MESSENGER and the Chemistry of Mercury’s Surface

The instrument suite on the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft is well suited to address several of Mercury’s outstanding geochemical problems. A combination of data from the Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer (GRNS) and X-Ray Spectrometer (XRS) instruments will yield the surface abundances of both volatile (K) and refractory (Al, Ca, and Th) elements, which will test the three competing hypotheses for the origin of Mercury’s high bulk metal fraction: aerodynamic drag in the early solar nebula, preferential vaporization of silicates, or giant impact. These same elements, with the addition of Mg, Si, and Fe, will put significant constraints on geochemical processes that have formed the crust and produced any later volcanism. The Neutron Spectrometer sensor on the GRNS instrument will yield estimates of the amount of H in surface materials and may ascertain if the permanently shadowed polar craters have a significant excess of H due to water ice. A comparison of the FeO content of olivine and pyroxene determined by the Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer (MASCS) instrument with the total Fe determined through both GRNS and XRS will permit an estimate of the amount of Fe present in other forms, including metal and sulfides.     

A Mechanism of Solar Variability Effect on Radiative Balance of the Earth Atmosphere

Possible mechanisms of solar-climatic connections, which may be of importance as over short and long time intervals, are discussed. The variations of energetic balance of Earth's climatic system for the last fifty years are estimated. It is ascertained that the disbalance between the flux of solar energy that comes to the Earth and radiates to space is of 0.1% for the last ten years. The suggested mechanism makes it possible to explain not only the observed variation of the enthalpy of the Earth's climatic system for the period 1910-1980, but also the climate anomalies during last thousand years: the climate optimum in 12 century, and"small glacial period" in 16-17 centuries.      

Accurate estimation of relative atmospheric density error on the example of uncertain geomagnetic activity information

Errors in neutral atmospheric density are the dominant contributor to unrealistic orbital state-vector covariances in low Earth orbits (LEO). Density uncertainty is caused by model-uncertainty at spatial scales below and within the model resolution, as well as input-uncertainty of the environmental parameters supplied to the semi-empirical atmospheric model.The paper at hand provides multiple contributions. First, analytic equations are derived to estimate the relative density error due to an input parameter uncertainty in any of the environmental parameters supplied to the model. Second, it is shown on the example of uncertain geomagnetic activity information, how to compute the required inputs to facilitate the accurate estimation of the relative density error.A clamped cubic splining approach for the conversion from geomagnetic amplitude (ap) to the kp index is postulated to perform this uncertainty propagation, as other algorithms were found unsuitable for this task. Results of numerical simulations with three popular semi-empirical models are provided to validate the set of derived equations. It is found that geomagnetic input uncertainty is especially important to consider in case of low global geomagnetic activity. The findings seamlessly integrate with prior work by the authors to perform density-uncertainty considering orbit estimation.     

Prediction of pilot workload in helicopter landing after one engine failure

This paper presents a method to predict the pilot workload in helicopter landing after one engine failure. The landing procedure is simulated numerically via applying nonlinear optimal control method in the form of performance index, path constraints and boundary conditions based on an augmented six-degree-of-freedom rigid-body flight dynamics model, solved by collocation and numerical optimization method. UH-60A helicopter is taken as the sample for the demonstration of landing after one engine failure. The numerical simulation was conducted to find the trajectory of helicopter and the controls from pilot for landing after one engine failure with different performance index considering the factor of pilot workload. The reasonable performance index and corresponding landing trajectory and controls are obtained by making a comparison with those from the flight test data. Furthermore, the pilot workload is evaluated based on wavelet transform analysis of the pilot control activities. The workloads of pilot control activities for collective control, longitudinal and lateral cyclic controls and pedal control during the helicopter landing after one engine failure are examined and compared with those of flight test. The results show that when the performance index considers the factor of pilot workload properly, the characteristics of amplitudes and constituent frequencies of pilot control inputs in the optimal solution are consistent with those of the pilot control inputs in the flight test. Therefore, the proposed method provides a tool of predicting the pilot workload in helicopter landing after one engine failure.     

Study of the ionosphere during a magnetospheric storm using data on the ground and in space

For the magnetospheric storm of May 14–16, 1997 geophysical data of satellites DMSP and IMP-8 are compared with data of radio propagation on the high-latitude HF radio path of Heiss Island – St. Petersburg and data from European ionosondes. Peculiarities of variations of the operational frequencies range MOF–LOF (maximum and lowest observed frequencies) on the path were considered. The range has been determined by the method of oblique ionospheric sounding (OIS). The latter is more informative for observations during a magnetic storm compared to the vertical sounding method. Nevertheless, an analysis of variations of the critical frequency of the ionospheric F2 layer from the chain of European ionosondes was carried out. For interpretation of results, data of magnetospheric parameters, AE-indexes and riometer data were used. The variations of both frequency range on the path and critical frequencies of the F2 layer through the ionosondes chain during the disturbed period had certain regularities of behaviour. These regularities are being explained from the physical point of view. The analysis of the satellite DMSP data has showed that a magnetospheric disturbance causes displacement equatorward of precipitation and some growth of its width and energy.     

Variations of the magnetosheath ion flux and geomagnetic activity

The magnetosheath plays a dominant role in the Sun–Earth connection because the magnetosheath field and plasma actually interact with the magnetosphere. The interactions change the magnetospheric magnetic field from its nominal value through a long chain of different processes. The change is usually described by geomagnetic indices and thus it can be expected that these indices would reflect changes in the magnetosheath. The present paper analyzes the relation between geomagnetic activity characterized by changes of the K_p, D_ST and AE indices and ion flux measured in the night-side magnetosheath. The results suggest a weak dependence of the D_ST index on the ion flux in the inner magnetosheath that is connected with a magnetopause displacement. On the other hand, fluctuations of the ion flux in the analyzed frequency range do not correlate with any of the indices.     

第22太阳周地磁活动峰值和时间的预计

本文讨论了从第13—22太阳周太阳和地磁周的特征.运用自激励门限自回归时间序列模型和最大熵谱原理自回归数学方法来模拟和预报地磁aa指数年均值峰值和时间.峰值时间是1993年秋天或1994年春天.地磁aa指数年均值峰值是26—29.第22地磁周是一个中等活动的周.     

刍议军人婚姻保护

经济、社会的发展和多元化,使军人婚姻和家庭稳定面对越来越多的现实挑战,这直接关系和影响到部队日常训练和作战能力.因此,加强和完善必要的法律和措施,切实保护军人在婚姻家庭方面的合法权益对于稳定部队、提升部队作战能力有着重要的现实意义.本文主要从军婚概念的界定、军婚现状及保护军婚的意义、措施方面入手,对这一问题进行分析和探...