Measuring the matter distribution within z = 0.2 cluster lenses with XMM-Newton

We present an analysis of seven clusters observed by XMM-Newton as part of our survey of 17 most X-ray luminous clusters of galaxies at z  0.2 selected for a comprehensive and unbiased study of the mass distribution in massive clusters. Using the public software FTOOLS and XMMSAS we have set up an automated pipeline to reduce the EPIC MOS and pn spectro-imaging data, optimized for extended sources analysis. We also developped a code to perform intensive spectral and imaging analysis particularly focussing on proper background estimate and removal. XMM-Newton deep spectro-imaging of these clusters allowed us to fit a standard β-model to their gas emission profiles as well as a standard MEKAL emission model to their extracted spectra, and test their inferred characteristics against already calibrated relations.     

Nitrogen Isotopes on the Moon: Archives of the Solar and Planetary Contributions to the Inner Solar System

Space Science Reviews - The two isotopes of nitrogen, 14N and 15N, have relative abundances extremely variable among solar system reservoirs such as planets and their atmospheres, primitive and...     

Multi-level virtual prototyping of electromechanical actuation system for more electric aircraft

Electromechanical actuators (EMAs) are becoming increasingly attractive in the field of more electric aircraft because of their outstanding benefits, which include reduced fuel burn and maintenance cost, enhanced system flexibility, and improved management of fault detection and isolation. However, electromechanical actuation raises specific issues when being used for safety-critical aerospace applications like flight controls: huge reflected inertia to load, jamming-type failure, and increase of backlash with service due to wear and local dissipation of heat losses for thermal balance. This study proposes an incremental approach for virtual prototyping of EMAs. It is driven by a model-based system engineering process in order to enable simulation-aided design. Best practices supported by Bond graph formalism are suggested to develop a model’s structure efficiently and to make the model ready for use (or extension) by addressing the above mentioned issues. Physical effects are progressively introduced, and the realism of lumped-parameter models is increased step-by-step. In particular, multi-level component models are architected to ensure continuity between engineering activities. The models are implemented in the AMESim simulation environment, and simulation responses are given to illustrate how they can be used for preliminary sizing, control design, thermal balance verification, and faults to failure analysis. The proposed best practices intend to provide engineers with fast, reusable, and efficient means to assess performance virtually and enhance maturity, performance, and robustness.     

Review on signal-by-wire and power-by-wire actuation for more electric aircraft

The huge and rapid progress in electric drives offers new opportunities to improve the performances of aircraft at all levels:fuel burn,environmental footprint,safety,integration and production,serviceability,and maintainability.Actuation for safety-critical applications like flight-controls,landing gears,and even engines is one of the major consumers of non-propulsive power.Conventional actuation with centralized hydraulic power generation and distribution and control of power by throttling has been well established for decades,but offers a limited potential of evolution.In this context,electric drives become more and more attractive to remove the natural drawbacks of conventional actuation and to offer new opportunities for improving performance.This paper takes the stock,at both the signal and power levels,of the evolution of actuation for safety-critical applications in aerospace.It focuses on the recent advances and the remaining chal lenges to be taken toward full electrical actuation for commercial and military aircraft,helicopters,and launchers.It logically starts by emphasizing the specificity of safety-critical actuation for aero space.The following section addresses in details the evolution of aerospace actuation from mechanically-signaled and hydraulically-supplied to all electric,with special emphasis on research and development programs and on solutions entered into service.Finally,the last section reviews the challenges to be taken to generalize the use of all-electric actuators for future aircraft programs.     

MEP (Mars Environment Package): toward a package for studying environmental conditions at the surface of Mars from future lander/rover missions.

In view to prepare Mars human exploration, it is necessary to promote and lead, at the international level, a highly interdisciplinary program, involving specialists of geochemistry, geophysics, atmospheric science, space weather, and biology. The goal of this program will be to elaborate concepts of individual instruments, then of integrated instrumental packages, able to collect exhaustive data sets of environmental parameters from future landers and rovers of Mars, and to favour the conditions of their implementation. Such a program is one of the most urgent need for preparing human exploration, in order to develop mitigation strategies aimed at ensuring the safety of human explorers, and minimizing risk for surface operations. A few main areas of investigation may be listed: particle and radiation environment, chemical composition of atmosphere, meteorology, chemical composition of dust, surface and subsurface material, water in the subsurface, physical properties of the soil, search for an hypothesized microbial activity, characterization of radio-electric properties of the Martian ionosphere. Scientists at the origin of the present paper, already involved at a high degree of responsibility in several Mars missions, and actively preparing in situ instrumentation for future landed platforms (Netlander--now cancelled, MSL-09), express their readiness to participate in both ESA/AURORA and NASA programs of Mars human exploration. They think that the formation of a Mars Environment working group at ESA, in the course of the AURORA definition phase, could act positively in favour of the program, by increasing its scientific cross-section and making it still more focused on human exploration.     

Sun and Protosolar Nebula - Working Group Report

Volatile isotope abundances are tracers for the evolutionary processes of the solar system. At the same time they carry information on the galactic nucleosynthetic sources, from which solar matter originates. This working group report summarizes the present knowledge and addresses unresolved issues regarding fractionation of isotopes of volatile elements in the solar system. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Global Gravity Field Recovery Using Solely GPS Tracking and Accelerometer Data from Champ

A new long-wavelength global gravity field model, called EIGEN-1, has been derived in a joint German-French effort from orbit perturbations of the CHAMP satellite, exploiting CHAMP-GPS satellite-to-satellite tracking and on-board accelerometer data over a three months time span. For the first time it becomes possible to recover the gravity field from one satellite only. Thanks to CHAMP'S tailored orbit characteristics and dedicated instrumentation, providing continuous tracking and on-orbit measurements of non-gravitational satellite accelerations, the three months CHAMP-only solution provides the geoid and gravity with an accuracy of 20 cm and 1 mgal, respectively, at a half wavelength resolution of 550 km, which is already an improvement by a factor of two compared to any pre-CHAMP satellite-only gravity field model. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Best practices for model-based and simulation-aided engineering of power transmission and motion control systems

This paper deals with the modelling and simulation of aircraft systems, in particular for power transmission and control. It is intended to review, propose and disseminate best practices for making model-based/simulation-aided engineering more efficient at any phase of the system life cycle. The proposals are aimed at creating value, not only by increasing the performance of the product under study but also by shortening the time to market, capitalizing knowledge, mitigating risks and facilitating concurrent engineering. The needs associated with the engineering activities are firstly identified to define a set of requirements for the models. Then, these requirements are used to drive the considerations leading to model development, focusing in particular on the process, modelled physical effects, modelling level, model architecting and concurrent engineering. The third part deals with the model implementation, giving special consideration to the different types of models, causalities, parameterization, implementation and verification. Each part is illustrated by examples related to safety critical actuators.