The post sunset equatorial F- region zonal drift variability and its linkage with equatorial spread F onset and duration over Indian longitudes

The seasonal and solar activity variation of the post sunset F- region zonal plasma drift, at the magnetic equatorial region over Indian longitudes is analyzed using the Republic of China Satellite-1 data from January 2000 to April 2004. The post sunset F- region zonal drifts are observed to be higher in the years of high solar activity in comparison with low solar activity, while seasonally the drifts are minimum in summer with much higher values in other seasons. The seasonal and solar activity variations of zonal plasma drift are attributed to the corresponding variations in the neutral winds. The dependences of the F region peak vertical drift on the zonal plasma drift at 18.5 IST (Indian Standard Time) and the time difference of the conjugate points sunset times, are quantitatively analyzed. Further an integrated parameter (incorporating the above mentioned two independent factors), which is able to predict the peak vertical drift and growth rate of Rayleigh Taylor instability is proposed. The other major outcome of the study is the successful prediction of the Equatorial Spread F (ESF) onset time and duration using the new integrated parameter at 18.5 IST. ESF irregularities and associated scintillations adversely affect communication and navigation systems. Hence, the present methodology for the prediction of the characteristics of these nocturnal irregularities becomes relevant.     

Horizontal and vertical thermospheric cross-wind from GOCE linear and angular accelerations

Thermospheric wind measurements obtained from linear non-gravitational accelerations of the Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) satellite show discrepancies when compared to ground-based measurements. In this paper the cross-wind is derived from both the linear and the angular accelerations using a newly developed iterative algorithm. The two resulting data sets are compared to test the validity of wind derived from angular accelerations and quantify the uncertainty in accelerometer-derived wind data. In general the difference is found to be less than 50?m/s vertically after high-pass filtering, and 100?m/s horizontally. A sensitivity analysis reveals that continuous thrusting is a major source of uncertainty in the torque-derived wind, as are the magnetic properties of the satellite. The energy accommodation coefficient is identified as a particularly promising parameter for improving the consistency of thermospheric cross-wind data sets in the future. The algorithm may be applied to obtain density and cross-wind from other satellite missions that lack accelerometer data, provided the attitude and orbit are known with sufficient accuracy.     

Validation of IRI-2012 TEC model over Ethiopia during solar minimum (2009) and solar maximum (2013) phases

This paper investigates the capacity of the latest version of the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI-2012) model in predicting the vertical Total Electron Content (vTEC) over Ethiopian regions during solar minimum (2009) and solar maximum (2013) phases. This has been carried out by comparing the IRI-2012 modeled and experimental vTEC inferred from eight ground based dual frequency GPS (Global Positioning System) receivers installed recently at different regions of the country. In this work, the diurnal, monthly and seasonal variation in the measured vTEC have been analyzed and compared with the IRI-2012 modeled vTEC. During the solar minimum phase, the lowest and highest diurnal peak of the experimental vTEC are observed in July and October, respectively. In general, the diurnal variability of vTEC has shown minimum values around 0300 UT (0600 LT) and maximum values between around 1000 and 1300 UT (1300 and 1600 LT) during both solar activity phases. Moreover, the maximum and minimum monthly and seasonal mean hourly vTEC values are observed in October and July and in the March equinox and June solstice, respectively. It is also shown that the IRI-2012-model better predicts the diurnal vTEC in the time interval of about 0000–0300 UT (0300–0600 LT) during the solar minimum phase. However, the model generally overestimates the diurnal vTEC except in the time interval of about 0900–1500 UT (1200–1800 LT) during the solar maximum phase. The overall result of this work shows that the diurnal vTEC prediction performance of the model is generally better during the solar minimum phase than during solar maximum phase. Regarding the monthly and seasonal prediction capacity of the model, there is a good agreement between the modeled and measured monthly and seasonal mean hourly vTEC values in January and December solstice, respectively. Another result of the work depicts that unlike the GPS–TEC the IRI-2012 TEC does not respond to the effect resulted from geomagnetic storms.     

