Flight In May Research Articles

MIT Zero-G outreach initiative: Using experiment design and virtual reality to inspire the next generation of space scientists and engineers

MIT's Space Exploration Initiative offers a course on project development, prototyping, and deployment readiness for parabolic flights, culminating in an annually chartered research flight with Zero-G. MIT's Resource Exploration and Science of our Cosmic Environment (RESOURCE) team participated in the course in the fall of 2021 with a Zero-G flight in May of 2022 testing technology for a virtual reality platform to enable science on Lunar rover exploration missions. In parallel with the scientific effort, the team developed the MIT Zero-G Outreach Initiative (0G-OI), an outreach program to engage with the Cambridge Public School's (CPS) grade 7 classes to teach them about research in microgravity, parabolic flight, and experiment design. The goal of the outreach program is to inspire the next generation of space scientists and engineers using virtual reality.The CPS grade 7 curriculum covers ‘Mysteries of the Universe’ where students consider the role of gravity in the solar system. They also complete a unit on roller coasters in which they learn about key ideas of force, motion, and energy through the context of roller coasters. The 0G-OI Initiative ties these two units together through five videos covering: 1) an overview of the initiative, 2) the basics of parabolic flight and how we perceive gravity, 3) an overview of gravity and its function in the universe, 4) why and what we can study in microgravity and 5) how to design an experiment for microgravity. The students then design their own experiments for microgravity. These are down-selected to the top 5 experiments that are reviewed by an astronaut to select one experiment to fly on the MIT chartered Zero-G parabolic flight. The flight and the experiment are filmed in VR video by the MIT RESOURCE team. Each participating school is provided with an Oculus Quest 2 VR headset and a flight day is held at each school where the students experience the Zero-G flight and see the results of their experiment in an immersive VR environment. Using this initial setup, the 0G-OI can be run annually in parallel with MIT's SEI parabolic flight course.Some key development parameters included keeping the educational videos under 10 min, that having an astronaut select the winning experiment provided incentive and finally, using VR, as this technology is commonly associated with gaming and entertainment. Lessons learned focused on improvements to scheduling and coordination with Zero-G, in-person programming and classroom experience optimization. The 0G-OI aims to develop a lasting relationship with the CPSs and make the exciting experience of parabolic flight and space exploration an accessible experience.

Use of volumetric additive manufacturing as an in-space manufacturing technology

Computed Axial Lithography (CAL) is a recent advancement in volumetric additive manufacturing (VAM) that delivers a light dose to a photopolymer volume through tomographic reconstruction. The precursor liquid or gel itself generally supports the emerging object, eliminating the need for wasteful dedicated solid supporting structures. A challenge, however, is that desired geometry can shrink or expand during solidification and on Earth, if the precursor material's viscosity is low enough. These effects may result in sinking or floating of the component, which can blur the geometry.In principle, CAL is promising for in-space manufacturing because, unlike layer-based processes, CAL does not require a flat liquid–gas interface to be maintained during printing. With suitable development, CAL is potentially capable of manufacturing parts such as organic tissue, flexible seals, rigid trusses, and microstructures for space exploration, as well as repairing existing tools and parts. ‘SpaceCAL’ flew on a microgravity parabolic flight in May 2022 to demonstrate the capabilities of CAL and analyse a CAL system in a microgravity. Initial findings show that 0.12 Pa-s low viscosity precursor can be printed in microgravity with less geometric distortion than an Earth-based gravity counterpart.

