Using space manifold dynamics to deploy a small satellite constellation around the Moon

The possibility of communicating with the far side of the Moon is essential for keeping a continuous radio link with lunar orbiting spacecraft, as well as with manned or unmanned surface facilities in locations characterized by poor coverage from Earth. If the exploration and the exploitation of the Moon must be sustainable in the medium/long term, we need to develop the capability to realize and service such facilities at an affordable cost. Minimizing the spacecraft mass and the number of launches is a driving parameter to this end. The aim of this study is to show how Space Manifold Dynamics can be profitably applied in order to launch three small spacecraft onboard the same launch vehicle and send them to different orbits around the Moon with no significant difference in the Delta-V budgets. Internal manifold transfers are considered to minimize also the transfer time. The approach used is the following: we used the linearized solution of the equations of motion in the Circular Restricted Three Body Problem to determine a first–guess state vector associated with the Weak Stability Boundary regions, either around the collinear Lagrangian point L1 or around the Moon. The resulting vector is then used as initial state in a numerical backward-integration sequence that outputs a trajectory on a manifold. The dynamical model used in the numerical integration is four-body and non-circular, i.e. the perturbations of the Sun and the lunar orbital eccentricity are accounted for. The trajectory found in this way is used as the principal segment of the lunar transfer. After separation, with minor maneuvers each satellite is injected into different orbits that lead to ballistic capture around the Moon. Finally, one or more circularization maneuvers are needed in order to achieve the final circular orbits. The whole mission profile, from launch to insertion into the final lunar orbits, is modeled numerically with the commercial software STK.     

Ecological status in the Ligurian Sea: the effect of coastline urbanisation and the importance of proper reference sites

The assessment of the ecological status, as required by the Water Framework Directive (WFD), plays an important role in coastal zone management, but only a small number of ecological indices are applicable on rocky bottoms. In this study, we apply a previously defined ecological quality index based on the cartography of littoral and upper-sublittoral rocky-shore communities (CARLIT), based on the sensitivity of algae dominated communities to anthropogenic impacts along a moderate urban gradient. We also apply this index in four Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), proposed as reference sites at a regional scale. After comparing the outputs with water variables and other quality indices, we can affirm that (1) the CARLIT index is suitable to detect different kinds of anthropogenic pressures, that (2) the choice of proper reference sites is a focal point in the fulfilment of the WFD (Water Framework Directive) and that (3) historical data are important to define reference conditions and the degradation of ecological status.     

Rare earth elements in groundwater from different Alpine aquifers

Rare earth elements (REE) were determined in 39 groundwater samples collected at 14 sites under low- and high-flow conditions. Water samples derived from aquifers hosted in crystalline, molasse, flysch, carbonate and evaporite rocks located in Western Switzerland. The concentration of REE in groundwater circulating in different rocks showed large variations: lowest concentrations (ΣREE≤10 ng/L) occurred in groundwater from evaporite aquifers; highest concentrations (ΣREE up to 516 ng/L) were observed in carbonate aquifers, although REE in these waters do vary under different hydrological conditions; groundwater from other aquifers had ΣREE from 10 to 100 ng/L. Distinct REE signatures were observed in waters draining specific rocks. The REE patterns in groundwater from crystalline, molasse and flysch aquifers showed heavy-REE enrichment at different degrees. Groundwaters circulating in crystalline rocks were distinguished by negative anomalies in Ce and Eu, whereas those from carbonate aquifers were nearly flat with ΣREE and the magnitude of negative anomaly in Ce is likely to be controlled by iron concentrations. The REE-Post-Archean Australian Shales (PAAS) normalized patterns appear useful to recognize the aquifer type and suggest the possibility to use the REE as geochemical tracers.     

