13,079 research outputs found
Apparatus for releasably connecting first and second objects in predetermined space relationship
A releasable apparatus that connects first and second space objects, such as a spacecraft and a space vehicle, in predetermined spaced relationship is described. The apparatus comprises at least one probe member mounted on the first object, having an elongated shank portion, the distal end of which is provided with a tapered nose portion. At least one drogue assembly is mounted on the second space object for releasably capturing the probe member upon the first and second objects being brought into close proximity with each other
Line cutter Patent
Piston in bore cutter for severing parachute control lines and sealing cable hole to prevent water leakage into loa
Improved control system power unit for large parachutes
Improved control system power unit drives the control surfaces of very large controllable parachutes. The design features subassemblies for determining control surface position and cable loading, and protection of the load sensor against the possibility of damage during manipulation
Winch having cable position and load indicators Patent
Design and characteristics of device for showing amount of cable payed out from winch and load impose
Water exchange at a hydrated platinum electrode is rare and collective
We use molecular dynamics simulations to study the exchange kinetics of water
molecules at a model metal electrode surface -- exchange between water
molecules in the bulk liquid and water molecules bound to the metal. This
process is a rare event, with a mean residence time of a bound water of about
40 ns for the model we consider. With analysis borrowed from the techniques of
rare-event sampling, we show how this exchange or desorption is controlled by
(1) reorganization of the hydrogen bond network within the adlayer of bound
water molecules, and by (2) interfacial density fluctuations of the bulk liquid
adjacent to the adlayer. We define collective coordinates that describe the
desorption mechanism. Spatial and temporal correlations associated with a
single event extend over nanometers and tens of picoseconds.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figure
Radio and X-ray observations of an exceptional radio flare in the extreme z=4.72 blazar GB B1428+4217
We report on the extreme behaviour of the high redshift blazar GB B1428+4217
at z=4.72. A continued programme of radio measurements has revealed an
exceptional flare in the lightcurve, with the 15.2 GHz flux density rising by a
factor ~3 from ~140 mJy to ~430 mJy in a rest-frame timescale of only ~4 months
-- much larger than any previous flares observed in this source. In addition to
new measurements of the 1.4-43 GHz radio spectrum we also present the analysis
and results of a target-of-opportunity X-ray observation using XMM-Newton, made
close to the peak in radio flux. Although the X-ray data do not show a flare in
the high energy lightcurve, we are able to confirm the X-ray spectral
variability hinted at in previous observations. GB B1428+4217 is one of several
high-redshift radio-loud quasars that display a low energy break in the X-ray
spectrum, probably due to the presence of excess absorption in the source.
X-ray spectral analysis of the latest XMM-Newton data is shown to be consistent
with the warm absorption scenario which we have hypothesized previously. Warm
absorption is also consistent with the observed X-ray spectral variability of
the source, in which the spectral changes can be successfully accounted-for
with a fixed column density of material in which the ionization state is
correlated with hardness of the underlying power-law emission.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, MNRAS accepte
X-Ray Microanalysis of Biological Tissues - An Examination of Comparative Specimen Preparation Techniques Using Prostatic Tissue as a Model
A number of reproductive tissues have been investigated by X-ray microanalysis for a large number of elements. These elements occur both free and with many different forms of binding to tissue proteins and cellular constituents. The prostate tissue studied here represents a glandular tissue with both parenchymal and stromal components having different cell types. While no general rule can be applied to the preparative technique for all tissues, it would seem that of all the methods examined here freeze substitution or the use of dehydration fluids combined with subsequent embedding offer the most promising compromise between cryoultramicrotomy and aqueous fixation
Discrete local altitude sensing device Patent
Device for use in descending spacecraft as altitude sensor for actuating deceleration retrorocket
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