Cave biosignature suites: microbes,minerals, and Mars

Earth's subsurface offers one of the best possible sites to search for microbial life and the characteristic lithologies that life leaves behind. The subterrain may be equally valuable for astrobiology. Where surface conditions are particularly hostile, like on Mars, the subsurface may offer the only habitat for extant lifeforms and access to recognizable biosignatures. We have identified numerous unequivocally biogenic macroscopic, microscopic, and chemical/geochemical cave biosignatures. However, to be especially useful for astrobiology, we are looking for suites of characteristics. Ideally, "biosignature suites" should be both macroscopically and microscopically detectable, independently verifiable by nonmorphological means, and as independent as possible of specific details of life chemistries--demanding (and sometimes conflicting) criteria. Working in fragile, legally protected environments, we developed noninvasive and minimal impact techniques for life and biosignature detection/characterization analogous to Planetary Protection Protocols. Our difficult field conditions have shared limitations common to extraterrestrial robotic and human missions. Thus, the cave/subsurface astrobiology model addresses the most important goals from both scientific and operational points of view. We present details of cave biosignature suites involving manganese and iron oxides, calcite, and sulfur minerals. Suites include morphological fossils, mineral-coated filaments, living microbial mats and preserved biofabrics, 13C and 34S values consistent with microbial metabolism, genetic data, unusual elemental abundances and ratios, and crystallographic mineral forms.     

导航星库制定方法研究

文章首先总结了现有的导航星库制定方法,分析它们的优劣;然后提出了一种新的导 航星库制定方法。该方法在确保导航星库的充分性的同时,力争能做到制定的导航星库是最 小的,导航星库中的每一颗星体是必不可少的。最后指出了下一步待研究的问题。
     

Lava cave microbial communities within mats and secondary mineral deposits: implications for life detection on other planets

Lava caves contain a wealth of yellow, white, pink, tan, and gold-colored microbial mats; but in addition to these clearly biological mats, there are many secondary mineral deposits that are nonbiological in appearance. Secondary mineral deposits examined include an amorphous copper-silicate deposit (Hawai'i) that is blue-green in color and contains reticulated and fuzzy filament morphologies. In the Azores, lava tubes contain iron-oxide formations, a soft ooze-like coating, and pink hexagons on basaltic glass, while gold-colored deposits are found in lava caves in New Mexico and Hawai'i. A combination of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and molecular techniques was used to analyze these communities. Molecular analyses of the microbial mats and secondary mineral deposits revealed a community that contains 14 phyla of bacteria across three locations: the Azores, New Mexico, and Hawai'i. Similarities exist between bacterial phyla found in microbial mats and secondary minerals, but marked differences also occur, such as the lack of Actinobacteria in two-thirds of the secondary mineral deposits. The discovery that such deposits contain abundant life can help guide our detection of life on extraterrestrial bodies.     

ON THE CONTROL OF A NOVEL MANIPULATOR WITH SLEWING AND DEPLOYABLE LINKS

Control of an elastic space platform-based flexible manipulator with four links, two free to slew while the other two permitted to deploy, is studied using two procedures: (i) nonlinear Feedback Linearization Technique (FLT) applied to rigid degrees of freedom with flexible generalized coordinates passively regulated through coupling; (ii) rigid as well as flexible degrees of freedom controlled through FLT and Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR), respectively. Results suggest the FLT control to be quite effective even for flexible degrees of freedom. The combination of FLT and LQR further improves the controller's performance.     

提高CuCr触头材料性能的方法

总结了国内外对CuCr触头材料性能改善的发展状况。本文主要从工艺性能、截流水平、开断性能和耐压性能以及抗熔焊性等方面叙述了添加新组元的作用；最后对CuCr触头材料的主要制备工艺作了简单介绍。     

An Event Horizon Imager(EHI) Mission Concept Utilizing Medium Earth Orbit Sub-mm Interferometry

Submillimeter interferometry has the potential to image supermassive black holes on event horizon scales, providing tests of the theory of general relativity and increasing our understanding of black hole accretion processes. The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) performs these observations from the ground, and its main imaging targets are Sagittarius A* in the Galactic Center and the black hole at the center of the M87 galaxy. However, the EHT is fundamentally limited in its performance by atmospheric effects and sparse terrestrial (u,v)-coverage (Fourier sampling of the image). The scientific interest in quantitative studies of the horizon size and shape of these black holes has motivated studies into using space interferometry which is free of these limitations. Angular resolution considerations and interstellar scattering effects push the desired observing frequency to bands above 500 GHz.
This paper presents the requirements for meeting these science goals, describes the concept of interferometry from Polar or Equatorial Medium Earth Orbits (PECMEO) which we dub the Event Horizon Imager (EHI), and utilizes suitable space technology heritage. In this concept, two or three satellites orbit at slightly different orbital radii, resulting in a dense and uniform spiral-shaped (u,v)-coverage over time. The local oscillator signals are shared via an inter-satellite link, and the data streams are correlated on-board before final processing on the ground. Inter-satellite metrology and satellite positioning are extensively employed to facilitate the knowledge of the instrument position vector, and its time derivative. The European space heritage usable for both the front ends and the antenna technology of such an instrument is investigated. Current and future sensors for the required inter-satellite metrology are listed. Intended performance estimates and simulation results are given.      

基于光纤复合测量技术的涡轮叶片气膜孔检测

为了解决航空发动机涡轮叶片气膜孔几何特征参数有效检测手段缺乏、测量结果一致性差的问题,设计并搭建了基于光纤复合测量技术的涡轮叶片气膜孔检测系统,提出了利用该系统对涡轮叶片气膜孔进行测量的方法,通过试验进行了方法验证。搭建的系统为多传感器测量系统,具备叶片接触与非接触测量、空间姿态定位及3D投影能力,实现了涡轮叶片全范围气模孔的测量。在试验中,选取高压涡轮叶片作为被测物体,应用该测量系统对叶片上的气膜孔进行了测量,计算得到了气膜孔直径、轴线角度及位置度的准确信息。结果表明：通过测量不确定度的分析评定可知,该系统对气膜孔直径、位置度的测量不确定度均小于0.01 mm,完全满足设计公差对测量仪器的精度要求,可以用于涡轮叶片气膜孔工程化测量。