Quasiperiodic oscillations of the sub-mHz band in near-sun plasma according to the coherent radio occultation data

In 2013 and 2015, investigations of the internal solar wind were carried out using the method of two-frequency radio sounding by signals from the Mars Express European spacecraft. The values of the S- and X-bands’ frequency and the differential frequency were registered with a sampling rate of 1s at the American and European networks of ground-based tracking stations. The spatial distribution of the frequency fluctuation’s level has been studied. It has been shown that the intensity of frequency fluctuation considerably decreases at high heliolatitudes. In some radio sounding sessions, quasiperiodic oscillations of sub-mHz band have been observed in the temporal spectra of frequency fluctuations; they are supposed to be associated with the density inhomogeneities, the sizes of which are close to the turbulence outer scale.     

Behavior of tethered debris with flexible appendages

Active exploration of the space leads to growth of a near-Earth space pollution. The frequency of the registered collisions of space debris with functional satellites highly increased during last 10 years. As a rule a large space debris can be observed from the Earth and catalogued, then it is possible to avoid collision with the active spacecraft. However every large debris is a potential source of a numerous small debris particles. To reduce debris population in the near Earth space the large debris should be removed from working orbits. The active debris removal technique is considered that intend to use a tethered orbital transfer vehicle, or a space tug attached by a tether to the space debris. This paper focuses on the dynamics of the space debris with flexible appendages. Mathematical model of the system is derived using the Lagrange formalism. Several numerical examples are presented to illustrate the mutual influence of the oscillations of flexible appendages and the oscillations of a tether. It is shown that flexible appendages can have a significant influence on the attitude motion of the space debris and the safety of the transportation process.     

Space experiments aboard the Lomonosov MSU satellite

At present, the Institute of Nuclear Physics of Moscow State University, in cooperation with other organizations, is preparing space experiments onboard the Lomonosov satellite. The main goal of this mission is to study extreme astrophysical phenomena such as cosmic gamma-ray bursts and ultra-high-energy cosmic rays. These phenomena are associated with the processes occurring in the early universe in very distant astrophysical objects, therefore, they can provide information on the first stages of the evolution of the universe. This paper considers the main characteristics of the scientific equipment aboard the Lomonosov satellite.     

Main medical results of extended flights on space station Mir in 1986-1990

During 1986-1990 seven prime spacecrews (16 cosmonauts) have flown on-board the Mir orbital complex. The longest space mission duration was 366 days The principal objectives of the medical tasks were the maintenance of good health and performance of the spacecrews and conducting medical research programs which included study of the cardiovascular, motor, endocrine, blood, immune, and metabolic systems. Results obtained point to the ability of humans to readily adapt to a year-long stay in space and maintain good health and performance. Readaptation had a similar course as after other previous long-term space flights of up to 8 months in duration. Primary body system changes were not qualitatively different from findings after flights aboard the Salyut 6 and 7 space stations. In this case, during and after an 11-12 month flight, body system alterations were even less severe which was a result of adequate countermeasure use, their systematic and creative employment and maintenance of required environments to support life and work in space.     

Theory of physical libration of the Moon with the liquid core: Forced librations

For a two-layer model of the Moon that consists of a solid nonspherical mantle and an ellipsoidal homogeneous liquid core, a theory of forced librations under the effect of gravitational Earth’s moments has been developed. The motion of the Moon over its orbit has been described by the high-accuracy theory of DE/LE-4 orbital motion. Tables have been constructed that present forced librations of the Moon caused by the second harmonic of its force function, in the neighborhood of its motion according to the generalized Cassini laws. Disturbances of the first-order with respect to dynamic compressions of the Moon and its core are obtained in analytical form for Andoyer variables and Poincare variables and for the projection of the angular velocity vector of Moon’s mantle rotation and the Poincare coordinate system (relative to which core’s liquid accomplishes simple motion) on its major central axes of inertia, as well as for the classical variables in the Moon libration theory, etc. Constructed tables of the forced librations theory give the amplitudes and periods of librations and combinations of arguments of the orbital motion theory that correspond to libration parameters. The interpretation of basic variations has been given and a comparison with the previous theories has been carried out, in particular with the modern empirical theory constructed based on the laser observation data.     

