preventing hypercalciuria and negative calcium balance in normal human bedrested subjects, may prove effective in preventing or lessening skeletal mineral loss in space.     

Loss-of-Consciousness&Spatial Disorientation Auto-Recovery System

A G-induced loss-of-consciousness (GLOC) and spatial disorientation auto-recovery system has been developed and tested on the Advanced Fighter Technology Integration (AFTI)/F-16 aircraft. The pilot controls the operation of this system by entering an MSL altitude and manually arming the system. Engagement conditions of the auto-recovery maneuver are controlled by aircraft speed, altitude, attitude, and the set recovery altitude and do not depend upon any determination of pilot physiological condition. Initiation of the recovery maneuver is preceded by visual and aural warnings which continue until the pilot resumes control. The pilot always has the capability to override or disengage the autorecovery maneuver. This system, as developed on the AFTI/F-16, is directly and quickly applicable to other analog or digital flight control systems such as found in the F-16 or F-18. This system provides the pilot protection from ground collision in most air-to-air training environments.