The Behavior Of Systems In The Space Environment

This ASI emphasized the basic physics of the space environment and the engineering aspects of the environment's interactions with spacecraft. The objective of the ASI was to bring together the latest data characterizing the space environment and the analyses of the interactions of spacecraft systems operating in that environment. The first is the emerging perspective of the space environment that has resulted from the vast quantity of new data on space physics that has been obtained recently. These data have provided a revised understanding of the near-earth space environment as well as the interplanetary regions. The second is related to the worldwide renewal of interest in extended space operations for military, commercial, and scientific missions. The ability of the spacecraft engineers to properly design and build spacecraft to accommodate the interactions of their systems with the space environment will pace the future uses of space. The theme of the Institute was the enhacement of scientific communication and exchange among academic, industrial, and government laboratory groups having a common interest in the behavior of systems in the environment of space. In line with the focus of the Institute, the program was organized into three main sessions: an introduction to and historical perspective of the space environment; the physics of the interactions of materials and components with the space environment; and, lastly, the engineering of systems for operations in the environment.

A NATO Advanced Study Institute (ASI) on the Behavior of Systems in the Space Environment was held at the Atholl Palace Hotel, Pitlochry, Perthshire, Scotland, from July 7 through July 19, 1991. This publication is the Proceedings of the Institute. The NATO Advanced Study Institute Program of the NATO Science Committee is a unique and valuable forum, under whose auspices almost one thousand international tutorial meetings have been held since the inception of the program in 1959. The ASI is intended to be primarily a high-level teaching activity at which a carefully defined subject is presented in a systematic and coherently structured program. The subject is treated in considerable depth by lecturers eminent; in their :(ield and of international standing. The subject is presented to other scientists who either will already have specialized in the field or possess an advanced general background. The ASI is aimed at approximately the post-doctoral level. This ASI emphasized the basic physics of the space environment and the engineering aspects of the environment's interactions with spacecraft.

This full-color textbook will help students and professionals understand the space environment and its impacts on spacecraft design, engineering, and performance. While the primary emphasis of the book is the Earth's environment and its effects on spacecraft, it also addresses the extraterrestrial environment and the effects of radiation on humans in space. The book begins with an introduction to the history of spacecraft failures, risk management reliability and quality assurance techniques, and parts reliability. It goes on to provide an overview of the structure of the Sun: the structure, origin, and models of the geomagnetic field; gravitational field of the Earth; Earth's magnetosphere and radiation environment; neutral environment including fundamentals of the kinetic theory of gasses; variation of pressure with altitude and hypoxia of humans; electromagnetic propagation; the effect of atomic oxygen of materials; plasma surrounding the Earth; transport and effects of photon

The breakup of the Space Shuttle Columbia as it reentered Earth's atmosphere on February 1, 2003, reminded the public--and NASA--of the grave risks posed to spacecraft by everything from insulating foam to space debris. Here, Alan Tribble presents a singular, up-to-date account of a wide range of less conspicuous but no less consequential environmental effects that can damage or cause poor performance of orbiting spacecraft. Conveying a wealth of insight into the nature of the space environment and how spacecraft interact with it, he covers design modifications aimed at eliminating or reducing such environmental effects as solar absorptance increases caused by self-contamination, materials erosion by atomic oxygen, electrical discharges due to spacecraft charging, degradation of electrical circuits by radiation, and bombardment by micrometeorites. This book is unique in that it bridges the gap between studies of the space environment as performed by space physicists and spacecraft design engineering as practiced by aerospace engineers.

More than four decades have passed since a human first set foot on the Moon. Great strides have been made in our understanding of what is required to support an enduring human presence in space, as evidenced by progressively more advanced orbiting human outposts, culminating in the current International Space Station (ISS). However, of the more than 500 humans who have so far ventured into space, most have gone only as far as near-Earth orbit, and none have traveled beyond the orbit of the Moon. Achieving humans' further progress into the solar system had proved far more difficult than imagined in the heady days of the Apollo missions, but the potential rewards remain substantial. During its more than 50-year history, NASA's success in human space exploration has depended on the agency's ability to effectively address a wide range of biomedical, engineering, physical science, and related obstacles-an achievement made possible by NASA's strong and productive commitments to life and physical sciences research for human space exploration, and by its use of human space exploration infrastructures for scientific discovery. The Committee for the Decadal Survey of Biological and Physical Sciences acknowledges the many achievements of NASA, which are all the more remarkable given budgetary challenges and changing directions within the agency. In the past decade, however, a consequence of those challenges has been a life and physical sciences research program that was dramatically reduced in both scale and scope, with the result that the agency is poorly positioned to take full advantage of the scientific opportunities offered by the now fully equipped and staffed ISS laboratory, or to effectively pursue the scientific research needed to support the development of advanced human exploration capabilities. Although its review has left it deeply concerned about the current state of NASA's life and physical sciences research, the Committee for the Decadal Survey on Biological and Physical Sciences in Space is nevertheless convinced that a focused science and engineering program can achieve successes that will bring the space community, the U.S. public, and policymakers to an understanding that we are ready for the next significant phase of human space exploration. The goal of this report is to lay out steps and develop a forward-looking portfolio of research that will provide the basis for recapturing the excitement and value of human spaceflight-thereby enabling the U.S. space program to deliver on new exploration initiatives that serve the nation, excite the public, and place the United States again at the forefront of space exploration for the global good.

Science, engineering, and technology permeate nearly every facet of modern life and hold the key to solving many of humanity's most pressing current and future challenges. The United States' position in the global economy is declining, in part because U.S. workers lack fundamental knowledge in these fields. To address the critical issues of U.S. competitiveness and to better prepare the workforce, A Framework for K-12 Science Education proposes a new approach to K-12 science education that will capture students' interest and provide them with the necessary foundational knowledge in the field. A Framework for K-12 Science Education outlines a broad set of expectations for students in science and engineering in grades K-12. These expectations will inform the development of new standards for K-12 science education and, subsequently, revisions to curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional development for educators. This book identifies three dimensions that convey the core ideas and practices around which science and engineering education in these grades should be built. These three dimensions are: crosscutting concepts that unify the study of science through their common application across science and engineering; scientific and engineering practices; and disciplinary core ideas in the physical sciences, life sciences, and earth and space sciences and for engineering, technology, and the applications of science. The overarching goal is for all high school graduates to have sufficient knowledge of science and engineering to engage in public discussions on science-related issues, be careful consumers of scientific and technical information, and enter the careers of their choice. A Framework for K-12 Science Education is the first step in a process that can inform state-level decisions and achieve a research-grounded basis for improving science instruction and learning across the country. The book will guide standards developers, teachers, curriculum designers, assessment developers, state and district science administrators, and educators who teach science in informal environments.

The natural space environment is characterized by many complex and subtle phenomena hostile to spacecraft. The effects of these phenomena impact spacecraft design, development, and operations. Space systems become increasingly susceptible to the space environment as use of composite materials and smaller, faster electronics increases. This trend makes an understanding of the natural space environment essential to accomplish overall mission objectives, especially in the current climate of better/cheaper/faster. This primer provides a brief overview of the natural space environment - definition, related programmatic issues, and effects on various spacecraft subsystems. The primary focus, however, is to catalog, through representative case histories, spacecraft failures and anomalies attributed to the natural space environment. This primer is one in a series of NASA Reference Publications currently being developed by the Electromagnetics and Aerospace Environments Branch, Systems Analysis and Integration Laboratory, Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Bedingfield, Keith, L. and Leach, Richard D. and Alexander, Margaret B. (Editor) Marshall Space Flight Center...