Satellite dynamics under the influence of gravitational and aerodynamic torques. A study of stability of equilibrium positions

The dynamics of the rotational motion of a satellite, moving in the central Newtonian force field under the influence of gravitational and aerodynamic torques, is investigated. The paper proposes a method for determining all equilibrium positions (equilibrium orientations) of a satellite in the orbital coordinate system for specified values of aerodynamic torque and the major central moments of inertia; the sufficient conditions for their existence are obtained. For each equilibrium orientation the sufficient stability conditions are obtained using the generalized energy integral as the Lyapunov function. The detailed numerical analysis of the regions where the stability conditions of the equilibrium positions are satisfied is carried out depending on four dimensionless parameters of the problem. It is shown that, in the general case, the number of satellite’s equilibrium positions, for which the sufficient stability conditions are satisfied, varies from 4 to 2 with an increase in the value of the aerodynamic torque magnitude.     

Interplanetary scintillations of the radio source ensemble at the maximum of cycle 24 of solar activity

The results of the interplanetary scintillation observations performed in the period of the maximum of solar activity from April 2013 to April 2014 on the BSA LPI radio telescope at the frequency 111MHz are presented. Fluctuations of the radio emission flux were recorded round the clock for all sources with a scintillating flux of more than 0.2 Jy falling in a strip of sky with a width of 50° over declinations corresponding to a 96-beam directional pattern of the radio telescope. The total number of sources observed during the day reaches 5000. The processing of the observational data was carried out on the assumption that a set of scintillating sources represents a homogeneous statistical ensemble. Daily two-dimensional maps of the distribution of the level of scintillations, whose analysis shows the strong nonstationarity and large-scale irregularity of the spatial distribution of solar wind parameters, were constructed. According to maps of the distribution of the level of scintillations averaged over monthly intervals, the global structure of the distribution of the solar wind was investigated in the period of the maximum of solar activity, which was found to be on the average close to spherically symmetric. The data show that on a spherically symmetric background an east–west asymmetry is observed, which indicates the presence of a large-scale structure of a spiral type in the solar wind.     

On the stability of stationary motions of a system of coaxial bodies

We consider the stability of stationary motions of a model of a spacecraft as a system of coaxial bodies with small asymmetry caused by the shift of the axes of dynamic symmetry of bodies relative to the axis of rotation. We determine the stationary motions of the system; their stability is studied with respect to both the projections of angular velocity and the position of the axis of rotation. The sufficient conditions for the stability of these stationary motions are obtained by constructing a Lyapunov function, and the necessary conditions are obtained by analyzing the corresponding linearized equations of perturbed motion.     

An analysis of low-frequency component in microacceleration measurements made onboard the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Foton M-2</Emphasis> satellite

The low-frequency component is investigated in the data of measurements performed onboard the Foton M-2 satellite with the three-component accelerometer TAS-3. Investigations consisted in comparison of this component with its calculated analog found from a reconstruction of the satellite’s attitude motion. The influence of the Earth’s magnetic field on the accelerometer readings is discovered by way of spectral analysis of the functions representing the results of determining the low-frequency microacceleration by two methods. After making correction for this influence, the results obtained by these two methods coincided within a root-mean-square error of less than 10^?6 m/s².     

An Introduction to CMEs and Energetic Particles

Energetic particle observations in the interplanetary medium provide fundamental information about the origin, development and structure of coronal mass ejections. This paper reviews the status of our understanding of the ways in which particles are energised at the Sun in association with CMEs. This understanding will remain incomplete until the relationship between CMEs and flares is determined and we know the topology of the associated magnetic fields. The paper also discusses the characteristics of interplanetary CMEs that may be probed using particle observations.