Diurnal evolution of negative atmospheric ions above the boreal forest: from ground level to the free troposphere

Abstract. At SMEAR II research station in Hyytiälä, located in the Finnish boreal forest, the process of new particle formation and the role of ions has been investigated for almost 20 years near the ground and at canopy level. However, above SMEAR II, the vertical distribution and diurnal variation of these different atmospheric ions are poorly characterized. In this study, we assess the atmospheric ion composition in the stable boundary layer, residual layer, mixing layer, and free troposphere, and the evolution of these atmospheric ions due to photochemistry and turbulent mixing through the day. To measure the vertical profile of atmospheric ions, we developed a tailored set-up for online mass spectrometric measurements, capable of being deployed in a Cessna 172 with minimal modifications. Simultaneously, instruments dedicated to aerosol properties made measurements in a second Cessna. We conducted a total of 16 measurement flights in May 2017, during the spring, which is the most active new particle formation season. A flight day typically consisted of three distinct flights through the day (dawn, morning, and afternoon) to observe the diurnal variation and at different altitudes (from 100 to 3200 m above ground), to capture the boundary layer development from the stable boundary layer, residual layer to mixing layer, and the free troposphere. Our observations showed that the ion composition is distinctly different in each layer and depends on the air mass origin and time of the day. Before sunrise, the layers are separated from each other and have their own ion chemistry. We observed that the ions present within the stable layer are of the same composition as the ions measured at the canopy level. During daytime when the mixing layer evolved and the compounds are vertically mixed, we observed that highly oxidized organic molecules are distributed to the top of the boundary layer. The ion composition in the residual layer varies with each day, showing similarities with either the stable boundary layer or the free troposphere. Finally, within the free troposphere, we detected a variety of carboxylic acids and ions that are likely containing halogens, originating from the Arctic Sea.

Black Carbon Emissions from the Bakken Oil and Gas Development Region

Black carbon (BC) emission rates from the Bakken oil-producing region of North Dakota have been quantified with a NOAA airborne single-particle soot photometer (SP2). Flights in May 2014 led to six measurements of the BC emission rate in the region. Oil and gas operations (associated flaring, diesel engines associated with pumping and drilling, and oil production-related transport), limited agricultural burning, and sparse urban/transport sector activity contribute to these emissions. The BC emission rate was 1400 ± 360 t year–1, implying that Bakken production activities are unlikely to contribute to large-scale biases in estimates of BC emissions. An upper limit on the BC emission factor from flaring based on these observations is 0.57 ± 0.14 g/m–3. Flaring BC was not associated with optically significant internally mixed non-BC material or with significant emissions of non-BC-containing primary aerosol. BC in the outflow from the region was also generally externally mixed.

Uncontrolled attitude motion of the small satellite Aist

The results of the reconstruction of uncontrolled attitude motion of the satellite Aist during its flight in May 2013 are presented. The reconstruction was performed by the processing of data from onboard measurements of the Earth’s magnetic field. The processing technique was applied to data segments covering time intervals of about 100 min. The data obtained at each such interval were processed jointly using the least squares method by integrating the equations of the satellite motion relative to its center of mass. When processing, the initial conditions of motion and parameters of the used mathematical model were estimated. The results of processing several data intervals made it possible to obtain sufficiently complete information about the motion of the satellite.

4.7-THz Local Oscillator for the GREAT Heterodyne Spectrometer on SOFIA

The design and the performance of a 4.7-THz local oscillator (LO) for the GREAT (German REceiver for Astronomy at Terahertz frequencies) heterodyne spectrometer on SOFIA, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, are presented. The LO is based on a quantum-cascade laser, which is mounted in a compact mechanical cryocooler. The LO provides up to ${\hbox{150}}~\mu{\hbox{W}}$ output power into a nearly Gaussian shaped beam. It covers the frequency range from approximately $+{\hbox{2}}$ to $-{\hbox{4}}~{\hbox{GHz}}$ around the fine structure line of neutral atomic oxygen, OI, at 4.7448 THz. The LO has been successfully operated on SOFIA during six observation flights in May 2014 and January 2015.

