Thermospheric winds over Abuja during solar minimum period

Monthly variations of averaged nighttime thermospheric winds have been investigated over Abuja, Nigeria (Geographic: 9.06°N, 7.5°E; Geomagnetic: 1.60°S). The reports are based on Fabry-Perot interferometer measurements of Doppler shifts and Doppler broadening of the 630.0 nm spectral emission. The results were obtained during a period of weak solar activity with the solar flux (F10.7) typically below 70 solar flux units. Inspection of the average monthly thermospheric winds from October 2017 to December 2017 found December meridional winds to be more equatorward than the October and November winds. Zonal winds are eastward with pre-midnight maximum speeds going above 100 m/s. Compared to Jicamarca zonal winds in the Peruvian sector for the same month of October, the magnitude of maximum Abuja zonal wind speed is weaker. We compare the observed diurnal variation with the recently updated Horizontal wind model (HWM 14). Most of the observational features of thermospheric wind diurnal variation are captured in the model variation. The HWM14 generally showed good agreement with the Abuja October and November zonal wind observations but overestimates the December meridional winds. Expected longer period analysis of the results from Abuja will stimulate a better understanding of wind climatology over the West African sector.     

Two successive partial mini-filament confined ejections

Active region (AR) NOAA 11476 produced a series of confined plasma ejections, mostly accompanied by flares of X-ray class M, from 08 to 10 May 2012. The structure and evolution of the confined ejections resemble that of EUV surges; however, their origin is associated to the destabilization and eruption of a mini-filament, which lay along the photospheric inversion line (PIL) of a large rotating bipole. Our analysis indicate that the bipole rotation and flux cancellation along the PIL have a main role in destabilizing the structure and triggering the ejections. The observed bipole emerged within the main following AR polarity. Previous studies have analyzed and discussed in detail two events of this series in which the mini-filament erupted as a whole, one at 12:23 UT on 09 May and the other at 04:18 UT on 10 May. In this article we present the observations of the confined eruption and M4.1 flare on 09 May 2012 at 21:01 UT (SOL2012-05-09T21:01:00) and the previous activity in which the mini-filament was involved. For the analysis we use data in multiple wavelengths (UV, EUV, X-rays, and magnetograms) from space instruments. In this particular case, the mini-filament is seen to erupt in two different sections. The northern section erupted accompanied by a C1.6 flare and the southern section did it in association with the M4.1 flare. The global structure and direction of both confined ejections and the location of a far flare kernel, to where the plasma is seen to flow, suggest that both ejections and flares follow a similar underlying mechanism.     

Exploration life support technology challenges for the Crew Exploration Vehicle and future human missions

As NASA implements the U.S. Space Exploration Policy, life support systems must be provided for an expanding sequence of exploration missions. NASA has implemented effective life support for Apollo, the Space Shuttle, and the International Space Station (ISS) and continues to develop advanced systems. This paper provides an overview of life support requirements, previously implemented systems, and new technologies being developed by the Exploration Life Support Project for the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) and Lunar Outpost and future Mars missions. The two contrasting practical approaches to providing space life support are (1) open loop direct supply of atmosphere, water, and food, and (2) physicochemical regeneration of air and water with direct supply of food. Open loop direct supply of air and water is cost effective for short missions, but recycling oxygen and water saves costly launch mass on longer missions. Because of the short CEV mission durations, the CEV life support system will be open loop as in Apollo and Space Shuttle. New life support technologies for CEV that address identified shortcomings of existing systems are discussed. Because both ISS and Lunar Outpost have a planned 10-year operational life, the Lunar Outpost life support system should be regenerative like that for ISS and it could utilize technologies similar to ISS. The Lunar Outpost life support system, however, should be extensively redesigned to reduce mass, power, and volume, to improve reliability and incorporate lessons learned, and to take advantage of technology advances over the last 20 years. The Lunar Outpost design could also take advantage of partial gravity and lunar resources.     

