The Coma of Comet 9P/Tempel 1

As comet 9P/Tempel 1 approaches the Sun in 2004–2005, a temporary atmosphere, or “coma,” will form, composed of molecules and dust expelled from the nucleus as its component icy volatiles sublimate. Driven mainly by water ice sublimation at surface temperatures T > 200 K, this coma is a gravitationally unbound atmosphere in free adiabatic expansion. Near the nucleus (≤ 10² km), it is in collisional equilibrium, at larger distances (≥10⁴ km) it is in free molecular flow. Ultimately the coma components are swept into the comet’s plasma and dust tails or simply dissipate into interplanetary space. Clues to the nature of the cometary nucleus are contained in the chemistry and physics of the coma, as well as with its variability with time, orbital position, and heliocentric distance. The DI instrument payload includes CCD cameras with broadband filters covering the optical spectrum, allowing for sensitive measurement of dust in the comet’s coma, and a number of narrowband filters for studying the spatial distribution of several gas species. DI also carries the first near-infrared spectrometer to a comet flyby since the VEGA mission to Halley in 1986. This spectrograph will allow detection of gas emission lines from the coma in unprecedented detail. Here we discuss the current state of understanding of the 9P/Tempel 1 coma, our expectations for the measurements DI will obtain, and the predicted hazards that the coma presents for the spacecraft. An erratum to this article is available at .     

RPC-MIP: the Mutual Impedance Probe of the Rosetta Plasma Consortium

The main objective of the Mutual Impedance Probe (MIP), part of the Rosetta Plasma Consortium (RPC), is to measure the electron density and temperature of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko’s coma, in particular inside the contact surface. Furthermore, MIP will determine the bulk velocity of the ionised outflowing atmosphere, define the spectral distribution of natural plasma waves, and monitor dust and gas activities around the nucleus. The MIP instrumentation consists of an electronics board for signal processing in the 7 kHz to 3.5 MHz range and a sensor unit of two receiving and two transmitting electrodes mounted on a 1-m long bar. In addition, the Langmuir probe of the RPC/LAP instrument that is at about 4 m from the MIP sensor can be used as a transmitter (in place of the MIP ones) and MIP as a receiver in order to have access to the density and temperature of plasmas at higher Debye lengths than those for which the MIP is originally designed.     

直升机砂尘环境试验风洞的温度控制及仿真

 直升机砂尘环境试验风洞内部的热负荷变化范围较大,高低热负荷工况下需要采取不同的调温措施,为了简便地解决其温度控制难题,在对其温度变化进行动态特性分析与建模的基础上,提出了一种引入风速协调因子的砂尘环境试验风洞温度控制策略,并对其控制效果进行了仿真研究,仿真结果表明这一控制策略能在不同的热负荷条件下有效协调加热与制冷两种作用相反的控制措施,并将风洞内的温度控制在要求范围内。     

Effects of adiabaticity and non-adiabaticity of dust charge fluctuation on the propagation of the dust ion acoustic waves in inhomogeneous dusty plasma

A theoretical investigation has been made for adiabatic positive and negative dust charge fluctuations on the propagation of dust-ion acoustic waves (DIAWs) in a weakly inhomogeneous, collisionless, unmagnetized dusty plasmas consisting of cold positive ions, stationary positively and negatively charged dust particles and isothermal electrons. The reductive perturbation method is employed to reduce the basic set of fluid equations to the variable coefficients Korteweg–de Vries (KdV) equation. Either compressive or rarefactive solitons are shown to exist depending on the critical value of the ion density, which in turn, depends on the inhomogeneous distribution of the ion. The dissipative effects of non-adiabatic dust charge variation has been studied which cause generation of dust ion acoustic shock waves governed by KdV-Burger (KdVB) equation. The results of the present investigation may be applicable to some dusty plasma environments, such as dusty plasma existing in polar mesosphere region.     

An active debris removal parametric study for LEO environment remediation

Recent analyses on the instability of the orbital debris population in the low Earth orbit (LEO) region and the collision between Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251 have reignited interest in using active debris removal (ADR) to remediate the environment. There are, however, monumental technical, resource, operational, legal, and political challenges in making economically viable ADR a reality. Before a consensus on the need for ADR can be reached, a careful analysis of its effectiveness must be conducted. The goal is to demonstrate the need and feasibility of using ADR to better preserve the future environment and to explore different operational options to maximize the benefit-to-cost ratio. This paper describes a new sensitivity study on using ADR to stabilize the future LEO debris environment. The NASA long-term orbital debris evolutionary model, LEGEND, is used to quantify the effects of several key parameters, including target selection criteria/constraints and the starting epoch of ADR implementation. Additional analyses on potential ADR targets among the existing satellites and the benefits of collision avoidance maneuvers are also included.     