Configuration space and stability analysis of solar sail near-vertical earth-trailing orbits

Regions outside the reach of traditional propulsion systems or the ones that require significant propellant, may be reached by harnessing the solar radiation pressure and leveraging coupled dynamics to maneuver a sail-based spacecraft. Earth-trailing orbits have recently been investigated for getting a unique perspective of the Sun while maintaining the spacecraft in close proximity to Earth. Vertical orbits trailing the Earth exhibit the additional capability to view the Sun from above and below the ecliptic plane. In this work, families of sail-based orbits are explored for varying Earth-trailing angles and Z amplitudes in the Sun-Earth circular restricted three-body problem. Optimization is carried out to ensure that the non-traditional vertical orbits exhibit a constant pitch angle control history, as well as symmetry across the X-Y plane. The stability of the resulting orbit families is assessed using an extension of Flouquet theory to Differential Algebraic Equations. Results indicate that sail-based Earth-trailing vertical orbits can be more stable than traditional sub-L₁ sail-based vertical orbits.     

Determining the precipitable water vapor thresholds under different rainfall strengths in Taiwan

Precipitable Water Vapor (PWV) plays an important role for weather forecasting. It is helpful in evaluating the changes of the weather system via observing the distribution of water vapor. The ability of calculating PWV from Global Positioning System (GPS) signals is useful to understand the special weather phenomenon. In this study, 95 ground-based GPS and rainfall stations in Taiwan were utilized from 2006 to 2012 to analyze the relationship between PWV and rainfall. The PWV data were classified into four classes (no, light, moderate and heavy rainfall), and the vertical gradients of the PWV were obtained and the variations of the PWV were analyzed. The results indicated that as the GPS elevation increased every 100?m, the PWV values decreased by 9.5?mm, 11.0?mm, 12.2?mm and 12.3?mm during the no, light, moderate and heavy rainfall conditions, respectively. After applying correction using the vertical gradients mentioned above, the average PWV thresholds were 41.8?mm, 52.9?mm, 62.5?mm and 64.4?mm under the no, light, moderate and heavy rainfall conditions, respectively. This study offers another type of empirical threshold to assist the rainfall prediction and can be used to distinguish the rainfall features between different areas in Taiwan.     

新型四余度功率电传推力矢量控制技术

通过对现有不同类型功率电传(PBW—Power by wire)系统进行分析,根据航天运载器使用特点,提出了理想PBW系统的概念,并基于负载敏感原理提出了新型PBW系统方案。在此基础上,针对载人航天等高可靠性应用场合,提出了四余度PBW系统方案。通过仿真研究证明所提出的新型PBW系统具有比传统PBW系统更好的综合性能,是最接近于理想PBW系统的设计方案。通过对四余度PBW系统在故障情况下的工作情况进行仿真研究表明,四余度PBW系统具有两次故障工作、三次故障安全的余度等级。文中所提出的系统方案在未来大推力固体火箭发动机和氢氧发动机推力矢量控制系统中具有广泛的应用前景。     

空地反辐射导弹发射方式的研究

本文提出了一种空地反辐射导弹的非对准发射方式,可在载机上水平或上抛发射导弹,同时具有扇面发射的能力,并能保证反辐射导弹目标视线角较快地进入其导引头视场范围内,以便精确跟踪目标。     

火箭发射防雷问题

雷电效应对火箭发射可能产生破坏作用，在雷雨季节运载火箭发射时，所采取的一些防雷电措施，在本文中作了介绍。     

导弹垂直发射中二次流流场计算

本文应用Ｇｏｄｕｎｏｖ方法对导弹垂直发射系统的内流场进行了数值模拟，详细描述了导弹点火后二次流的形成及其对弹体的影响，为导弹的设计和发射系统的热防护提供参考。     

高速水流冲击弹性边界结构问题的试验研究

针对水下航行体出水过程空泡溃灭问题,依据水发射试验装置,设计一套试验方案,研究高速水流冲击弹性边界结构的现象.研究结果表明:高速水流冲击弹性边界时,随着弹性边界工装厚度的增加,压力脉冲脉宽逐渐减小,压力脉冲幅值逐渐增大,其增大部分主要是由于刚度较大产生的高频振荡部分.将数据分析频率窗口降低至500Hz,去掉高频振荡成分...