Comparison of observed hmF2 and IRI 2007 model with M(3000)F2 estimation of hmF2 at low solar activity for an equatorial station

This is to investigate ways of improving the Equatorial F2-layer peak heights estimated from M(3000)F2 ionosonde data measured using the Ionospheric Prediction Service (IPS-42) sounder at Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (Latitude +12.4°N, Longitude +1.5°W, Dip latitude +5.9°N) during a low solar activity year (1995). For this purpose, we have compared the observed h_mF2 (h_mF2_obs) deduced using an algorithm from scaled virtual heights of quiet day ionograms and the predicted h_mF2 values which is given by the IRI 2007 model (h_mF2_{IRI 2007}) with the ionosonde measured M(3000)F2 estimation of the h_mF2 values (h_mF2_est) respectively. The correlation coefficients R² for all the seasons were found to range from 0.259 to 0.692 for h_mF2_obs values, while it ranges from 0.551 to 0.875 for the h_mF2_{IRI 2007} values. During the nighttime, estimated h_mF2 (h_mF2_est) was found to be positively correlated with the h_mF2_obs values by the post-sunset peak representation which is also represented by the h_mF2_{IRI 2007} values. We also investigated the validity of the h_mF2_est values by finding the percentage deviations when compared with the h_mF2_obs and h_mF2_{IRI 2007}.     

神舟飞船出舱活动故障模式和对策的设计与实践

根据出舱活动任务及程序安排,以确保航天员安全和提高出舱活动任务可靠性为原则,提出了飞行事件时域、空域分析与出舱活动故障树分析（FTA）和失效模式与影响分析（FMEA）结果相结合的设计方法,完成了我国出舱活动飞行任务故障模式与对策。所设计的多种出舱活动故障模式与对策,覆盖了出舱活动飞行任务可能发生的各种情况,经出舱活动飞行试验验证,故障模式设计及对策设计合理,有力保证了神舟七号飞船出舱活动的圆满成功,具有工程实用价值。     

TC21-0.28%H钛合金微观组织及其高温变形行为研究

利用光学金相及X射线衍射,研究了TC21-0.28%H(质量分数,下同)钛合金的组织结构,通过热模拟压缩实验,研究了TC21-0.28%H钛合金在800～920℃温度范围和0.01～1s-1应变速率范围的高温变形行为,建立了钛合金高温变形本构方程。结果显示,与TC21钛合金相比,TC21-0.28%H钛合金β相比例显著增加,并且有新相马氏体α″与氢化物δ生成,TC21-0.28%H钛合金在α+β相区与β相区的变形激活能分别为233kJ/mol与153kJ/mol,软化机制为动态回复,与TC21钛合金相比,TC21-0.28%H钛合金变形激活能降低,热加工性能得到改善。     

重力跳动对多相流体系统的影响

研究了重力跳动对液桥表面及内部流体流动的影响, 以期明确重力跳动对多相流体系统的作用效果. 理论研究表明, 当重力跳动作用于液桥时, 液桥反响频率的大小取决于液桥尺寸和物性参数; 实验研究显示重力跳动引入的液桥表面振动、液桥内部流动与温度振动之间存在着三角耦合关系; 数值模拟结果揭示了重力跳动作用于液桥时液桥内部流体的流动结构. 另外, 对理论、实验与数值模拟结果进行了对比验证, 得到了吻合一致的结果.      

基于AMESim模型的实时化简

针对航空发动机主燃油液压机械系统搭建的高保真模型无法进行实时仿真的问题,提出用活性能量指数配合线性频域分析的方法,分析化简已有的液压机械系统模型。通过计算模型中各个子元件的能量活性指数并结合线性频域分析,判断出其中能量活性指数低且固有频率远高于控制系统关注频带的子模型,并对其删除或修改,实现对原有模型的化简,以满足实时仿真需求。利用航空发动机实时仿真平台试验仿真结果表明,修改后的模型在保证精度的前提下,不仅缩短了仿真的时间而且满足了实时仿真的要求。     

航天器地面实验的相似性分析方法

研究了航天器地面实验的相似性问题,给出了完全相似条件和近似相似度量方法.首先,应用量纲分析法推导了航天器地面实验的完全相似准则,并讨论了相似准则应用上的局限性;然后,在键合图理论的基础上,提出了一种系统状态变量的活性分析方法,并据此构建了实验模型近似相似程度的量化度量函数;最后,分别对轨道绝对运动与相对运动的模拟实验进行了相似性分析,给出了多种不同的非理想约束条件对实验相似性的影响,提出了有效的实验建议.仿真计算表明:所提出的方法可作为实验相似程度的量化判别依据,且快捷有效,对工程实验有重要参考价值.     

载人航天器出舱活动氧气分压控制研究

载人航天器出舱活动期间氧气分压控制是保证航天员安全和完成出舱任务的重要因素.文章通过对出舱过程中引起氧气分压变化的因素分析,进行了出舱活动低压情况下的氧气分压安全限的试验验证研究,建立了出舱活动氧气分压变化趋势仿真模型,并在此基础上确定了出舱活动阶段舱压和氧气分压的调控方案