凯夫拉49/环氧复合材料的老化和质量保证

本文总结了凯夫拉49/环氧复合材料使用寿命研究的主要成果,提出了材料的验收标准和制造中应遵循的一些防护措施。     

航天器部件、系统热真空和温度循环试验对可靠性增长的比较

引言和结果摘要研究的目的是为了比较航天器部件、系统的热真空试验(T-V)和热循环试验(T-C)的有效性。不严谨的来说,“有效性”是指试验查出、扩大并且引起试验工程师注意的部件中弊病或薄弱环节的能力。由于这个原因,本文也采用“敏感度”这个词。     

MX导弹喷管用先进材料评论

目前正在进行研制石墨材料,准备用于MX 第一级和第二级固体火箭喷管的入口部,喉部,后喉部,出口锥和可延伸出口锥。这些材料必须经受住新型洲际弹道导弹(ICBM)喷管系统的苛刻的结构、化学侵蚀,粒子冲刷和高温环境。该系统的燃烧室压力可达127公斤/厘米~2,火焰温度为3700°K 至3922°K。叙述了第一级和第二级全尺寸试验喷管的现状。还提出了在喷管设计、石墨材料研制以及预期性能改进方面进一步工作的方向。     

轴对称推进剂药柱纵向燃烧不稳定性的预测

在推进剂药柱燃烧时,可以观察到纵向波型不稳定性。本文介绍预测方法的一般方案并与实际试验作了比较。由“T”型燃烧器得到模型中使用的数据(两种尺寸及两种工作状态)。本文研究的火箭发动机,其推进剂药柱都具有轴对称的几何形状,直径从200毫米到1500毫米。在预测和实际热试结果之间可能会出现一些偏差。当采用本方法时,仅预测不稳定的趋势是可能的。为了进行计算预测须作缩比发动机热试车并对过去一些试验进行分析。所有这些,对于发动机进行比较,都是很有用的工具。为了减小预测和实际热试车之间的偏差,对计算程序作了改进。要从两个主要方面进行探索:即更精确的分析模型和更好的输入数据。     

交联双基粘合剂催化作用的研究

由美国海军发起,赫克利斯公司和赛奥科尔公司正联合研究一种负催化剂,三苯基铋(TPB)的化学性能,因它与交联双基(XLDB)推进剂的固化有关。测定了酸度(酸强度 pKa 和酸浓度)的作用,确定了活性 TPB 衍生物对酸的稳定性和反应性。研究了水作为催化剂可能的减活化剂的影响。另外,除了酸度能导致活化,还发现过氧化氢也能使 TPB 活化。PGA 的空气氧化是过氧化氢可能的来源,使用付利叶变换的红外光谱(FTIR)测定了推进剂组分对 TPB 催化的异氰酸酯——醇反应的延滞时间和固化速率的影响。     

传导、对流和辐射传热对火箭发动机使用寿命的影响

在存放场地,固体发动机会由于各种瞬时热应力而产生累积性损伤。引起这些瞬时热应力的是环境温度、风、太阳辐照等与地理位置有关的所有一切因素的作用。业已表明,与最大损伤发生在大应力值的假设相反,推进剂的粘弹特性使其在低应力值下出现显著的损伤。因此,防护性贮存对发动机的使用寿命并不总是有利的。     

现代谱分析技术综述

本文综述了最近20年推出的有关离散时序谱分析的新方法。对每个方法所假设的基本时序模型作的分析,构成本文了解各种谱分析方法之间差别的共同基础。所讨论的方法包括经典的周期图法、经典的 Blackman-Tukey 法、自回归(最大熵)法、滑动平均法、自回归滑动平均法、最大似然法、Prony 法和 Pisarenko 法。正文中的一览表对所有方法作了简要的评述,包括基本的参考文献和计算每一谱估计的相应公式     

The Interplanetary Internet: a communications infrastructure for Mars exploration

A strategy is being developed whereby the current set of internationally standardized space data communications protocols can be incrementally evolved so that a first version of an operational "Interplanetary Internet" is feasible by the end of the decade. This paper describes its architectural concepts, discusses the current set of standard space data communications capabilities that exist to support Mars exploration and reviews proposed new developments. We also speculate that these current capabilities can grow to support future scenarios where human intelligence is widely distributed across the Solar System and day-to-day communications dialog between planets is routine.     

Ground and on-orbit command and data handling architectures for the Active Rack Isolation System microgravity flight experiment

The Active Rack Isolation System [ARIS] International Space Station [ISS] Characterization Experiment, or ARIS-ICE for short, is a long duration microgravity characterization experiment aboard the ISS. The objective of the experiment is to fully characterize active microgravity performance of the first ARIS rack deployed on the ISS. Efficient ground and on-orbit command and data handling [C&DH] segments are the crux in achieving the challenging objectives of the mission. The objective of the paper is to provide an overview of the C&DH architectures developed for ARIS-ICE, with the view that these architectures may serve as a model for future ISS microgravity payloads. Both ground and on-orbit segments, and their interaction with corresponding ISS C&DH systems are presented. The heart of the on-orbit segment is the ARIS-ICE Payload On-orbit Processor, ARIS-ICE POP for short. The POP manages communication with the ISS C&DH system and other ISS subsystems and payloads, enables automation of test/data collection sequences, and provides a wide range of utilities such as efficient file downlinks/uplinks, data post-processing, data compression and data storage. The hardware and software architecture of the POP is presented and it is shown that the built-in functionality helps to dramatically streamline the efficiency of on-orbit operations. The ground segment has at its heart special ARIS-ICE Ground Support Equipment [GSE] software developed for the experiment. The software enables efficient command and file uplinks, and reconstruction and display of science telemetry packets. The GSE software architecture is discussed along with its interactions with ISS ground C&DH elements. A test sequence example is used to demonstrate the interplay between the ground and on-orbit segments.     

Remote sensing of planetary properties and biosignatures on extrasolar terrestrial planets

The major goals of NASA's Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) and the European Space Agency's Darwin missions are to detect terrestrial-sized extrasolar planets directly and to seek spectroscopic evidence of habitable conditions and life. Here we recommend wavelength ranges and spectral features for these missions. We assess known spectroscopic molecular band features of Earth, Venus, and Mars in the context of putative extrasolar analogs. The preferred wavelength ranges are 7-25 microns in the mid-IR and 0.5 to approximately 1.1 microns in the visible to near-IR. Detection of O2 or its photolytic product O3 merits highest priority. Liquid H2O is not a bioindicator, but it is considered essential to life. Substantial CO2 indicates an atmosphere and oxidation state typical of a terrestrial planet. Abundant CH4 might require a biological source, yet abundant CH4 also can arise from a crust and upper mantle more reduced than that of Earth. The range of characteristics of extrasolar rocky planets might far exceed that of the Solar System. Planetary size and mass are very important indicators of habitability and can be estimated in the mid-IR and potentially also in the visible to near-IR. Additional spectroscopic features merit study, for example, features created by other biosignature compounds in the atmosphere or on the surface and features due to Rayleigh scattering. In summary, we find that both the mid-IR and the visible to near-IR wavelength ranges offer valuable information regarding biosignatures and planetary properties; therefore both merit serious scientific consideration for TPF and Darwin.