Attraction of A Native Florida Leafminer,PhyllocnistisInsignis(Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), to Pheromone of an Invasive Citrus Leafminer,P. Citrella: Evidence for Mating Disruption of a Native Non-Target Species

We collected a native North American species, Phyllocnistis insignis (FreyB Sapindales: Rutaceae) groves at 4 sites in southeastern Florida during 2012. Phyllocnistis insignis moths were found in pheromone-baited traps year round with a peak flight in May. In trials designed to evaluate mating disruption of P. citrella, application of triene (SPLAT CLM™) disrupted trap catch of P. insignis during a 9 week period following treatment in spring (825 mg triene/ha), but not winter (750 mg triene/ha). In a second experiment, application of triene (837 mg/ha) and a 3:1 blend of triene and diene (840 mg triene + 280 mg diene/ha, respectively) loaded onto rubber dispensers disrupted catch of male P. insignis during a 12 week period following treatment of 0.14 ha plots. Also, application of a 3:1 blend of triene and diene (764 mg + 253 mg/ha, respectively) formulated in SPLAT CLM disrupted trap catch of male P. insignis during a 4 week period following treatment in a 66 ha plot. In a third experiment, application of blend (837 mg triene + 278 mg diene/ha) reduced the incidence of trap catch to zero during a 16 week period following treatment of 0.87 ha plots. These data suggest that efforts to disrupt mating of P. citrella influence non-target populations of the congeneric leafminer species, P. insignis. View this article in BioOne

FIRST SCIENCE OBSERVATIONS WITH SOFIA/FORCAST: THE FORCAST MID-INFRARED CAMERA

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) completed its first light flight in May of 2010 using the facility mid-infrared instrument FORCAST. Since then, FORCAST has successfully completed thirteen science flights on SOFIA. In this paper we describe the design, operation and performance of FORCAST as it relates to the initial three Short Science flights. FORCAST was able to achieve near diffraction-limited images for lambda > 30 microns allowing unique science results from the start with SOFIA. We also describe ongoing and future modifications that will improve overall capabilities and performance of FORCAST.

Byrd's Arctic flight in the context of model atmospheres

ABSTRACTThe availability of modern computer models of plausible atmospheric pressure versus altitude for a grid of points over the earth's surface permits a reexamination of Richard Byrd's dead reckoning navigation on his flight in May 1926 from Spitsbergen northwards and his return. Although details of how Byrd converted atmospheric pressure to altitude are ambiguous, the recent atmospheric models probably indicate a small systematic bias that would cause Byrd to overestimate his dead reckoning distance traveled. The same models provide a range of computed winds versus time, altitude, and location, leading to the conclusion that, if Byrd's reported winds during his flight are correct, it was the result of a very unusual and fortuitous circumstance.

The EUV spectrum of the Sun: long-term variations in the SOHO CDS NIS spectral responsivities

We present SOHO Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer (CDS) normal incidence, extreme-ultraviolet spectra of the Sun taken from the beginning of the mission in 1996 until now. We use various methods to study the performance of the instrument during such a long time span. Assuming that the basal chromospheric-transition region emission in the quiet parts of the Sun does not vary over the cycle, we find a slow decrease in the instrument sensitivity over time. We applied a correction to the NIS (Normal Incidence Spectrograph) data, using as a starting reference the NIS absolute calibration obtained from a comparison with a rocket flight in May 1997. We then obtained NIS full-Sun spectral irradiances from observations in 2008 and compared them with the EUV irradiances obtained from the rocket that flew on April 14, 2008 a prototype of the Solar Dynamics Observatory EVE instrument. Excellent agreement is found between the EUV irradiances from NIS and from the EVE-prototype, confirming the NIS radiometric calibration. The NIS instrument over 13 years has performed exceptionally well, with only a factor of about 2 decrease in responsivity for most wavelengths.

