Electrical anomalies on spacecraft due to hypervelocity impacts
One of the main challenges in satellite design is dealing with the threat from the space environment. Numerous spacecraft anomalies are reported on a regular basis and in most of these cases, it is extremely difficult to diagnose the cause of these anomalies/failures. Hypervelocity impacts from meteoroids and orbital debris has recently emerged as possible catalysts for electrical anomalies observed on spacecraft. In this paper, we present a case study and statistical analysis of hypervelocity impact-induced electrical anomalies. We present data showing anomalous currents in the power distribution system on the JASON-1 satellite following a hypervelocity impact. A statistical analysis is carried out using 2413 anomalies from the Ascend satellite anomaly database and 5033 anomalies from the anomaly database maintained in the 1990s by the National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC). We find that there is no correlation between the flux of shower meteoroids and incidence of anomalies. For geostationary satellites, we use NASA's Meteoroid Engineering Model to calculate the flux of sporadic meteoroids at different locations in the orbit and find that the incidence rate of anomalies is significantly higher in regions with high average meteoroid flux. These results serve as a strong indicator of electrical damage caused by electromagnetic emissions from meteoroid impacts.
Detecting the meteoroid by measuring the electromagnetic waves excited by the collision between the hypervelocity meteoroid and spacecraft
The electromagnetic pulse excited by the collision between a hypervelocity meteoroid and a spacecraft is studied both numerically and theoretically. It is found that there are two kinds of electromagnetic pulse. The high-frequency electromagnetic pulse may be excited by the sum of all the electric dipoles. Each electron can be considered as an electric dipole. The low-frequency electromagnetic pulse is produced by the Langmuir oscillation of electrons. The energy flux density and the duration time of the excited low-frequency electromagnetic pulse by the meteoroid are also studied in the present paper. It is shown that the energy flux density increases as either the impact speed or the mass of the meteoroid increases. It is also shown that the duration time decreases as both the impact speed and the mass of the meteoroid increase. By measuring the strength and the duration time of the electromagnetic pulse excited by the collision between the hypervelocity meteoroid and spacecraft, we can estimate the speed and the mass of the hypervelocity meteoroid, which will be helpful in space flight and space exploration.
Early Cretaceous Feathers from Victoria
Unusually well preserved fossil feathers from Lower Cretaceous (VaIanginian-Aptian) claystones at Koonwarra, Victoria, are the oldest (c. 110-125 million years) bird remains yet found in the southern hemisphere, They are among the oldest bird remains known in the world, being antedated only by the toothed Archaeopteryx from the late Jurassic of Bavaria, and being more or less the same age as Gallornis from the Lower Cretaceous of France. The Victorian fossil feathers are evidence for essentially worldwide distribution of birds soon after the beginning of the Cretaceous, if not before. The feathers could conceivably have come from toothed birds.