High precision radial velocities with GIANO spectra

Radial velocities (RV) measured from near-infrared (NIR) spectra are a potentially excellent tool to search for extrasolar planets around cool or active stars. High resolution infrared (IR) spectrographs now available are reaching the high precision of visible instruments, with a constant improvement over time. GIANO is an infrared echelle spectrograph at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG) and it is a powerful tool to provide high resolution spectra for accurate RV measurements of exoplanets and for chemical and dynamical studies of stellar or extragalactic objects. No other high spectral resolution IR instrument has GIANO’s capability to cover the entire NIR wavelength range (0.95-2.45 μm) in a single exposure. In this paper we describe the ensemble of procedures that we have developed to measure high precision RVs on GIANO spectra acquired during the Science Verification (SV) run, using the telluric lines as wavelength reference. We used the Cross Correlation Function (CCF) method to determine the velocity for both the star and the telluric lines. For this purpose, we constructed two suitable digital masks that include about 2000 stellar lines, and a similar number of telluric lines. The method is applied to various targets with different spectral type, from K2V to M8 stars. We reached different precisions mainly depending on the H-magnitudes: for H ～ 5 we obtain an rms scatter of ～ 10 m s^?1, while for H ～ 9 the standard deviation increases to ～ 50 ÷ 80 m s^?1. The corresponding theoretical error expectations are ～ 4 m s^?1 and 30 m s^?1, respectively. Finally we provide the RVs measured with our procedure for the targets observed during GIANO Science Verification.     

Non linear shallow water modelling of bore-driven swash: Description of the bottom boundary layer

The paper presents a simple approach to estimate the bottom shear stress in the swash zone by coupling the Non Linear Shallow Water Equations with the momentum integral equation for the bottom boundary layer. The approach allows not only the computation of the frictional dissipation term in the equations but also to have an insight into the flow structure in the water column during a swash event. The numerical results have been compared with a new set of experiments involving a single dam-break generated swash event. Three different grain sizes, ranging from coarse sand to gravel, have been tested in the laboratory.     

Large and small numbers: options for quantifying the costs of extremes on transport now and in 40 years

The past 15 years has been characterized by a high density of record-breaking weather extremes in Europe. These include the extratropical cyclones Lothar, Kyrill and Xynthia across western and mid Europe; the major floods in the UK, Germany and eastern Europe; the heat waves in 2003 and 2007 and, after a long period of mild winters, the heavy winter seasons in 2009/2010 and 2010/2011. Inspired by the rising trends in weather-related damages worldwide and the studies on the topic carried out in overseas, the EC funded the sister projects such as Weather Extremes-Assessing the Impacts on Transport and Hazards for European Regions (WEATHER), EWENT and ECCONET to determine the magnitude of current and future risks to the European transport sector and to assess suitable adaptation strategies. This paper presents the assessment framework of the WEATHER project and the results of weather-inflicted damage costs now and in 2040–2050. Total annual damages are found to be around €2.5 billion, which largely attribute to road traffic. However, broken down to passenger and ton kilometers the highest risk is borne by rail traffic due to its expensive infrastructures and its comparably complex operating structure. This indication even amplifies when looking four decades ahead: while average road transport costs will only raise by 7 % due to milder winters, rail traffic costs may increase by up to 80 % due to more floods and less predictable winter periods. A comparison with the results of the EWENT study uncovers a high range of uncertainty concerning methodological approaches and data treatment. Thus, the final figures might even be much higher.     

Constraints on the Genesis of Potassium-rich Italian Volcanic Rocks from U/Th Disequilibrium

