Shape and motion estimate of LEO debris using light curves

We have derived a tri-axial ellipsoidal model of an LEO object, a Cosmos 2082 rocket body, including its rotational axis direction, rotation period, precession, and a compositional parameter, using only light curve data from an optical telescope. The brightness of the object was monitored for two days and least-squares fitting was used to determine these values. The derived axial ratios are 100:18:18, the coordinates of the rotational axis direction on the celestial sphere are R.A. = 305.8° and Dec. = 2.6°, and its observed average rotation period is 41 s. When precession is considered, its amplitude and precession period are 30.5° and 29.4 min. These results show that optical light curve data are sufficient to determine the shapes and the motions of LEO objects.     

Sweetpotato vine management for confined food production in a space life-support system

Sweetpotato (Ipomea batatas L.) ‘Whatley–Loretan’ was developed for space life support by researchers at Tuskegee University for its highly productive, nutritious storage roots. This promising candidate space life-support crop has a sprawling habit and aggressive growth rate in favorable environments that demands substantial growing area. Shoot pruning is not a viable option for vine control because removal of the main shoot apex drastically inhibits storage-root initiation and development, and chemical growth retardants typically are not cleared for use with food crops. As part of a large effort by the NASA Specialized Center of Research and Training in Advanced Life Support to reduce equivalent system mass (ESM) for food production in space, the dilemma of vine management for sweetpotato was addressed in effort to conserve growth area without compromising root yield. Root yields from unbranched vines trained spirally around wire frames configured either in the shapes of cones or cylinders were similar to those from vines trained horizontally along the bench, but occupying only a small fraction of the bench area. This finding indicates that sweetpotato is highly adaptable to a variety of vine-training architectures. Planting a second plant in the growth container and training the two vines in opposite directions around frames enhanced root yield and number, but had little effect on average length of each vine or bench area occupied. Once again, root yields were similar for both configurations of wire support frames. The 3–4-month crop-production cycles for sweetpotato in the greenhouse spanned all seasons of multiple years during the course of the study, and although electric lighting was used for photoperiod control and to supplement photosynthetic light during low-light seasons, there still were differences in total light available across seasons. Light variations and other environmental differences among experiments in the greenhouse had more effects on vine length than on root yield. Average vine length correlated positively with total hours of daylight received across seasons, and responses for one plant per container were higher above a threshold duration of solar exposure, suggesting that the vines of two plants per container compete for available light. In addition to the adaptability of sweetpotato to various vine-training architectures and across seasons in terms of maintaining root productivity, the open, interior volumes of the support frames tested in this study will provide future opportunity to enhance sweetpotato root yield in space by adding novel interior lighting, such as from intracanopy arrays of light-emitting diodes. This work was sponsored by NASA grant NAG 5 1286.     

箔片型红外面源诱饵扩散规律

目前红外面源诱饵已成为对抗红外成像制导导弹的重要方法。鉴于此,以箔片型红外面源诱饵为研究对象,利用计算流体力学（CFD）方法得到单个箔片和两平行箔片在不同迎角下的气动力系数。通过对箔片空中运动分析,特别是考虑到燃烧力作用的特殊性,将箔片的运动分为两个阶段：起燃阶段和完全燃烧阶段,并建立了两个阶段的运动模型。在单个箔片运动模型的基础上,设置上千个箔片初始姿态和旋转角速度的概率分布情况,同时对上千个箔片求解运动方程,即可得到整个红外面源诱饵的空间运动扩散规律。仿真结果表明：在高速运动平台上垂直向上发射红外面源诱饵,其扩散形状近似为前部稀疏后部密集的锥形云团;仿真得到的面源诱饵扩散尺寸和运动位置与实测数据吻合度较高,特别是面源诱饵在x轴方向扩散尺寸误差小于5%。     

国外机载面源红外诱饵技术发展分析

机载红外面源诱饵弹在现代空战中具有重要作用。简要分析了机载面源红外诱饵弹对红外成像制导导弹的干扰机理、作用特点以及主要技术指标要求。介绍了几种型号的国外先进机载红外面源诱饵弹,包括其载荷、尺寸、使用平台等,对机载红外面源红外诱饵弹的技术发展趋势进行了展望。     

