Equatorial Ionospheric Anomaly (EIA) and comparison with IRI model during descending phase of solar activity (2005–2009)

The ionospheric variability at equatorial and low latitude region is known to be extreme as compared to mid latitude region. In this study the ionospheric total electron content (TEC), is derived by analyzing dual frequency Global Positioning System (GPS) data recorded at two stations separated by 325 km near the Indian equatorial anomaly region, Varanasi (Geog latitude 25°, 16^/ N, longitude 82°, 59^/ E, Geomagnetic latitude 16°, 08^/ N) and Kanpur (Geog latitude 26°, 18^/ N, longitude 80°, 12^/ E, Geomagnetic latitude 17°, 18^/ N). Specifically, we studied monthly, seasonal and annual variations as well as solar and geomagnetic effects on the equatorial ionospheric anomaly (EIA) during the descending phase of solar activity from 2005 to 2009. It is found that the maximum TEC (EIA) near equatorial anomaly crest yield their maximum values during the equinox months and their minimum values during the summer. Using monthly averaged peak magnitude of TEC, a clear semi-annual variation is seen with two maxima occurring in both spring and autumn. Results also showed the presence of winter anomaly or seasonal anomaly in the EIA crest throughout the period 2005–2009 only except during the deep solar minimum year 2007–2008. The correlation analysis indicate that the variation of EIA crest is more affected by solar activity compared to geomagnetic activity with maximum dependence on the solar EUV flux, which is attributed to direct link of EUV flux on the formation of ionosphere and main agent of the ionization. The statistical mean occurrence of EIA crest in TEC during the year from 2005 to 2009 is found to around 12:54 LT hour and at 21.12° N geographic latitude. The crest of EIA shifts towards lower latitudes and the rate of shift of the crest latitude during this period is found to be 0.87° N/per year. The comparison between IRI models with observation during this period has been made and comparison is poor with increasing solar activity with maximum difference during the year 2005.     

On Lambert’s problem and the elliptic time of flight equation: A simple semi-analytical inversion method

In the two-body model, time of flight between two positions can be expressed as a single-variable function and a variety of formulations exist. Lambert’s problem can be solved by inverting such a function. In this article, a method which inverts Lagrange’s flight time equation and supports the problematic 180°$180°$ transfer is proposed. This method relies on a Householder algorithm of variable order. However, unlike other iterative methods, it is semi-analytical in the sense that flight time functions are derived analytically to second order vs. first order finite differences. The author investigated the profile of Lagrange’s elliptic flight time equation and its derivatives with a special focus on their significance to the behaviour of the proposed method and the stated goal of guaranteed convergence. Possible numerical deficiencies were identified and dealt with. As a test, 28 scenarios of variable difficulty were designed to cover a wide variety of geometries. The context of this research being the orbit determination of artificial satellites and debris, the scenarios are representative of typical such objects in Low-Earth, Geostationary and Geostationary Transfer Orbits. An analysis of the computational impact of the quality of the initial guess vs. that of the order of the method was also done, providing clues for further research and optimisations (e.g. asteroids, long period comets, multi-revolution cases). The results indicate fast to very fast convergence in all test cases, they validate the numerical safeguards and also give a quantitative assessment of the importance of the initial guess.     

Lunar cosmic ray radiation environments during Luna and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter missions

The RV-2N-series instruments onboard Luna missions and the Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation (CRaTER) instrument onboard Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) were designed to characterize the global lunar radiation environment and its biological impacts by measuring cosmic ray (CR) intensity. In this study, we have shown that the RV-2N-series instruments onboard of Russian Luna missions and the CRaTER reliably detect both background CRs and solar proton events (SPEs) in the lunar radiation environment using the proton intensity measured by the RV-2N-series onboard Luna missions out of the Russian Luna program for the exploration of the Moon (November 1970–August 1975) and the CR intensity on the Moon observed by the CRaTER (June 2009–March 2011). Those were compared with the CR intensities observed by neutron monitors (McMurdo, Thule, Oulu) on the Earth. The sunspot number is used as the index of solar activity (NOAA National Geophysical Data Center). As a result, the background CR intensities on the Moon turned out to have a good anti-correlation with the solar activity. We have also identified the proton intensity increasing events on the Moon which have the similar profiles to those observed by neutron monitors on the Earth. Most of these events show the significant increase of proton intensities in the lunar radiation environment when the SPEs associated with solar eruptions are verified. Therefore, most of the proton intensity increasing events are associated with the energetic solar particles in the lunar environment.     

