SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL AEROSPACE REPORTS
A Biweekly Publication of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
VOLUME 44, ISSUE 10 - MAY 19, 2006
88 SPACE SCIENCES (GENERAL)
Includes general research topics related to the natural space sciences.
For specific topics in space sciences see categories 89 through 93.
20060012294 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
HUMBLE PROBLEMS
Markley, F. Landis; [2006]; 18 pp.; In English; AAS/AIAA Space Flight MechanicsWinter Meeting, 22-26 Jan. 2006, Tampa, FL, USA; Original contains black and white illustrations; No Copyright; Avail.: CASI: A03, Hardcopy
Harold Morton introduced a talk by saying that when you wind up an old professor, he tends to talk for a microcentury. I will attempt to keep my comments to that canonical time span. Having failed to find some unifying theme for this talk, I decided to just ramble through my career with a focus on the algorithms, spacecraft, and people I've had the privilege and pleasure to work with. The algorithms, and certainly the spacecraft, are not all mine. The people are some of those whose ideas that have most influenced and inspired my career. The organization of the paper is largely chronological, but I do not hesitate to jump forward or backward in time when the material demands it. The coverage is broad but necessarily shallow; the interested reader can find more detail in the references Author
Algorithms; Problem Solving; Occupation
20060013112 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
| |
| Tools for Aviation/Aerospace |
| IHS sells products and services designed to meet the needs of today's engineers. To learn more, and for a free quote, please complete the form below. |
|
The Space Physics of Life: Searching for Biosignatures on Habitable Icy Worlds Affected by Space Weathering
Cooper, John F.; [2006]; 1 pp.; In English; Astrobiology Science Conference 2006, 26-30 Mar. 2006, Washington, DC, USA; No Copyright; Avail.: Other Sources; Abstract Only
Accessible surfaces of the most likely astrobiological habitats (Mars, Europa, Titan) in the solar system beyond Earth are exposed to various chemical and hydrologic weathering processes directly or indirectly induced by interaction with the overlying space environment. These processes can be both beneficial, through provision of chemical compounds and energy, and destructive, through chemical dissociation or burial, to detectable presence of biosignatures.
Orbital, suborbital, and surface platforms carrying astrobiological instrumentation must survive, and preferably exploit, space environment interactions to reach these habitats and search for evidence of life or its precursors. Experience from Mars suggests that any detection of biosignatures must be accompanied by characterization of the local chemical environment and energy sources including irradiation by solar ultraviolet photons and energetic particles from the space environment. Orbital and suborbital surveys of surface chemistry and astrobiological potential in the context of the space environment should precede targeted in-situ measurements to maximize probability of biosignature detection through site selection.
The Space Physics of Life (SPOL) investigation has recently been proposed to the NASA Astrobiology Institute and is briefly described in this presentation. SPOL is the astrobiologically relevant study of the interactions and relationships of potentially? or previously inhabited, bodies of the solar system with the surrounding environments. This requires an interdisciplinary effort in space physics, planetary science, and radiation biology. The proposed investigation addresses the search for habitable environments, chemical resources to support life, and techniques for detection of organic and inorganic signs of life in the context of the space environment. Author
Space Weathering; Aerospace Environments; Biomarkers; Exobiology; Solar Physics; Habitats; Chemical Reactions
20060013121 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