求根传播算子方法及其在ARM抗诱偏中的应用

反辐射导弹（ARM）抗有源诱偏问题中,多源信号在空、频域的强相关性往往造成导引头对信源数目欠估计,从而导致传统超分辨算法的测向性能下降。针对这一问题,提出了一种求根的传播算子方法,该算法首先在信源数过估计情况下计算信号到达角,然后利用每个角度对应的信号功率来剔除虚假角度。求根传播算子方法不需要预先估计信号源数目,而且在信号高度相关的情况下具备很好的角度分辨性能,因此适用于解决ARM抗诱偏问题。仿真实验结果表明,求根传播算子方法在提高ARM抗诱偏能力方面的表现优于MUSIC算法。     

木星伽利略卫星互掩互食天象的测光技术

对行星天然卫星互掩互食天象进行测光可以得到非常准确的天体测量信息, 这些信息可以用来进一步改进行卫星的运动理论和历表. 对2003年在云南天文台1米望远镜上实际观测到的互掩互食图像进行测光处理, 分析表明, 在对木星去晕和测光孔径为1.5~2.0倍半高全宽条件下, 所得光变曲线有较好的稳定性.      

反复荷载下钢筋混凝土框架节点非线性分析

论述了反复荷载下分析、计算普通钢筋混凝土及轻骨料钢筋混凝土框架节点的非线性有限元分析方法 ,采用等效单轴应变的增量正交异性混凝土本构关系模型和反复荷载下应力应变关系的“焦点模型” ,编制二维非线性有限元分析程序 ,基于四个混凝土边节点的试验结果 ,对钢筋混凝土和轻骨料钢筋混凝土框架节点进行非线性有限元对比分析 ,计算的结果与试验吻合较好。     

波音737NG 飞机巡航时系好安全带灯常亮故障分析

波音737NG飞机巡航时，客舱旅客服务组件上旅客信号牌的系好安全带灯常亮是一个比较常见的故障，但是厂家手册并没有给出相应的排故流程和排故方案。本文旨在通过一起排故实例，得出排故流程，以提高排故的效率和排故精准度。     

Big Bang Nucleosynthesis and the Density of Baryons in the Universe

Now that extragalactic deuterium observations are being made, Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) is on the verge of undergoing a transformation. Previously, the emphasis was on demonstrating the concordance of the Big Bang Nucleosynthesis model with the abundances of the light isotopes extrapolated back to their primordial values using stellar and Galactic evolution theories. Once the primordial deuterium abundance is converged upon, the nature of the field will shift to using the much more precise primordial D/H to constrain the more flexible stellar and Galactic evolution models (although the question of potential systematic error in 4He abundance determinations remains open). The remarkable success of the theory to date in establishing the concordance has led to the very robust conclusion of BBN regarding the baryon density. The BBN constraints on the cosmological baryon density are reviewed and demonstrate that the bulk of the baryons are dark and also that the bulk of the matter in the universe is non-baryonic. Comparison of baryonic density arguments from Lyman- clouds, x-ray gas in clusters, and the microwave anisotropy are made and shown to be consistent with the BBN value.     

Toward optimizing lighting as a countermeasure to sleep and circadian disruption in space flight

Light is being used as a pre-launch countermeasure to circadian and sleep disruption in astronauts. The effect of light on the circadian system is readily monitored by measurement of plasma melatonin. Our group has established an action spectrum for human melatonin regulation and determined the region of 446-477 nm to be the most potent for suppressing plasma melatonin. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of 460 and 555 nm for suppressing melatonin using a within-subjects design. Subjects (N=12) were exposed to equal photon densities (7.18 x 10(12) photons/cm2/s) at 460 and 555 nm. Melatonin suppression was significantly stronger at 460 nm (p<0.02). An extension to the action spectrum showed that 420 nm light at 16 and 32 microW/cm2 significantly suppressed melatonin (p<0.04 and p<0.002). These studies will help optimize lighting countermeasures to circadian and sleep disruption during spaceflight.