Assessment of boundary layer variations in the Tampa Bay Area during the Bay Region Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (BRACE)

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) Air Resources Laboratory (ARL), using the NOAA Twin Otter aircraft, made meteorological and chemical measurements during 21 flights in May 2002 in and around the Tampa Bay, Florida area as part of the Bay Region Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (BRACE). One or more vertical profiles were flown during each flight both over land and over the Gulf of Mexico. NOAA's Environmental Technology Laboratory (ETL; now part of NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL)) deployed three surface-based 915-MHz radar wind profilers equipped with radio acoustic sounding systems (RASS) at Ruskin, Sydney, and St. Petersburg. The National Weather Service Office in Tampa (NWS/TBW) released rawinsondes twice daily from the Ruskin site. The measurements of temperature, dew point, potential temperature, ozone, and condensation nuclei acquired during the aircraft profiles are analyzed, and in combination with the profiler and sounding data, are used to determine the structure of the boundary layer over the Tampa Bay region and the temporal and spatial changes that occurred in that structure during representative flights.

THE ALPHA MAGNETIC SPECTROMETER, A PARTICLE PHYSICS EXPERIMENT IN SPACE

The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) is a state of the art detector for the extrater-restrial study of matter, antimatter and missing matter. During the STS-91 precursor flight in may 1998 AMS collected nearly 100 millions of Cosmic Rays on Low Earth Orbit, measuring with high accuracy their composition. We review the results on the flux of proton, electron, positron and helium. Analysis of the under cutoff spectra indicates the existence of a new type of belts of energetic trapped particles characterized by a dominance of positrons versus electrons. AMS is currently being refurbished for a three year mission on the International Space Station where the its sensitivity to rare events will be increased by three to four orders of magnitude.

Radiative transfer in the summertime Arctic

This study used data from FIRE ACE and SHEBA with an explicit radiative transfer model to explore the effects of inhomogeneous cloud and surface properties on solar and longwave radiative transfer in the summertime Arctic. Three representative cases were selected from three flights in May and July 1998, with a detailed specification of cloud, surface, atmospheric, and aerosol properties. Results show that the surface inhomogeneity affects the fluxes at small scales but not in the domain average. The independent pixel approximation (IPA) and plane‐parallel approximation (PPA) can produce accurate domain‐average fluxes for low Arctic clouds, although the IPA can create large local errors. Measured and modeled fluxes are reasonably well matched, within the bounds of uncertainty in the model inputs, of which surface albedo has the largest impact. The fluxes are also sensitive to cloud liquid water path, cloud droplet effective radius, and aerosol amount.

Comparisons of CLOVAR windprofiler horizontal winds with radiosondes and CMC regional analyses

The Canadian (London, Ontario) VHF Atmospheric Radar (CLOVAR) windprofiler radar near London, Ontario is a relatively new tool for atmospheric wind measurements (Hocking, 1994, 1997a). In order to verify its proper performance, vertical profiles of horizontal winds were compared with other wind estimates available during the period January 1996 to November 1997. Comparisons with co‐located radiosonde flights (a series of 29 flights in May–June 1996, and another of 8 flights in May–July 1997) showed excellent agreement between the two techniques. In addition, comparisons with horizontal winds measured by routine radiosonde balloons launched some 180 km south‐west of London, at White Lake (Detroit), and some 210 km east of London at Buffalo Airport, showed good agreement, considering the meteorological differences which would be expected at these ranges. A further comparison between winds measured with the radar, and winds extracted for London from Canadian Meteorological Centre (CMC) regional analyses, showed very good agreement. These favourable intercomparisons have verified that the CLOVAR is a reliable tool for observing horizontal winds, and have provided interesting insight into the CMC model.

The pharao project: Towards a space clock using cold cs atoms

For several years, the “BNM-Laboratoire Primaire du Temps et des Fréquences” has worked on a cold atom frequency standard. With a cesium atomic fountain a resonance line width of 700 mHz has been obtained leading to a short-term stability of 2 × 10 −13 τ −1 2 down to 2 × 10 −15 at 10 4 s. A first evaluation of the fountain accuracy has been performed resulting in an accuracy of 3 × 10 −15, three times better than previously achieved with thermal beams frequency standards. In the atomic fountain, gravity limits the interaction time to ~1 s, hence the resonance line width to ~0.5 Hz. A factor of 10 reduction in the line width could be obtained in a micro-gravity environment. The “Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales” (the French space agency), the “BNM-Laboratoire Primaire du Temps et des Fréquences”, the “Laboratoire de l'Horloge Atomique” and the “Laboratoire Kastler Brossel” have set up a collaboration to investigate a space frequency standard using cold atoms: the PHARAO project. A microgravity prototype has been constructed and operated first in the reduced gravity of aircraft parabolic flights in May 1997. It is designed as a transportable frequency standard. The PHARAO frequency standard could be a key element in future space missions in fundamental physics such as SORT (solar orbit relativity test), detection of gravitational waves, or for the realization of a global time scale and a new generation of positioning system.