着陆作用下月尘激扬的三维离散元分析

基于模拟月尘的细观颗粒形状,采用刚性圆球单元重叠法建立了4种典型不规则模拟月尘颗粒的三维几何模型.根据月尘所处环境和颗粒间接触特性,建立了月尘离散元接触力学模型.通过三轴压缩实验离散元模拟的结果和模拟月尘的实际三轴压缩实验数据的对比,确定模拟月尘颗粒的三维离散元模型参数.采用建立的模型和获得的参数,进行了圆盘模拟体着陆...     

The Ice Survey Opportunity of ISO

The instruments on board the Infrared Space Observatory have for the first time allowed a complete low (PHOT, CVF) to medium resolution (SWS) spectroscopic harvest, from 2.5 to 45 μm, of interstellar dust. Amongst the detected solids present in starless molecular clouds surrounding recently born stellar and still embedded objects or products of the chemistry in some mass loss envelopes, the so-called “ice mantles” are of specific interest. They represent an interface between the very refractory carbonaceous and silicates materials that built the first grains with the rich chemistry taking place in the gas phase. Molecules condense, react on ices, are subjected to UV and cosmic ray irradiation at low temperatures, participating efficiently to the evolution toward more complex molecules, being in constant interaction in an ice layer. They also play an important role in the radiative transfer of molecular clouds and strongly affect the gas phase chemistry. ISO results shed light on many other species than H₂O ice. The detection of these van der Waal's solids is mainly performed in absorption. Each ice feature observed by ISO spectrometer is an important species, with abundance in the 10⁻⁴–10⁻⁷ range with respect to H₂. Such high abundances represent a substantial reservoir of matter that, once released later on, replenishes the gas phase and feeds the ladder of molecular complexity. Medium resolution spectroscopy also offers the opportunity to look at individual line profiles of the ice features, and therefore to progressively reveal the interactions taking place in the mantles. This article will give a view on selected results to avoid to overlap with the numerous reviews the reader is invited to consult (e.g. van Dishoeck, in press; Gibb et al., 2004.). Based on observations with ISO, an ESA project with instruments funded by ESA Member States (especially the PI countries: France, Germany, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom), and with the participation of ISAS and NASA.     

应用组合除尘技术治理手烧炉烟尘

本文介绍了一种集多种湿法除尘技术之长处于一体的新型组合式除尘装置，该装置不仅能有效地消除手烧锅炉燃烧时产生的烟尘，而且实现了除尘水的内循环，消除了其它湿式除尘器所带来的水的二次污染问题。     

载人航天器大气环境控制系统性能集成分析

考虑到载人航天器大气环境控制系统设计参数和控制参数众多,文章建立了一种载人航天器大气环境控制系统性能集成仿真分析模型,包括舱体模块、航天员模块、舱压控制模块、温湿度控制模块和二氧化碳净化模块。利用该模型对载人航天器常规工作模式下大气环境控制系统性能进行了计算分析,得到了在不同热负荷水平下载人航天器密封舱空气各个参数随在轨时间的变化趋势,结果表明:氧分压控制、二氧化碳净化和人区温湿度控制之间存在着密切的相互影响关系,不可孤立地进行分析。此外,文章还分析确定了非常规工作模式下热负荷水平允许上限,为载人航天器工作模式的确定提供了依据。研究结果有助于载人航天器大气环境控制系统的设计和流程改进。     

模拟月尘制备及其物理和力学性质研究

在地球上进行的大量与月尘力学性质和机械性质相关的试验研究中,通常采用模拟月尘代替真实月尘。本研究制备了一种适用于月球探测工程试验的模拟月尘,制备工序依次为原材料选取、颗粒粗加工、颗粒精加工、颗粒级配、颗粒混合及预处理。该模拟月尘的颗粒粒径分布、颗粒相对密度、干密度、孔隙比、内聚力和内摩擦角等物理和力学性能参数经分析与国外典型模拟月尘相关参数相近,证明其可应用于月球探测工程试验。