美俄日等国联手建造国际空间站

简要回顾了国际空间站计划的发展。重点描述了“阿尔法”空间站的基本构成及计划现状。     

What next for China in space after Shenzhou?

This article discusses China's ambitions in space now that it seems set to pursue human spaceflight. It suggests that, after sending its astronauts into space, completing orbital rendezvous-docking operations and placing a space lab in orbit, China will focus on the Moon with its Chang’e project. As an emerging space power, China will play a more active role in the international space community through collaboration in areas such as lunar exploration, science operations on the International Space Station, the Galileo Global Navigation Satellite System and the International Geosphere–Biosphere Program (IGBP). In particular, China will vigorously explore new opportunities to expand its cooperation with Russia and ESA to counteract Washington's attempt at containment. Meanwhile, Beijing will continue to follow its self-reliance principle to go its own way in space.     

Lessons learned from Mir--a payload perspective

Among the principal objectives of the Phase 1 NASA/Mir program were for the United States to gain experience working with an international partner, to gain working experience in long-duration space flight, and to gain working experience in planning for and executing research on a long-duration space platform. The Phase 1 program was to provide the US early experience prior to the construction and operation of the International Space Station (Phase 2 and 3). While it can be argued that Mir and ISS are different platforms and that programmatically Phase 1 and ISS are organized differently, it is also clear that many aspects of operating a long-duration research program are platform independent. This can be demonstrated by a review of lessons learned from Skylab, a US space station program of the mid-1970s, many of which were again “learned” on Mir and are being “learned” on ISS. Among these are optimum crew training strategies, on-orbit crew operations, ground support, medical operations and crew psychological support, and safety certification processes.     

基于无旋转原点的参考系转换方法及其计算

基于引入无旋转原点可以克服春分点的固有缺陷的特性,在分析GCRS (Geocentric Celestial Reference System,地心天球参考系)与ITRS(International Terrestrial Reference System,国际地球参考系)之间基于无旋转原点的转换过程基础上,计算了IERS(International Earth Rotation and reference systems Service,国际地球自转与参考系服务)1996、2003、2010等规范所推荐的3组转换参数的具体数值及其差异,并以太阳系10个天体为例进行了参考系转换计算.结果表明:IERS 2003、2010规范中推荐的2组转换参数间的差异较小,对坐标转换的影响在0.5 mas以内;IERS 1996规范中推荐的转换参数与另外2组转换参数间的差异较大,对坐标转换的影响在2.5 mas以内.基于无旋转原点转换和基于春分点的岁差章动转换2种方法间的差异对坐标转换的影响,在IERS 2003、2010规范中不超过5 μas,而在IERS 1996规范中由于未考虑框架偏差的影响导致差异较大.     

A new approach to the telescope operation method for satellite tracking using a time synchronization technique

For the development of a telescope that is capable of precisely tracking satellites and high-speed operation such as satellite laser ranging, a special method of telescope operation is required. This study aims to propose a new telescope operation method and system configuration for the independent development of a mount and an operation system which includes the host computer. Considering that the tracking of a satellite is performed in real time, communication and synchronization between the two independent subsystems are important. Therefore, this study applied the concept of time synchronization, which is used in various fields of industry, to the communication between the command computer and the mount. In this case, communication delays do not need to be considered in general, and it is possible to cope with data loss. Above all, when the mount is replaced in the future, only the general communication interface needs to be modified, and thus, it is not limited by replacement in terms of the overall system management. The performance of the telescope operation method developed in this study was verified by applying the method to the first mobile SLR system in Korea. This study is significant in that it proposed a new operation method and system configuration, to which the concept of time synchronization was applied, for the observation system that requires an optical telescope.     

Severe disruption of the cytoskeleton and immunologically relevant surface molecules in a human macrophageal cell line in microgravity—Results of an in vitro experiment on board of the Shenzhou-8 space mission

During spaceflight the immune system is one of the most affected systems of the human body. During the SIMBOX (Science in Microgravity Box) mission on Shenzhou-8, we investigated microgravity-associated long-term alterations in macrophageal cells, the most important effector cells of the immune system. We analyzed the effect of long-term microgravity on the cytoskeleton and immunologically relevant surface molecules. Human U937 cells were differentiated into a macrophageal phenotype and exposed to microgravity or 1g on a reference centrifuge on-orbit for 5 days. After on-orbit fixation, the samples were analyzed with immunocytochemical staining and confocal microscopy after landing. The unmanned Shenzhou-8 spacecraft was launched on board a Long March 2F (CZ-2F) rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC) and landed after a 17-day-mission. We found a severely disturbed actin cytoskeleton, disorganized tubulin and distinctly reduced expression of CD18, CD36 and MHC-II after the 5 days in microgravity. The disturbed cytoskeleton, the loss of surface receptors for bacteria recognition, the activation of T lymphocytes, the loss of an important scavenger receptor and of antigen-presenting molecules could represent a dysfunctional macrophage phenotype. This phenotype in microgravity would be not capable of migrating or recognizing and attacking pathogens, and it would no longer activate the specific immune system, which could be investigated in functional assays. Obviously, the results have to be interpreted with caution as the model system has some limitations and due to numerous technical and biological restrictions (e.g. 23 °C and no CO₂ supply during in-flight incubation). All parameter were carefully pre-tested on ground. Therefore, the experiment could be adapted to the experimental conditions available on Shenzhou-8.     

