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At least 181 records · Page 10

Space station needs, attributes and architectural options. Volume 4, task 2 and 3: Mission implementation and cost

An overview of the basic space station infrastructure is presented. A strong case is made for the evolution of the station using the basic Space Transportation System (STS) to achieve a smooth transition and cost effective implementation. The integrated logistics support (ILS) element of the overall station infrastructure is investigated. The need for an orbital transport system capability that is the key to servicing and spacecraft positioning scenarios and associated mission needs is examined. Communication is also an extremely important element and the basic issue of station autonomy versus ground support effects the system and subsystem architecture.

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Space station needs, attributes, and architectural options. Volume 1. Executive summary

The initial space station should be manned, placed in 28.5 deg orbit, and provide substantial economic, performance, and social benefits. The most beneficial space station capabilities include: a space test facility; a transport harbor; satellite servicing and assembly; and an observatory. A space industrial park could be added once further development effort validates the cost and expanding commercial market for space processed materials. The potential accrued gross mission model benefit derived from these capabilities is $5.9B without the industrial park, and $9.3B with it. An unclassified overview of all phases of the study is presented.

Pritchard, E. B.↗

Space station needs, attributes and architectural options: Mission requirements

Various mission requirements for the proposed space station are examined. Subjects include modelling methodology, science applications, commercial opportunities, operations analysis, integrated mission requirements, and the role of man in space station functions and activities. The information is presented through the use of graphs.

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A study of space station needs, attributes and architectural options

The mission requirements, economic benefits, and time table of deployment of the space station are discussed. It is concluded that: (1) mission requirements overwhelmingly support the need for a space station; (2) a single space station is the way to begin; (3) the space station must evolve its capability; (4) the orbit transfer vehicle aspect of the space station will provide significant economic benefit; and (5) an early, affordable, effective way to start the space station program is needed.

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Space Station Needs, Attributes and Architectural Options. Contractor orientation briefings

Requirements are considered for user missions involving life sciences; astrophysics, environmental observation; Earth and planetary exploration; materials processing; Spacelab payloads; technology development; and communications are analyzed. Plans to exchange data with potential cooperating nations and ESA are reviewed. The capability of the space shuttle to support space station activities are discussed. The status of the OAST space station technology study, conceptual architectures for a space station, elements of the space-based infrastructure, and the use of the shuttle external tank are also considered.

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Space Station needs, attributes, and architectural option study

Potential user interest and requirements for a manned space station are examined for space and applications missions, commercial missions, technology demonstration missions, space operations missions, and national security missions. Approaches to architectural options, candidate payloads, and technology drivers are considered. Mission imposed requirements for the space operations center are also considered.

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Affirmation of triggered Jovian radio emissions and their attribution to corotating radio lasers

It is argued that the original statistical evidence for the existence of triggered radio emissions and corotating radio lasers on Jupiter remains valid notwithstanding the critique of Desch and Kaiser (1985). The Voyager radio spectrograms used to identify the triggered emissions are analyzed and the results are discussed. It is shown that the critique by Desch and Kaiser is unjustified because it is not based on the original event criteria, i.e., the correlation between the occurrence of Jovian auroral kilometric radiation and fast-drift type III solar bursts in the same frequency.

Calvert, W.↗

An attribute-driven statistics generator for use in a G.I.S. environment

When performing research using digital geographic information it is often useful to produce quantitative characterizations of the data, usually within some constraints. In the research environment the different combinations of required data and constraints can often become quite complex. This paper describes a technique that gives the researcher a powerful and flexible way to set up many possible combinations of data and constraints without having to perform numerous intermediate steps or create temporary data bands. This method provides an efficient way to produce descriptive statistics in such situations.

Thomas, R. W.↗

Gossans on Mars: Spectral features attributed to jarosite

Jarosites, which are present in terrestrial gossans capping oxidized sulfides associated with mafic igneous rocks, may also be present in Martian regolith. Spectral characteristics of jarosites are displayed in remote sensed reflectance spectra of bright regions of Mars surface. The occurrence of jarosite in the regolith would imply that acidic permafrost and sulfide ores exist beneath the surface of Mars.

Burns, Roger G.↗

Satellite-derived attributes of cloud vortex systems and their application to climate studies

Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) visible and infrared mosaics are analyzed in conjunction with synoptic meteorological observations of sea level pressure (SLP) and upper-air height to derive composite patterns of cyclonic cloud vortices for the Northern Hemisphere. The patterns reveal variations in the structure and implied dynamics of cyclonic systems at different stages of development that include: (1) increasing vertical symmetry of the lower-level and upper-air circulations and (2) decreasing lower-tropospheric thicknesses and temperature advection, associated with increasing age of the vortex. Cloud vortices are more intense in winter than in summer and typically reach maximum intensity in the short-lived prespiral signature stage. There are major structural differences among frontal wave, polar air, and 'instant occlusion' cyclogenesis types. Cyclones in the dissipation stage may reintensify (deepen), as denoted by the appearance in the imagery of an asymmetric cloud band or a tightened spiral vortex. The satellite-derived statistics on cloud vortex intensity, which are seasonal- and latitude- as well as type-dependent, are applied to a preliminary examination of the synoptic manifestations of seasonal climate variability. An apparently close relationship is found, for two winter and spring seasons, between Northern Hemisphere cyclonic activity and variations in cryosphere variables, particularly the extent of Arctic sea ice. The results may indicate that increased snow and ice extent accompany a southward displacement of cyclonic activity and/or a predominance of deeper systems. However, there is also a strong regional dependence to the ice-synoptics feedback. This study demonstrates the utility of high resolution meteorological satellite imagery for studies of climate variations (climate dynamics).

