Deep Impact: A Large-Scale Active Experiment on a Cometary Nucleus

The Deep Impact mission will provide the first data on the interior of a cometary nucleus and a comparison of those data with data on the surface. Two spacecraft, an impactor and a flyby spacecraft, will arrive at comet 9P/Tempel 1 on 4 July 2005 to create and observe the formation and final properties of a large crater that is predicted to be approximately 30-m deep with the dimensions of a football stadium. The flyby and impactor instruments will yield images and near infrared spectra (1–5 μm) of the surface at unprecedented spatial resolutions both before and after the impact of a 350-kg spacecraft at 10.2 km/s. These data will provide unique information on the structure of the nucleus near the surface and its chemical composition. They will also used to interpret the evolutionary effects on remote sensing data and will indicate how those data can be used to better constrain conditions in the early solar system.     

Effect of severe geomagnetic storm conditions on atomic oxygen greenline dayglow emission in mesosphere

Severe geomagnetic storms and their effects on the 557.7 nm dayglow emission are studied in mesosphere. This study is primarily based on photochemical model with the necessary input obtained from a combination of experimental observations and empirical models. The model results are presented for a low latitude station Tirunelveli (8.7°N, 77.8°E). The volume emission rates are calculated using MSISE-90 and NRLMSISE-00 neutral atmospheric models. A comparison is made between the results obtained from these two models. A positive correlation amongst volume emission rate (VER), O, O₂ number densities and Dst index has been found. The present results indicate that the variation in emission rate is more for MSISE-90 than in NRLMSISE-00 model. The maximum depletion in the VER of greenline dayglow emission is found to be about 30% at 96 km during the main phase of the one of the geomagnetic storms investigated in the case of MSISE-90 (which is strongest with Dst index −216 nT). The O₂ density decreases about 22% at 96 km during the main phase of the same geomagnetic storm.The NRLSMSISE-00 model does not show any appreciable change in the number density of O during any of the two events. The present study also shows that the altitude of peak emission rate is unaffected by the geomagnetic storms. The effect of geomagnetic storm on the greenline nightglow emission has also been studied. It is found that almost no correlation can be established between the Dst index and variations in the volume emission rates using the NRLMSISE-00 neutral model atmosphere. However, a positive correlation is found in the case of MSISE-90 and the maximum depletion in the case of nightglow is about 40% for one of the storms. The present study shows that there are significant differences between the results obtained using MSISE-90 and NRLMSISE-00.     

Characterizing bedrock lithologies using Small Crater Rims and Ejecta Probing (SCREP)

This paper describes the rationale, methodology, and importance of focusing on the rim and proximal ejecta of small (<5 km in diameter), immature impact craters to explore an underlying crustal lithology. Small Crater Rim and Ejecta Probing (SCREP) describes a methodology and application program that extracts bedrock spectral and compositional information from a remote sensing image. Extracted data can yield the pristine lithologies of a planetary crust that would otherwise be obscured by the products of space weathering processes. SCREP was developed with lunar data, specifically Clementine multispectral image mosaics, therefore the technique is discussed in this context. However, its application to other airless solar system bodies is apparent. Knowledge of the pristine bedrock compositions of a planetary crust provides insight into geological surface processes, which can be used to refine models of planetary interiors and their evolution.     

Morphology of OI 8446 Å dayglow emission

A comprehensive model is developed to study the atomic oxygen OI 8446 Å dayglow emission. The emission rate profiles and intensities are obtained using the recently developed Solar2000 EUV (Extreme Ultra Violet) flux model. These emission profiles are used to construct the morphology of the 8446 Å emission between equator and 45°N in the northern hemisphere. The longitudinal variation of 8446 Å dayglow emission is found about 5% and is not included in the presentation of morphology. A span of five years is chosen to study the effect of varying solar activity on the morphology of the OI 8446 Å dayglow emission. The morphology is studied on April 3 which lies under the equinox conditions. In year 2001 the solar F10.7 index on the chosen date was as high as 223.1 which is the case of solar maximum. From the present calculations it is found that the intensity does not vary linearly with the F10.7 solar index. The morphology shows that the region of maximum emission rate expands towards the higher latitudes as F10.7 solar index increases. The similar effects have also been found in the morphology of 7320 Å dayglow emission (Sunil Krishna and Singh, 2009). The similarities in the morphology of 7320 Å and 8446 Å dayglow emissions further suggest that the photoelectron flux has strong bearing on the production of these emissions.     

神舟4号大气成分探测的新结果

神舟4号（SZ-4）大气成分探测器搭载在SZ-4留轨舱上于2002年12月30日发射入轨,在在轨运行的前3个多月中,正值地球南半球处于夏半球季节,并发生了多次中低强度的地磁扰动事件,SZ-4大气成分探测器测得了轨道舱运行高度上（330-362 km附近）大气成分的响应变化和异常现象新结果.探测数据表明,中低强度的地磁扰动事件也能引起热层大气中主要成分O和N₂的数密度值增高的响应变化.同样在进入地磁扰动峰期后较高纬度处出现了N₂的异常增变和O的异常降变以及大气密度异常扰动的现象,但此期间所出现异常现象的地域与SZ-3和SZ-2大气成分探测器探测结果相反,它仅位于南半球较高纬度地区.     