A New Theory of Trajectory Design and NASA's Vision
Folta, David; [2006]; 34 pp.; In English; Annual American Advancement of Science Meeting, 16-20 Feb. 2006, Saint Louis, MO, USA; Original contains color illustrations; No Copyright; Avail.: CASI: A03, Hardcopy
This new theory is defined as the use of chaos to design trajectories and orbits that can be used to meet complex mission goals. The benefits are; a) minimizes fuel costs; b) optimizes trajectory profiles; c) provides non-standard and new rbit designs; and d) mitigates operational risks. Other synonymous terms include dynamical systems, invariant manifolds, capture orbits and ballistic orbits. Derived from text
Dynamical Systems; Chaos; Space Missions; Trajectories; Manifolds (Mathematics)
20060013125 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
| |
| Aerospace Engineering Design |
| ESDU packages provide validated design data, methods and software, offering a valuable toolset to aerospace engineers. To learn more, and for a free quote, please complete the form below. |
|
MESSENGER: Exploring Mercury's Magnetosphere
Slavin, James A.; Krimigis, Stamatios M.; Acuna, Mario H.; Anderson, Brian J.; Baker, Daniel N.; Koehn, Patrick L.; Korth, Haje; Levi, Stefano; Mauk, Barry H.; Solomon, Sean C.; Zurbuchen, Thomas H.; [2005]; 36 pp.; In English; Original contains black and white illustrations; Copyright; Avail.: CASI: A03, Hardcopy
The MESSENGER mission to Mercury offers our first opportunity to explore this planet's miniature magnetosphere since the brief flybys of Mariner 10. Mercury s magnetosphere is unique in many respects. The magnetosphere of Mercury is among the smallest in the solar system; its magnetic field typically stands off the solar wind only - 1000 to 2000 km above the surface. For this reason there are no closed drift paths for energetic particles and, hence, no radiation belts.
The characteristic time scales for wave propagation and convective transport are short and kinetic and fluid modes may be coupled. Magnetic reconnection at the dayside magnetopause may erode the subsolar magnetosphere allowing solar wind ions to impact directly the regolith. Inductive currents in Mercury's interior may act to modify the solar wind interaction by resisting changes due to solar wind pressure variations. Indeed, observations of these induction effects may be an important source of information on the state of Mercury s interior. In addition, Mercury s magnetosphere is the only one with its defining magnetic flux tubes rooted in a planetary regolith as opposed to an atmosphere with a conductive ionospheric layer. This lack of an ionosphere is probably the underlying reason for the brevity of the very intense, but short-lived, - 1-2 min, substorm-like energetic particle events observed by Mariner 10 during its first traversal of Mercury s magnetic tail. Because of Mercury's proximity to the sun, 0.3 - 0.5 AU, this magnetosphere experiences the most extreme driving forces in the solar system.
All of these factors are expected to produce complicated interactions involving the exchange and re-cycling of neutrals and ions between the solar wind, magnetosphere, and regolith. The electrodynamics of Mercury 's magnetosphere are expected to be equally complex, with strong forcing by the solar wind, magnetic reconnection at the magnetopause and in the tail, and the pick-up of planetary ions all driving field-aligned electric currents. However, these field-aligned currents do not close in an ionosphere, but in some other manner. In addition to the insights- into magnetospheric physics offered by study of the solar wind - Mercury system, quantitative specification of the 'external' magnetic field generated by magnetospheric currents is necessary for accurate determination of the strength and multi-polar decomposition of Mercury s intrinsic magnetic field. MESSENGER'S highly capable instrumentation and broad orbital coverage will greatly advance our understanding of both the origin of Mercury s magnetic field and the acceleration of charged particles in small magnetospheres.