Transmission of Multidrug-ResistantMycobacterium tuberculosisduring a Long Airplane Flight

In April 1994, a passenger with infectious multi-drug resistant tuberculosis traveled on commercial-airline flights from Honolulu to Chicago and from Chicago to Baltimore and returned one month later. We sought to determine whether she had infected any of her contacts on this extensive trip. Passengers and crew were identified from airline records and were notified of their exposure, asked to complete a questionnaire, and screened by tuberculin skin tests. Of the 925 people on the airplanes, 802 (86.7 percent) responded. All 11 contacts with positive tuberculin skin tests who were on the April flights and 2 of 3 contacts with positive tests who were on the Baltimore-to-Chicago flight in May had other risk factors for tuberculosis. More contacts on the final, 8.75-hour flight from Chicago to Honolulu had positive skin tests than those on the other three flights (6 percent, as compared with 2.3, 3.8, and 2.8 percent). Of 15 contacts with positive tests on the May flight from Chicago to Honolulu, 6 (4 with skin-test conversion) had no other risk factors; all 6 had sat in the same section of the plane as the index patient (P=0.001). Passengers seated within two rows of the index patient were more likely to have positive tuberculin skin tests than those in the rest of the section (4 of 13, or 30.8 percent, vs. 2 of 55, or 3.6 percent; rate ratio, 8.5; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.7 to 41.3; P=0.01). The transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis that we describe aboard a commercial aircraft involved a highly infectious passenger, a long flight, and close proximity of contacts to the index patient.

From the Spirit of St. Louis to the SST: Charles Lindbergh, Technology, and Environment