A robust semi-analytic method to solve the minimum ΔV two-impulse rendezvous problem

A novel semi-analytic approach is developed to determine the minimum $\mathrm{\Delta }V$ for a two-impulse rendezvous and validated both empirically and analytically. A previously published closed-form $\mathrm{\Delta }V$ estimate and the Lambert minimum energy transfer is used to establish upper and lower bounds of the minimum $\mathrm{\Delta }V$ transfer between two orbits. These bounds, in conjunction with the bisection method, operate on a nonlinear radical cost function to guarantee linear convergence. This approach has several real world applications including a low earth orbit (LEO) to highly elliptical orbit (HEO), and a HEO to retrograde geosynchronous orbit transfer. The minimum $\mathrm{\Delta }V$ estimates are better than those reported in the existing literature, while run times improved as much as two orders of magnitude over a fixed time Lambert solver. All singularity cases were addressed such that any orbital geometry, including Hohmann and radial elliptic transfers, converged to the global minimum $\mathrm{\Delta }V$. This approach will work for both coplanar and non-coplanar 3D geometries for any orbit type.     

舱外活动中航天员利用扶手移动的路径规划

航天员在舱外活动中,常常需要从一个工作点向另一个工作点移动.提出了一种用于搜寻两个工作点间最短通路的路径规划的方法.该方法利用人工智能中的启发式搜索A^*算法,在用栅格法对三维工作环境进行离散化的基础上,采用路径最短原则,完成了航天员在舱外活动中依靠扶手移动的路径规划.对一个例子进行了研究,并对结果进行了分析.规划的路径可为航天员舱外活动扶手的安装位置提供参考依据,以减少航天员舱外作业的工作时间、降低能量消耗以及提高航天员舱外作业的工作效率.     

The dynamic heliosphere,solar activity,and cosmic rays

This brief review addresses the relation between solar activity, cosmic ray variations and the dynamics of the heliosphere. The global features of the heliosphere influence what happens inside its boundaries on a variety of time-scales. Galactic and anomalous cosmic rays are the messengers that convey vital information on global heliospheric changes in the manner that they respond to these changes. By observing cosmic rays over a large range of energies at Earth, and with various space detectors, a better understanding is gained about space weather and climate. The causes of the cosmic ray variability are reviewed, with emphasis on the 11-year and 22-year cycles, step modulation, charge-sign dependent modulation and particle drifts. Advances in this field are selectively discussed in the context of what still are some of the important uncertainties and outstanding issues.     

创业氛围与环境优化

创业环境的优化是一个内外协同演进的共生过程,培育一定的创业氛围是其中至关重要的中间环节。创业环境包括两个组成部分：内生决定的创业氛围和外部影响的创业条件。现阶段,决定我国创业水平的环境因素是创业氛围,它表现为显在与潜在的创业者行为方式,是一种主观的生态环境。不同区域创业环境优化的政策思路应当有别,落后的中西部地区创业环境建设的关键在于形成一定的创业氛围,否则,客观的创业条件再怎么改善也很难有效刺激创业活动。     

归一化参数蠕变模型的程序实现与验证

为了准确模拟实际构件的蠕变行为和应力松弛效应,在通用有限元程序环境下,利用其提供的用户可编程特性工具,将所发展的一种能完整描述蠕变3个阶段变形特征的归一化参数模型编制成用户子程序.考查了子程序计算结果与试验数据的差异、时间步长对计算结果的影响,并对不同规模有限元模型的计算耗时作了对比分析.针对变载(应力、温度)情形,在子程序中实现了时间硬化理论和应变硬化理论,并提出的介于两者之间的相对时间硬化理论.对带孔平板进行了实例计算,表明所发展的模型能够与有限元结果对实际结构进行蠕变模拟,计算结果的规律说明所发展的方法可较好地模拟实际构件的蠕变行为和应力松弛效应,验证了子程序的有效性.