Carleton, Andrew M.↗

A Jupiter Data Analysis Program (JDAP) research grant on wave accessibility and attributes

For more than thirty years the intense decametric radio emissions from Jupiter (DAM) and the corresponding auroral kilometric radiation from the Earth (AKR) have remained major radio science mysteries. Part of the problem, aside from their inherent complexity, has been the difficulty of measuring their source location and emission properties from limited observations. Progress has been made on this problem by locating the source directly, i.e., by analysis of the faraday rotation observed with Voyager as the wave path crossed the Io plasma torus, and indirectly by comparing the peak frequencies of the decametric emission with that at the foot of the Io flux tube. Progress was also made on the general question of how the emissions originate by finding properties of both the AKR and DAM which would imply emission by natural radio lasing.

Calvert, Wynne↗

High resolution Viking Orbiter images: A useful data source for testing the viability of geomorphic processes attributed to Martian landforms

The diversity of landforms visible in the Viking images of Mars have led to a proliforation of geomorphic agents proposed to be active in shaping the Martian surface. While it is likely that numerous different processes have contributed to the geomorphology of Mars throughout Martian history, it is important that proposed Martian geomorphic agents be subjected to critical scrutiny by the scientific community. High resolution Viking Orbiter images represent a data set for investigating geomorphic processes on Mars. Geologic mapping of Mars can take place at a variety of scales, utilizing a variety of image resolutions, but an interpretation of the history of individual landforms is dependent upon the best available spatial resolution. These high resolution images provide the opportunity to examine proposed Martian geomorphic processes. It is clear that researchers may not interpret features in the same way but it is important that high resolution images of candidate features be made available to the scientific community so that a consensus can be reached. This procedure can provide a way to refine the understanding of geomorphic processes on Mars.

Zimbelman, James R.↗

Does vector-free gravity simulate microgravity? Functional and morphologic attributes of clinorotated nerve and muscle grown in cell culture

Cocultured Xenopus neurons and myocytes were subjected to nonvectorial gravity by clinostat rotation to determine the effects of microgravity on cell development and communications. Observed effects included increases in the myocyte and its nuclear area, fragmentation of nucleoli, the appearance of neuritic aneurysms, decreased growth in the presence of trophic factors, and decreased yolk utilization. These effects were most notable at 1-10 rpm and depended on the onset and duration of rotation. It is found that, in microgravity, cell differentiation is altered by interference with cytoskeleton-related mechanisms. It is suggested that the alteration of the distribution of acetylcholine receptor aggregates on myocytes which occurs might indicate that microgravity affects brain development.

Gruener, Raphael↗

Electromagnetic instabilities attributed to a cross-field ion drift

Instabilities due to a cross-field ion flow are reexamined by including the electromagnetic response of the ions, which has been ignored in existing discussions. It is found that this effect can lead to significant enhancement of the growth rate. Among the new results, a purely growing, electromagnetic unstable mode with a wave vector k parallel to the ambient magnetic field is found. The plasma configuration under consideration is similar to that used in the discussion of the well-known modified-two-stream instability. This instability has a growth rate faster than the ion cyclotron frequency, and is not susceptible to high-plasma-beta stabilization.

Chang, C. L.↗

Some phenomena in space plasmas attributed to wave-particle interactions

Three different wave-particle interaction processes are investigated: (1) the pickup of newborn ions by the solar wind, (2) the cyclotron maser mechanism, and (3) a special wave-particle interaction process which generalizes the conventional concept of the wave-particle interaction process. It is demonstrated on the basis of these three cases that wave-particle interactions can play an indispendable role in certain physical phenomena associated with space plasmas, whose nature is such as to preclude conventional hydrodynamic characterization. Wave-particle interactions can also generate such anomalous transport processes as spatial diffusion, anomalous heating, absorptions of radiation, etc., which also have significant consequence in space plasmas.

Wu, Ching-Sheng↗

Kinetic friction attributed to enhanced radiation by cyclotron maser instability

Along the auroral field lines, a fraction of the energetic electrons injected from the magnetotail is reflected by the earth's convergent geomagnetic field. The reflected loss-cone electrons are unstable with respect to the cyclotron maser instability, resulting in the auroral kilometric radiation. This paper investigates the kinetic friction force exerted on the energetic electrons by the enhanced radiation field. It is found that the enhanced radiation results in a deceleration of reflected electrons, thereby providing an effective resistivity. In addition, the rate of decrease (increase) of effective perpendicular (parallel) kinetic temperatures is also evaluated. The analysis is carried out over various physical parameters such as the degree of loss cone, average particle energy, and the ratio of plasma frequency to cyclotron frequency.

Yoon, Peter H.↗

Compiling and editing agricultural strata boundaries with remotely sensed imagery and map attribute data using graphics workstations

The USDA presently uses labor-intensive photographic interpretation procedures to delineate large geographical areas into manageable size sampling units for the estimation of domestic crop and livestock production. Computer software to automate the boundary delineation procedure, called the computer-assisted stratification and sampling (CASS) system, was developed using a Hewlett Packard color-graphics workstation. The CASS procedures display Thematic Mapper (TM) satellite digital imagery on a graphics display workstation as the backdrop for the onscreen delineation of sampling units. USGS Digital Line Graph (DLG) data for roads and waterways are displayed over the TM imagery to aid in identifying potential sample unit boundaries. Initial analysis conducted with three Missouri counties indicated that CASS was six times faster than the manual techniques in delineating sampling units.

Cheng, Thomas D.↗