From the Spirit of St. Louis to the SST: Charles Lindbergh, Technology, and Environment LEONARD S. REICH InJune 1970, forty-three years after he completed the transatlantic flight that made him an international hero and symbol of American technological prowess, Charles A. Lindbergh (1902—74) penned a letter on what he viewed as the central challenge to Western civiliza­ tion. Unable to testify personally before Congressman Emilio Daddario ’s House Subcommittee on National Science Policy because he was then in the Philippines working to save endangered wildlife, Lindbergh wrote for the record, “The very survival of our civilization, if not that of mankind, depends on our ability to foresee and control the fantastic forces of the various technologies our scientific knowl­ edge has released. . . . Much as I believe in the utmost practical freedom and independence for man, I do not see how his essential environment can be maintained in this technological era through commercial organizations acting independently. . . . The survival of Western civilization is likely to depend on how intelligently we apply its sciences and technology to our human environment within the next decade.”1 To an American citizenry that had observed the first Earth Day two months earlier and was then in the midst of a bitter struggle over technological warfare in Southeast Asia, such rhetoric was little cause for surprise. Yet for those old enough to remember Lindbergh’s 1927 triumph and aware of the decades during which he actively and effecDr . Reich teaches management and the history of technology at Colby College and is writing a series of articles about changing attitudes toward technology and progress during the 20th century. He wishes to thank Susan Kenney, Reeve Lindbergh, Jon Lindbergh, Richard Logan, Chuck Lakin, and Judy Schiff for their assistance and Robert Rosenberg, Robert Kargon, James Fleming, Robert Friedel, Howard Segal, and Robert Weisbrot for their helpful comments. ’“Lindbergh Says Technology, If Not Curbed, May Destroy Man,” New York Times, July 7, 1970, p. 25.© 1995 by the Society for the History of Technology. All rights reserved. 0040-165X/95/3602-0003$01.00 351 352 Leonard S. Reich tively promoted aviation, this strong expression of concern about the impact of technology came as a shock.2 What had happened to the former airmail pilot who stunned the world with his exploits and charmed it with his earnestness, all, he believed, in the service of aviation and progress? Lindbergh had not only flown the Atlantic alone in a tiny single-engine plane that he helped finance, design, build, and test. He had also laid out airline routes around the world, consulted in the design of major airliners from the Sikorsky S-40 flying boat of 1930 to the Boeing 747, flown 50 combat missions in the South Pacific during World War II, helped establish the Strategic Air Command of intercontinental bombers during the 1950s, and developed an early prototype of the artificial heart. Such a man was technological at his core, as his friends and colleagues would quickly point out. Yet during the five decades of his career, Charles Lindbergh had come to question not only the effects of technological change but the very values that underlay man­ kind’s attachment to science and technology. Lindbergh’s intellectualjourney to skepticism is strongly suggestive of changes taking place in American society, and perhaps the best evidence of this is the advent of Earth Day in April 1970. Such an outpouring of public concern about the natural environment would have been unthinkable at the beginning of Lindbergh’s career during the 1920s. Indeed, even intellectuals and conservationists of the era little realized the inherent ecological dangers posed by America’s emerging petrochemical-based economy. The vast majority of citi­ zens, Lindbergh included, believed strongly in technology’s inherent beneficence, in its ability to deliver advanced material goods and con­ tinuing social progress with few ill effects. Born into an era of great optimism about the benefits of science and technology, Charles Lindbergh became the personification of American technological triumph with his solo transatlantic flight in May 1927. But he proved to be an unwilling hero, symbolizing for Americans both their pride in the growing prowess of their industrial system and...

Measurement of a wind field with an airborne continuous-wave Doppler lidar

An airborne homodyne conical scanning Doppler lidar for the measurement of a wind field has been built and was operated in a first test flight in May 1994. The design of the optic is described, and the single steps of the signal-processing chain to calculate an average wind are discussed. The results of a flight over Lake Ammersee are presented and are compared with the data obtained from the inertial reference system of the aircraft.

Evidence of mass outflow in the low corona over a large sunspot

An extreme ultraviolet (EUV) imaging spectrograph designed for soundings rocket flight has been used to search for velocity fields in the low solar corona. During a flight in May, 1989, we obtained emission line profile measurements along a chord through an active region on the Sun. Relative Doppler velocities were measured in emissions lines of Mg IX, Fe XV, and Fe XVI with a sensitivity of 2–3 km s −1 at 350 A. The only Doppler shift appreciably greater than this level was observed in the line of Mg IX at 368.1 A over the umbra of the large sunspot. The maximum shift measured at that location corresponded to a velocity toward the observer of 14 +/- 3km s −1 relative to the mean of measurements in that emission line made elsewhere over the active region. The magnetic field in the low corona was aligned to within 10° of the line of sight at the location of maximum Doppler shift. Depending on the magnetic field geometry, this mass outflow could either re-appear as a downflow of material in distant footpoints of closed coronal loops or, if along open field lines, could contribute to the solar wind. The site of the sunspot was near a major photospheric magnetic field boundary. Such boundaries have been associated with low-speed solar wind as observed in interplanetary plasmas.

Regional Jet

THE first Canadair 50‐passenger twinjet airliner made its initial flight in May and has attracted considerable interest from a variety of operators. Advanced design of the aircraft began in 1987 with the fuselage being based on a 20 ft. extension of that of the CL‐601 Challenger. The first Regional Jet is now well into the flight test phase having attained Mach 0.7 and an altitude of 41,000 ft in initial trials as well as in‐flight shutdowns and starts on both engines at 30,000 ft and a similar exercise accomplished for the APU at 15,000 ft.