A simulation of the instrument pointing system for the Astro-1 mission

NASA has recently completed a shuttle-borne stellar ultraviolet astronomy mission known as Astro-1. A three axis instrument pointing system (IPS) was employed to accurately point the science instruments. In order to analyze the pointing control system and verify pointing performance, a simulation of the IPS was developed using the multibody dynamics software TREETOPS. The TREETOPS IPS simulation is capable of accurately modeling the multibody IPS system undergoing large angle, nonlinear motion. The simulation is documented and example cases are presented demonstrating disturbance rejection, fine pointing operations, and multiple target pointing and slewing of the IPS

High Performance, Robust Control of Flexible Space Structures: MSFC Center Director's Discretionary Fund

Many spacecraft systems have ambitious objectives that place stringent requirements on control systems. Achievable performance is often limited because of difficulty of obtaining accurate models for flexible space structures. To achieve sufficiently high performance to accomplish mission objectives may require the ability to refine the control design model based on closed-loop test data and tune the controller based on the refined model. A control system design procedure is developed based on mixed H2/H(infinity) optimization to synthesize a set of controllers explicitly trading between nominal performance and robust stability. A homotopy algorithm is presented which generates a trajectory of gains that may be implemented to determine maximum achievable performance for a given model error bound. Examples show that a better balance between robustness and performance is obtained using the mixed H2/H(infinity) design method than either H2 or mu-synthesis control design. A second contribution is a new procedure for closed-loop system identification which refines parameters of a control design model in a canonical realization. Examples demonstrate convergence of the parameter estimation and improved performance realized by using the refined model for controller redesign. These developments result in an effective mechanism for achieving high-performance control of flexible space structures

Development of homotopy algorithms for fixed-order mixed H2/H(infinity) controller synthesis

A major difficulty associated with H-infinity and mu-synthesis methods is the order of the resulting compensator. Whereas model and/or controller reduction techniques are sometimes applied, performance and robustness properties are not preserved. By directly constraining compensator order during the optimization process, these properties are better preserved, albeit at the expense of computational complexity. This paper presents a novel homotopy algorithm to synthesize fixed-order mixed H2/H-infinity compensators. Numerical results are presented for a four-disk flexible structure to evaluate the efficiency of the algorithm

Preserving Alaska's early Cold War legacy.

The US Air Force owns and operates numerous facilities that were constructed during the Cold War era. The end of the Cold War prompted many changes in the operation of these properties: missions changed, facilities were modified, and entire bases were closed or realigned. The widespread downsizing of the US military stimulated concern over the potential loss of properties that had acquired historical value in the context of the Cold War. In response, the US Department of Defense in 1991 initiated a broad effort to inventory properties of this era. US Air Force installations in Alaska were in the forefront of these evaluations because of the role of the Cold War in the state's development and history and the high interest on the part of the Alaska State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) in these properties. The 611th Air Support Group (611 ASG) owns many of Alaska's early Cold War properties, most were associated with strategic air defense. The 611 ASG determined that three systems it operates, which were all part of the integrated defense against Soviet nuclear strategic bomber threat, were eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and would require treatment as historic properties. These systems include the Aircraft Control and Warning (AC&W) System, the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line, and Forward Operating Bases (FOBs). As part of a massive cleanup operation, Clean Sweep, the 611 ASG plans to demolish many of the properties associated with these systems. To mitigate the effects of demolition, the 611 ASG negotiated agreements on the system level (e.g., the DEW Line) with the Alaska SHPO to document the history and architectural/engineering features associated with these properties. This system approach allowed the US Air Force to mitigate effects on many individual properties in a more cost-effective and efficient manner

NO EVIDENCE FOR THE IN VIVO INDUCTION OF GENOMIC INSTABILITY BY LOW DOSES OF 137CS GAMMA RAYS IN BONE MARROW CELLS OF BALB/CJ AND C57BL/6J MICE

