The NASA controls-structures interaction technology program

The interaction between a flexible spacecraft structure and its control system is commonly referred to as controls-structures interaction (CSI). The CSI technology program is developing the capability and confidence to integrate the structure and control system, so as to avoid interactions that cause problems and to exploit interactions to increase spacecraft capability. A NASA program has been initiated to advance CSI technology to a point where it can be used in spacecraft design for future missions. The CSI technology program is a multicenter program utilizing the resources of the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC), the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), and the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The purpose is to describe the current activities, results to date, and future activities of the NASA CSI technology program

Conference on Early Mars: Geologic and Hydrologic Evolution, Physical and Chemical Environments, and the Implications for Life

Topics considered include: Geology alteration and life in an extreme environment; developing a chemical code to identify magnetic biominerals; effect of impacts on early Martin geologic evolution; spectroscopic identification of minerals in Hematite-bearing soils and sediments; exopaleontology and the search for a Fossil record on Mars; geochemical evolution of the crust of Mars; geological evolution of the early earth;solar-wind-induced erosion of the Mars atmosphere. Also included geological evolution of the crust of Mars

Inverted Martian Craters in Lineated Glacial Valleys, Ismenius Lacus Region, Mars

We studied small, uniquely-shaped craters found on the surface of lineated terrain in the Ismenius Lacus region of Mars. By utilizing MOC and THEMIS satellite images, we located terrain including lineations (viscous flow features), smoothing of topography, and morphologic features such as polygons and gullies, which appear to be strong evidence of preexisting ice deposits

Hydrothermal Processes and Mobile Element Transport in Martian Impact Craters - Evidence from Terrestrial Analogue Craters

Hydrothermal alteration and chemical transport involving impact craters probably occurred on Mars throughout its history. Our studies of alteration products and mobile element transport in ejecta blanket and drill core samples from impact craters show that these processes may have contributed to the surface composition of Mars. Recent work on the Chicxulub Yaxcopoil-1 drill core has provided important information on the relative mobility of many elements that may be relevant to Mars. The Chicxulub impact structure in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and offshore in the Gulf of Mexico is one of the largest impact craters identified on the Earth, has a diameter of 180-200 km, and is associated with the mass extinctions at the K/T boundary. The Yax-1 hole was drilled in 2001 and 2002 on the Yaxcopoil hacienda near Merida on the Yucatan Peninsula. Yax-1 is located just outside of the transient cavity, which explains some of the unusual characteristics of the core stratigraphy. No typical impact melt sheet was encountered in the hole and most of the Yax-1 impactites are breccias. In particular, the impact melt and breccias are only 100 m thick which is surprising taking into account the considerably thicker breccia accumulations towards the center of the structure and farther outside the transient crater encountered by other drill holes

STABCAR: A program for finding characteristic root systems having transcendental stability matrices

STABCAR can be used to determine the characteristic roots of flexible, actively controlled aircraft, including the effects of unsteady aerodynamics. A modal formulation and a transfer-matrix representation of the control system are employed. Operable in either a batch or an interactive mode, STABCAR can provide graphical or tabular output of the variation of the roots with velocity, density, altitude, dynamic pressure or feedback gains. Herein the mathematical model, program structure, input requirements, output capabilities, and a series of sample cases are detailed. STABCAR was written for use on CDC CYBER 175 equipment; modification would be required for operation on other machines

ChemCam Investigation of the Last Four MSL Drill Sites in the Murray Formation, Gale Crater, Mars

This study utilizes ChemCam data for outcrop surfaces, drill hole walls, tailings, and dump piles in the Middle Murray Formation to investigate chemical variations with depth in the drill holes and pos-sible effects of the drilling and sample processing. This work is a continuation of similar work on drill sites at Yellowknife Bay [1], the Pahrump Hills [2], and the Stimson Formation [3]

Apatites in Gale Crater

ChemCam is an active remote sensing instrument suite that has operated successfully on MSL since landing Aug. 6th, 2012. It uses laser pulses to remove dust and to analyze rocks up to 7 m away. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) obtains emission spectra of materials ablated from the samples in electronically excited states. The intensities of the emission lines scale with the abundances of the related element. ChemCam is sensitive to most major rock-forming elements as well as to a set of minor and trace elements such as F, Cl, Li, P, Sr, Ba, and Rb. The measured chemical composition can then be used to infer the mineralogical composition of the ablated material. Here, we report a summary of inferred apatite detections along the MSL traverse at Gale Crater. We present the geologic settings of these findings and derive some interpretations about the formation conditions of apatite in time and space

Exploring Martian Impact Craters: Why They are Important for the Search for Life

Fluvial features and evidence for aqueous alteration indicate that Mars was wet, at least partially and/or periodically, in the Noachian. Also, impact cratering appears to have been the dominant geological process [1] during that epoch. Thus, investigation of Noachian craters will further our understanding of this geologic process, its effects on the water-bearing Martian crust, and any life that may have been present at the time. Impact events disturbed and heated the water- and/or ice-bearing crust, likely initiated long-lived hydrothermal systems [2-4], and formed crater lakes [5], creating environments suitable for life [6]. Thus, Noachian impact craters are particularly important exploration targets because they provide a window into warm, water-rich environments of the past which were possibly conducive to life. In addition to the presence of lake deposits, assessment of the presence of hydrothermal deposits in the walls, floors and uplifts of craters is important in the search for life on Mars. Impact craters are also important for astrobiological exploration in other ways. For example, smaller craters can be used as natural excavation pits, and so can provide information and samples that would otherwise be inaccessible (e.g., [7]). In addition, larger (> ~75 km) craters can excavate material from a potentially habitable region, even on present-day Mars, located beneath a >5-km deep cryosphere

Search for the exotic Ξ−−(1860)\Xi^{--}(1860) Resonance in 340GeV/c Σ−\Sigma^--Nucleus Interactions

We report on a high statistics search for the $\Xi^{--}(1860)$ resonance in $\Sigma^-$-nucleus collisions at 340GeV/c. No evidence for this resonance is found in our data sample which contains 676000 $\Xi^-$ candidates above background. For the decay channel $\Xi^{--}(1860) \to \Xi^-\pi^-$ and the kinematic range 0.15$<x_F<$0.9 we find a 3$\sigma$ upper limit for the production cross section of 3.1 and 3.5 $\mu$b per nucleon for reactions with carbon and copper, respectively.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, modification of ref. 43 and 4