An Approach to the Design of a Lightweight Lunar Spacecraft

The Quicksat study, undertaken at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), had as its goal the development of low mass, low cost spacecraft that can be implemented within a relatively short time span. As part of this effort, JPL studied a lunar mission referred to as Lunar Prospector (LP). The LP spacecraft carries a spare Apollo gamma ray spectrometer (GRS) in a 100 km polar orbit about the moon in order to obtain a global map of surface composition. The primary mission objective is to search for water in the form of ice trapped within polar craters; this is viewed as an essential precursor to the establishment of permanent lunar colonies. In addition, satellite tracking data will be used to develop a nearly global gravity map of the moon. The planned mission life is 1 year. The LP spacecraft, as it is currently configured, is a simple spinner with an estimated total mass of less than 600 kg and an estimated dry mass of less than 300 kg. The planned launch vehicle is an Atlas rocket, and trans-lunar injection energy is to be provided by an SGS II upper stage. Trajectory correction maneuvers and lunar orbit insertion will be executed by a 100 lb hydrazine thruster (main engine), which is an integral part of the LP spacecraft. Attitude control will be accomplished using three 5 lb hydrazine thrusters, two for spin control and one for precession maneuvers. Spacecraft power will be supplied by a 20 Amp-hour, 28 volt DC, Nickel-Cadmium battery system, charged from a 4 m² silicon solar array. The spacecraft will be equipped with a NASA standard near Earth S-band transponder and two omni-directional low gain antennas. An on-board digital computer will be used for command and data handling, and for performing attitude control computations

Health related quality of life measure in systemic pediatric rheumatic diseases and its translation to different languages: An international collaboration

Background: Rheumatic diseases in children are associated with significant morbidity and poor health-related quality of life (HRQOL). There is no health-related quality of life (HRQOL) scale available specifically for children with less common rheumatic diseases. These diseases share several features with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) such as their chronic episodic nature, multi-systemic involvement, and the need for immunosuppressive medications. HRQOL scale developed for pediatric SLE will likely be applicable to children with systemic inflammatory diseases. Findings: We adapted Simple Measure of Impact of Lupus Erythematosus in Youngsters (SMILEY) to Simple Measure of Impact of Illness in Youngsters (SMILY-Illness) and had it reviewed by pediatric rheumatologists for its appropriateness and cultural suitability. We tested SMILY-Illness in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases and then translated it into 28 languages. Conclusion: SMILY-Illness is a brief, easy to administer and score HRQOL scale for children with systemic rheumatic diseases. It is suitable for use across different age groups and literacy levels. SMILY-Illness with its available translations may be used as useful adjuncts to clinical practice and research