In spite of extensive research, assessment of potential health risks associated with exposure to low-dose (≤ 0.1 Gy) radiation is still challenging. We evaluated the in vivo induction of genomic instability, expressed as late-occurring chromosome aberrations, in bone- marrow cells of two strains of mouse with different genetic background, i.e. the radiosensitive BALB/cJ and the radioresistant C57BL/6J strains following a whole-body exposure to varying doses of 137Cs gamma rays (0, 0.05, 0.1, and 1.0 Gy). A total of five mice per dose per strain were sacrificed at various times post-irradiation up to 6 months for sample collections. Three-color fluorescence in situ hybridization for mouse chromosomes 1, 2, and 3 was used for the analysis of stable-aberrations in metaphase-cells. All other visible gross structural-abnormalities involving non-painted-chromosomes were also evaluated on the same metaphase-cells used for scoring the stable-aberrations of painted-chromosomes. Our new data demonstrated in bone-marrow cells from both strains that low doses of low LET-radiation (as low as 0.05 Gy) are incapable of inducing genomic instability but are capable of reducing specific aberration-types below the spontaneous rate with time post- irradiation. However, the results showed the induction of genomic instability by 1.0 Gy of 137Cs gamma rays in the radiosensitive strain only

A CE assay for the detection of agonist-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity

A CE assay was developed for the detection of adenylyl cyclase (AC) activity stimulated at the AC and G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) level. In the assay, cell membranes overexpressing GPCR and/or AC were incubated with modulators and substrate ATP to produce cAMP in a dose-dependent manner. In both the CE-UV and a radiochemical assay, the addition of forskolin (FSK) resulted in a two- to three-fold maximum increase in AC activity with EC 50 s of 4.2 14± 140.7 and 2.4 14± 140.7 14ΜM, respectively, demonstrating that similar results were obtained by both assays. GPCR activation was also detected using cell membranes overexpressing AC and the Β 2 -adrenergic receptor (Β 2 AR) fused to the stimulatory G protein. Terbutaline (Β 2 AR agonist) increased the basal rate of cAMP formation 1.7 14± 140.1-fold resulting in an EC 50 of 62 14± 1410 14nM. The assay's ability to detect antagonists is demonstrated by the expected right-shifted EC 50 of terbutaline by the Β 2 AR antagonist propranolol. The CE-UV assay offers advantages over the traditional radioactivity assay in terms of safety and labor.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/56060/1/1913_ftp.pd

Damping Mechanisms for Microgravity Vibration Isolation (MSFC Center Director's Discretionary Fund Final Report, Project No. 94-07)

As a research facility for microgravity science, the International Space Station (ISS) will be used for numerous investigations such as protein crystal growth, combustion, and fluid mechanics experiments which require a quiescent acceleration environment across a broad spectrum of frequencies. These experiments are most sensitive to low-frequency accelerations and can tolerate much higher accelerations at higher frequency. However, the anticipated acceleration environment on ISS significantly exceeds the required acceleration level. The ubiquity and difficulty in characterization of the disturbance sources precludes source isolation, requiring vibration isolation to attenuate the anticipated disturbances to an acceptable level. This memorandum reports the results of research in active control methods for microgravity vibration isolation

Quaternary structure of a G-protein coupled receptor heterotetramer in complex with Gi and Gs

Background: G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), in the form of monomers or homodimers that bind heterotrimeric G proteins, are fundamental in the transfer of extracellular stimuli to intracellular signaling pathways. Different GPCRs may also interact to form heteromers that are novel signaling units. Despite the exponential growth in the number of solved GPCR crystal structures, the structural properties of heteromers remain unknown. Results: We used single-particle tracking experiments in cells expressing functional adenosine A1-A2A receptors fused to fluorescent proteins to show the loss of Brownian movement of the A1 receptor in the presence of the A2A receptor, and a preponderance of cell surface 2:2 receptor heteromers (dimer of dimers). Using computer modeling, aided by bioluminescence resonance energy transfer assays to monitor receptor homomerization and heteromerization and G-protein coupling, we predict the interacting interfaces and propose a quaternary structure of the GPCR tetramer in complex with two G proteins. Conclusions: The combination of results points to a molecular architecture formed by a rhombus-shaped heterotetramer, which is bound to two different interacting heterotrimeric G proteins (Gi and Gs). These novel results constitute an important advance in understanding the molecular intricacies involved in GPCR function