We present new U-series isotope, ⁸⁷Sr/ ⁸⁶Sr, ¹⁴³Nd/ ¹⁴⁴Nd andtrace element data for a set of mafic, K-rich rocks from volcanoesin Central–Southern Italy. These shoshonitic to ultrapotassiclavas display strongly depleted high field strength element(HSFE) abundances with respect to other incompatible trace elementstogether with high but variable ⁸⁷Sr/ ⁸⁶Sr and low but variable¹⁴³Nd/ ¹⁴⁴Nd values. Such characteristics are thought to bedue to addition of subducted crust of variable amount and compositionto their mantle sources prior to magma genesis. Rocks from thenorthernmost region (i.e. Tuscan Magmatic Province and NorthernRoman Magmatic Province) display (²³⁰Th/ ²³⁸U) activity ratiosclose to radioactive equilibrium, suggesting that metasomatismof their sources occurred before 400 ka and recent melting tookplace at shallow depths, in the absence of garnet. A ²³⁸U excessof up to 27% has been measured in rocks from the NeapolitanDistrict. The occurrence of significant U excesses is a featureof arc magmas, but is typically seen in depleted lavas ratherthan in highly enriched rocks such as these (20 ppm Th). Thissignature requires a recent addition of a U-rich component tothe already strongly enriched mantle wedge beneath this regionof Italy. We suggest that a supercritical liquid, from deeplysubducted carbonate-rich sediments of the still-active Ionianslab, is responsible for generating a high-U, low-Th component,which produces the observed disequilibria. A 30% ²³⁰Th excessmeasured in a single unaltered sample from the Lucanian MagmaticProvince, along with a less marked negative HFSE anomaly, suggeststhe contribution of a deeper, garnet-bearing component in thegenesis of these magmas, plausibly related to the upwellingof asthenospheric mantle around the corner of the Ionian slab. KEY WORDS: U/Th disequilibria; potassic and ultrapotassic rocks; subduction: metasomatism; mantle melting; Central and Southern Italy     

Thick self-standing bent crystals as optical elements for a Laue lens for applications in astrophysics

In this paper we report progresses in the realization of self-standing bent crystals, which are suitable as optical elements for Laue lenses, i.e. for optic to focus hard X-rays in the 100–1000 keV energy range. The curvature of the crystals is a key factor to enhance diffraction efficiency and energy bandpass for such an optic. In particular, two bent crystals featuring a thickness of 5 mm, made of Si and Ge respectively, were produced at the Sensor and Semiconductor Laboratory in Ferrara, Italy. The crystals were bent through the application of a carbon fibre composite. This proved to be a relatively low cost method for crystal bending, suitable for mass production. The manufactured samples were characterised via optical interferometry, and showed a fairly uniform curvature. Finally, the samples were tested exploiting hard X-ray diffraction at the ID11 facility of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble, France. A careful analysis of the experimental data highlighted that the samples feature large energy bandpass, wide geometrical acceptance for incoming hard X-rays, and high diffraction efficiency. We therefore conclude that such self-standing crystals are good candidates as Laue lens components for astrophysics applications.     

Improvements in the integration of remote sensing and rock slope modelling

Natural Hazards - Forests are always dangerous to fire in China’s forested regions, and forest fire hazard has long been a serious issue in China. Zhejiang province is one of the key forest...     

The Campo Imperatore Near Earth Object Survey (CINEOS)

The Campo Imperatore Near Earth Object Survey (CINEOS) is an Italian survey dedicated to the search and follow-up of Near Earth Objects (NEOs). It is operated with the 90 cm f/3 Schmidt telescope at the Campo Imperatore of the Rome Astronomical Observatory (INAF-OAR) as a joint project with the Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale and Fisica Cosmica (INAF-IASF) in Rome. Since the end of 2001 CINEOS has covered about 4,250 sq. deg to 20th magnitude in the course of about 160 nights. This effort led to the discovery of 7 Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs), 1 comet (167P/CINEOS; a member of the Centaur group) and a few other unusual objects including 2004 XH₅₀ with a unique comet-like orbit. CINEOS has also contributed almost 2,200 preliminary designations and over 30,000 detections to the Minor Planet Center. About 20% of the survey effort was carried out at low solar elongations (LSE), although no object with an orbit interior (Inner Earth Objects, IEO class) or nearly interior to the Earth (Aten class) was found. The work at LSE was, however, very important to test survey strategies implemented with larger telescopes. We also provide the results of a CINEOS simulation on a reliable NEO population model based on the results of two larger scale surveys, Spacewatch and LINEAR.