AKM capture device

In an effort to recover the Westar and Palapa satellites and the considerable investment each represented, NASA and Hughes undertook the Satellite Retrieval Mission. The mechanism used to capture each of the errant satellites was the AKM (Apogee Kick Motor) Capture Device (ACD), also referred to as the Stinger. The ACD had three interface requirements: interface with the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) for transportation to and stabilization of the spacecrafts; interface with each satellite for retrieval; and finally, interface with the Shuttle's Remote Manipulator System (RMS or robot arm) for satellite transport back to the Orbiter's payload bay. The majority of the design requirements were associated with the capture and release of the satellites. In addition to these unique requirements, the general EVA, RMS grapple, and RMS manipulation requirements applied. These requirements included thermal, glare, snag, RMS runaway and crewman safety considerations

Initial ionization rates in shock-heated Argon, Krypton, and Xenon

The rate of ionization behind strong shock waves in argon, krypton, and xenon, is observed by a transverse microwave probe, over a range of electron densities low enough that atom-atom inelastic collisions are the rate-determining mechanism. Shocks of Mach number 7.0 to 10.0 propagate down a 2-in. sq. aluminum shock tube into ambient gases at pressures of 3.0 to 17.0 mm. Hg., heating them abruptly to atomic temperatures of 5500°K to 9600°K. The subsequent relaxation toward ionization equilibrium is examined in its early stages by the reflection, transmission, and phase shifts of a 24.0 Gc/sec (1.25 cm) transverse microwave beam propagating between two rectangular horns abreast a glass test section. The data yield effective activation energies of 11.9 ± 0.5 eV for argon, 10.4 ± 0.5 eV for krypton, and 8.6 ± 0.5 eV for xenon. These coincide, within experimental error, with the first excitation potentials, rather than the ionization potentials of the gases, indicating that in this range ionization proceeds via a two-step process involving the first excited electronic states of which the excitation step is rate controlling

Apparatus and method of capturing an orbiting spacecraft

Apparatus and a method of capturing an orbiting spacecraft by attaching a grapple fixture are discussed. A probe is inserted into an opening, such as a rocket nozzle, in the spacecraft until a stop on the prove mechanism contacts the spacecraft. A lever is actuated releasing a spring loaded rod which moves axially along the probe removing a covering sleeve to expose spring loaded toffle fingers which pivot open engaging the side of the opening. The probe is shortened and tensioned by turning a screw thread, pressing the fingers inside of the opening to compress the spacecraft between the toggle fingers and the stop. A grapple fixture attached to the probe, which is thus secured to the spacecraft, is engaged by appropriate retrieval means such as a remote manipulator arm

Gender issues in child sexual abuse

Academic interest in the field of child sexual abuse remained consistently high during the latter part of the twentieth century. The research undertaken at this time demonstrated the relationship between child sexual abuse and gender; that is to say that men are the primary perpetrators of the sexual victimisation of children. Given this preponderance, it is of central importance to keep the significance of gender focal. Paradoxically, it is for this very reason that gender remains significant in cases where women sexually abuse children - because they represent the minority of cases. It is this disparity which provides a basis for this work. The purpose of this work is to examine and demonstrate that gender is significant in: the way in which an abuse experience is defined and made sense of; the process by which an individual becomes a survivor; and how abuse experiences are responded to by others. The foci of defmition, interpretation, subjectivity and ambiguity led to the utilisation of symbolic interactionism as an appropriate theoretical perspective in which to ground the study and to guide the research analysis. Designed as an exploratory study, the work combines qualitative and quantitative research methods aimed at survivors of abuse and relevant professionals (the latter drawn from both the 'therapy industry' and the criminal justice arena). In-depth interviews were carried out with survivors and analysed to examine survivors' subjective realities and interpretations of their experiences of abuse. Semi-structured interviews and questionnaires were used to explore the significance of gender in the responses of professionals to abuse experiences. The issues that arise from this work have profound implications for the way in which the significance of gender in child sexual abuse can be thought about and understood

Magnetic attachment mechanism

A magnetic attachment mechanism adapted for interfacing with the manipulator arm of a remote manipulator system and comprising a pair of permanent magnets of rare earth material are arranged in a stator-rotor relationship. The rotor magnet is journalled for rotation about its longitudinal axis between pole plates of the stator magnet, each of which includes an adhering surface. In a first rotary position corresponding to the ON condition, each of the poles of the rotor magnet is closely adjacent to a stator magnet pole plate of like polarity whereby the respective magnet fields are additive for producing a strong magnetic field emanating from the adhering surfaces for attracting a ferrous magnetic plate, or the like, affixed to the payload. When the rotor magnet is rotated to a second position corresponding to the OFF condition, each of the poles of the rotor magnet is disposed closely adjacent to a pole plate of unlike polarity whereby the magnetic fields of the magnets are in cancelling relationship at the adhering surfaces, which permits the release of a payload. An actuator for selectively rotating the rotor magnet between the ON and OFF positions is provided for interfacing and connecting the magnetic attachment mechanism with a manipulator arm. For affecting an optimal rigidized attachment the payload is provided with guide means cooperable with guide means on the housing of the mechanism for directing adhering surfaces of the polar plates to the ferrous plate

Space station operating system study

The current phase of the Space Station Operating System study is based on the analysis, evaluation, and comparison of the operating systems implemented on the computer systems and workstations in the software development laboratory. Primary emphasis has been placed on the DEC MicroVMS operating system as implemented on the MicroVax II computer, with comparative analysis of the SUN UNIX system on the SUN 3/260 workstation computer, and to a limited extent, the IBM PC/AT microcomputer running PC-DOS. Some benchmark development and testing was also done for the Motorola MC68010 (VM03 system) before the system was taken from the laboratory. These systems were studied with the objective of determining their capability to support Space Station software development requirements, specifically for multi-tasking and real-time applications. The methodology utilized consisted of development, execution, and analysis of benchmark programs and test software, and the experimentation and analysis of specific features of the system or compilers in the study

Nonflammable organic-base paint for oxygen-rich atmospheres

New paint formulations, which combine aqueous latex paints with inorganic pigments and additives, produce coatings that are self-extinguishing in pure oxygen at pressures up to twice the partial pressure of atmospheric oxygen. A paint formulation in percent by weight is given and the properties of resultant coatings are discussed

A Strategy for Using Bias and RMSE as Outcomes in Monte Carlo Studies in Statistics

To help ensure important patterns of bias and accuracy are detected in Monte Carlo studies in statistics this paper proposes conditioning bias and root mean square error (RMSE) measures on estimated Type I and Type II error rates. A small Monte Carlo study is used to illustrate this argument

The Personification of the Partnership

What does it mean to say a business association is a legal person? The question has shadowed the law of business organizations for at least two centuries. When we say a business is a legal person we may be claiming that the law distinguishes its assets, liabilities, and obligations from those of its owners; or that it has a “real will” and personality apart from its owners; or that it in some way can carry or assert rights generally ascribed to natural persons. This Article sheds new light on these old questions by looking at an oft-overlooked business form, the partnership, and at once-fierce debates over just what the partnership is. In the decades around the turn of the twentieth century scholars and practitioners hotly debated whether the partnership was an “aggregate” or “entity” and whether the law should treat it as a separate legal person, debates which culminated in the drafting of the Uniform Partnership Act (1914). Central to these disputes was a now-forgotten facet of legal personhood: the moral consequences of treating a business association as a distinct legal person