Investigation into the transient flow characteristics of noble gas propellants using the pulsed inductive discharge in electric propulsion

The Pulsed Inductive Thruster(PIT) has the advantages of repeatable startup, no corruption and in-situ propellant feed. To study the flow expansion and circuit characteristics of PITs,the circuit-fluid model is developed, and the high temperature thermodynamic and transport models are combined with the circuit-fluid model to predict the critical plasma parameters. The flow fields of initial mass of 2–8 mg and charge voltages of 10–14 k V are simulated. Comparison of the flow fields of argon and ...     

中低纬电离层不同季节地磁暴响应的事例分析

利用中国中低纬台站漠河（53.5°N,122.3°E）、北京（40.3°N,116.2°E）、武汉（30.5°N,114.2°E）和三亚（18.3°N,109.6°E）的电离层观测数据,对比分析了4个台站电离层参数在2015年不同季节4个地磁扰动事件期间的变化特征.结果表明,4个磁暴事件期间电离层的响应特征并不完全一致,有着明显的季节特征,春季、夏季和秋季电离层以负相扰动为主,冬季以正相扰动为主.分析发现,中性成分O/N₂的降低与电离层负相扰动有关,但三亚地区的负相扰动还与扰动发电机电场相关.正相扰动的机制在不同事件中并不相同,穿透电场可能是引起春季磁暴事件期间电离层短时正暴效应的原因,而冬季长时间的正暴效应则是扰动电场和中性风共同作用的结果.     

Linking Primordial to Solar and Galactic Composition

Evolution and composition of baryonic matter is influenced by the evolution of other forms of matter and energy in the universe. At the time of primordial nucleosynthesis the universal expansion and thus the decrease of the density and temperature of baryonic matter were controlled by leptons and photons. Non-baryonic dark matter initiated the formation of clusters and galaxies, and to this day, dark matter largely determines the dynamics and geometries of these baryonic structures and indirectly influences their chemical evolution. Chemical analyses and isotopic abundance measurements in the solar system established the composition in the protosolar cloud (PSC). The abundances of nuclear species in the PSC led to the discovery of the magic numbers and the nuclear shell model, and they allowed the identification of nucleosynthetic sites and processes. To this day, we know the abundances of the ∼300 stable and long-lived nuclides infinitely better in the PSC than in any other sample of matter in the universe. Thus, we know the exact composition of a Galactic sample of intermediate age, allowing us to check on theories of Galactic evolution before and after the formation of the solar system. This paper specifically discusses the nucleosynthesis in the early universe and the Galactic evolution during the last 5 Gyr.     

Cr对Nb-16Si-22Ti-2Al-2Hf合金显微组织与高低温力学性能的影响

 以Nb-16Si-22Ti-2Al-2Hf成分为基础,分别添加了2%和17%(原子分数,后同)的Cr元素替代Nb(分别称2Cr和17Cr合金),研究了Cr含量对Nb-16Si-22Ti-2Al-2Hf合金相组成、显微组织形貌、室温断裂韧性和高温强度的影响,分析了高低温失效机制。结果表明,铸态和1 375 ℃×100 h热处理后2Cr合金由Nbss和Nb₅Si₃两相组成;当Cr含量为17%时,出现了具有C15结构的Laves Cr₂Nb相,合金由Nbss、Nb₅Si₃和Cr₂Nb三相组成,热处理后在Nb₅Si₃中还析出了球状Cr₂Nb相。随着Cr含量由2%提高到17%,热处理合金的室温断裂韧性K_Q由14.32 MPa·m^1/2下降到10.30 MPa·m^1/2。合金强度与Cr含量的关系受温度影响,随Cr含量提高,室温和1 150 ℃时合金的硬度或强度增高,而1 250 ℃和1 350 ℃时合金强度降低。如1 150 ℃时2Cr和17Cr合金的屈服强度σ_0.2分别为349 MPa和387 MPa;1 350 ℃时分别为306 MPa和74 MPa。     

Thermosphere–ionosphere response to a severe magnetic storm: A case study

This paper reports the response of the ionosphere–thermosphere system to an intense geomagnetic storm. For that, data taken by instruments on board Dynamic Explorer 2 at heights of the F2-layer (molecular nitrogen N₂ and atomic oxygen O compositions, neutral temperature Tg and electron density Ne) were used. The ionospheric response is characterized by a negative storm effect expanding from mid–high to low latitude. It is observed during this severe geomagnetic storm that negative effects were caused mainly by an increase in molecular nitrogen composition N₂ and almost no changes in atomic oxygen composition O.