In this article, we review what is known about Mercury s magnetosphere and describe the MESSENGER science team s strategy for obtaining answers to the outstanding science questions surrounding the interaction of the solar wind with Mercury and its small, but dynamic, magnetosphere. Author
Messenger (Spacecraft); Space Missions; Mercury (Planet); Planetary Magnetic Fields; Planetary Magnetospheres; Solar Wind; Energetic Particles; Charged Particles; Magnetic Storms
20060013129 Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
Haughton-Mars Project Expedition 2005: Interplanetary Supply Chain Management & Logistics Architectures
deWeck, Olivier; Simchi-Levi, David; January 2006; 159 pp.; In English; Original contains color and black and white illustrations Contract(s)/Grant(s): NNK05OA50C Report No.(s): NASA/TP-2006-214196; No Copyright; Avail.: CASI: A08, Hardcopy
The 2005 expedition to the Haughton-Mars Project (HMP) research station on Devon Island was part of a NASA-funded project on Space Logistics. A team of nine researchers from MIT went to the Canadian Arctic to participate in the annual HMP field campaign from July 8 to August 12, 2005. We investigated the applicability of the HMP research station as an analogue for planetary macro- and micro-logistics to the Moon and Mars, and began collecting data for modeling purposes. We also tested new technologies and procedures to enhance the ability of humans and robots to jointly explore remote environments. The expedition had four main objectives. We briefly summarize our key findings in each of these areas. Author
Space Logistics; Expeditions; Management Methods; Supplying; Mars Craters
20060013136 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
The STEREO Mission: A New Approach to Space Weather Research
Kaiser, michael L.; [2006]; 1 pp.; In English; Space Weather Week Workshop, 24-28 Apr. 2006, Boulder, CO, USA; No Copyright; Avail.: Other Sources; Abstract Only
With the launch of the twin STEREO spacecraft in July 2006, a new capability will exist for both real-time space weather predictions and for advances in space weather research. Whereas previous spacecraft monitors of the sun such as ACE and SOH0 have been essentially on the sun-Earth line, the STEREO spacecraft will be in 1 AU orbits around the sun on either side of Earth and will be viewing the solar activity from distinctly different vantage points. As seen from the sun, the two spacecraft will separate at a rate of 45 degrees per year, with Earth bisecting the angle. The instrument complement on the two spacecraft will consist of a package of optical instruments capable of imaging the sun in the visible and ultraviolet from essentially the surface to 1 AU and beyond, a radio burst receiver capable of tracking solar eruptive events from an altitude of 2-3 Rs to 1 AU, and a comprehensive set of fields and particles instruments capable of measuring in situ solar events such as interplanetary magnetic clouds. In addition to normal daily recorded data transmissions, each spacecraft is equipped with a real-time beacon that will provide 1 to 5 minute snapshots or averages of the data from the various instruments. This beacon data will be received by NOAA and NASA tracking stations and then relayed to the STEREO Science Center located at Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland where the data will be processed and made available within a goal of 5 minutes of receipt on the ground. With STEREO's instrumentation and unique view geometry, we believe considerable improvement can be made in space weather prediction capability as well as improved understanding of the three dimensional structure of solar transient events. Author
Space Weather; Imaging Techniques; Data Transmission; Magnetic Clouds; Optical Equipment; Radio Bursts; Solar Activity; Interplanetary Magnetic Fields
20060013151 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
The Virtual Heliospheric Observatory (VHO)
Szabo, A.; Narock, T.; [2005]; 1 pp.; In English; 2005 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, 3-9 Dec. 2005, San Francisco, CA, USA; No Copyright; Avail.: Other Sources; Abstract Only
Based on the experience gained through the development of the distributed L1 data environment for magnetic field and solar wind plasma observations from ACE, WIND, SOHO and Genesis, a Virtual Heliospheric Observatory (VHO) proposal was submitted to the NASA VxO opportunity. This presentation will detail what specific architecture and methods will be implemented for VHO, should this proposal be funded. Also, examples will be given how typical users will be able to take advantage the rich VHO feature set. Finally, the envisioned method of query exchange between VHO and other VxOs will be discussed. Author
Heliosphere; Observatories; NASA Space Programs
Source: NASA
|
IHS sells products and services designed to meet the needs of today's aviation & aerospace engineers, including:
- Quick access to FAA, JAA, ICAO and UK-CAA information and regulations.
- Validated engineering methods, data, principles, worked examples, programs and related equations on over 1340 specific aerospace, process, structural and mechanical engineering topics.
- The IHS Fasteners eCatalog, providing decision support for the identification, specification and sourcing of aerospace & defense standard fasteners/hardware such as bolts, screws, nuts, washers, rivets, studs, etc.
- Standards documents and collections from the top aerospace & aviation standards development organizations, including SAE International, AIAA, AIA, FAA and NASA.
|