Statistical ionospheric E layer properties measured with the Cyprus Digisonde and comparisons with IRI predictions

This paper reports the diurnal, seasonal, and long term variability of the E layer critical frequency (foE) and peak height (hmE) derived from Digisonde measurements from 2009 to 2016 at the low-middle latitude European station of Nicosia, Cyprus (geographical coordinates: 35°N, 33°E, geomagnetic lat. 29.38°N, I = 51.7°). Manually scaled monthly median values of foE and hmE are compared with IRI-2012 predictions with a view to assess the predictability of IRI. Results show that in general, IRI slightly overestimates foE values both at low and high solar activity. At low solar activity, overestimations are mostly limited to 0.25?MHz (equivalent electron density, 0.775?×?10³?el/m^?3) but can go as high as 0.5?MHz (equivalent electron density, 3.1?×?10³?el/m^?3, during noon) around equinox. In some months, underestimations, though sporadic in nature, up to 0.25?MHz are noted (mostly during sunrise and sunset). At high solar activity, a similar pattern of over-/underestimation is evident. During the entire period of study, over-/under estimations are mostly limited to 0.25?MHz. In very few cases, these exceed 0.25?MHz but are limited to 0.5?MHz. Analysis of hmE reveals that: (1) hmE remains almost constant during ±2 to ±4?h around local noon, (2) hmE values are higher in winter than in spring, summer and autumn, (3) there are two maxima near sunrise and sunset with a noontime minimum in between. During the entire period of study, significant differences between observed hmE and the IRI predictions have been noted. IRI fails to predict hmE and outputs a constant value of 110?km, which is higher than most of the observed values. Over- and under estimations range from 3 to 13?km and from 0 to 3?km respectively.     

Don Pettit 国际空间站微重力流体实验与若干现象的解析

Don Pettit 是美国NASA 的资深宇航员, 2002 年11 月至2003 年5 月, 在国际空间站工作期间, 进行了一系列名为Saturday Morning Science的微重力实验. Don Pettit 实验揭示了微重力下一些令人惊奇的现象, 涉及流体力学、气泡动力学、晶体生长以及运动学的诸多基础问题, 是能够获得的国际空间站为数不多的微重力实验资料, 具有重要研究意义. 实验包括14 组流体实验和7 组力学实验, 而流体实验又大致分为水膜实验和水球实验, 包括大尺寸水膜制备、扩散和对流、Marangoni 对流、薄膜结晶、水球/气泡旋转等. 本文对Don Pettit 实验的流体部分进行了介绍, 并对其中的Marangoni对流和薄膜结晶实验现象进行了解析.      

Heterogeneous solid/gas chemistry of organic compounds related to comets,meteorites, Titan,and Mars: Laboratory and in lower Earth orbit experiments

To understand the evolution of organic molecules involved in extraterrestrial environments and with exobiological implications, many experimental programs in the laboratory are devoted to photochemical studies in the gaseous phase as well as in the solid state. The validity of such studies and their applications to extraterrestrial environments can be questioned as long as experiments conducted in space conditions, with the full solar spectrum, especially in the short wavelength domain, have not been implemented. The experiments that are described here will be carried out on a FOTON capsule, using the BIOPAN facility, and on the International Space Station, using the EXPOSE facility. Vented and sealed exposition cells will be used, which will allow us to study the chemical evolution in the gaseous phase as well as heterogeneous processes, such as the degradation of solid compounds and the release of gaseous fragments.     

关于角度量列为基本量的探讨

在SI国际单位制中,平面角是导出量,平面角的单位“弧度”是辅助单位。但是,平面角既不能由长度基本单位导出,又不能溯源至长度基本单位,因此不能确立导出关系。平面角应用广泛,作用重要,具有独特的性能,符合基本量的要求,因此提出：平面角,简称“角度”,是基本量;平面角的单位“度、（角）分、（角）秒”,是基本单位,以供探讨。