The authors, leading representatives of Russian space research and industry, show the results and future prospects of astronautics at the start of the third millennium. The focus is on the development of astronautics in Russia in the new historical and economic conditions, but the book also covers the development in the USA, Europe, China, Japan, and India. It spotlights the basic trends in space related issues: necessary restructuring of space industry and spaceports, improvement of carrier rockets, booster units, spacecraft, and component elements. The possibilities of the wide use of space technologies and its numerous applications such as navigation and communication, space manufacturing, space biotechnology, pollution research, etc. are described. The book contains a huge amount of facts described in a way understandable without specialist knowledge and accompanied by many photographs, charts and diagrams, mostly in color. Therefore the book will be interesting both to experts and to lay readers.

This discussion of sonar signal processing bridges a number of related fields, including acoustic propagation in the medium, detection and estimation theory, filter theory, digital filtering, sensor array processing, spectral analysis, fast transforms and digital signal processing. The book begins with a discussion of the topics of analogue signalling conditioning, digital filtering, and the calculation of the discrete Fourier transform. Other topics discussed include analogue filters and analogue-to-digital conversion, finite impulse and infinite impulse response digital filters, and multirate processing techniques. The book is aimed at sonar, seismic processing, acoustic and radar engineers as well as graduate students.

Here is a history of the development of military missiles and space travel from World War II to the American visits to the Moon in 1969-1972. It stresses the relationship between the early stages of space exploration and the arms race, and that a dual path led to space flight. One was the development of unmanned long-range war rockets, the other, less often noted, was the rocket-powered research plane. The first path led through the intercontinental ballistic missile to the first artificial satellites and space capsule; the latter, more uniquely American, through the X-series and Skyrocket rocket planes to the X-15, and ultimately to the Space Shuttle. The early part of the book focuses on the Soviet-American race to develop the ICBM in the 1950s, and the first satellites, with particular attention paid to the events and reactions that followed the flight of Sputnik I in 1957 and the subsequent missile gap era.

Jackups, semisubmersibles and drillships are the marine vessels used to drill offshore wells and are referred to collectively as mobile offshore drilling units (MODUs). MODUs are supplied through newbuild construction and operate throughout the world in highly competitive regional markets. The Offshore Drilling Industry and Rig Construction Market in the Gulf of Mexico examines the global MODU service and construction industry and describes the economic impacts of rig construction in the United States. The industrial organization and major players in the contract drilling and construction markets are described and categorized. Dayrates in the contract drilling market are evaluated and hypotheses regarding dayrate factors are tested. Models of contractor decision-making are developed, including a net-present value model of newbuilding investment and stacking decisions, and market capitalization models are derived. Jackup construction shipyards and processes are reviewed along with estimates of labor, equipment, and material cost in U.S. construction. Derivation of newbuild and replacement cost functions completes the treatise. The comprehensive and authoritative coverage of The Offshore Drilling Industry and Rig Construction Market in the Gulf of Mexico makes it an ideal reference for engineers, industry professionals, policy analysts, government regulators, academics and other readers wanting to learn more about this important and fascinating industry.

The review articles collected in this volume present a critical assessment of particle acceleration mechanisms and observations from suprathermal particles in the magnetosphere and heliosphere to high-energy cosmic rays, thus covering a range of energies over seventeen orders of magnitude, from 103 eV to 1020 eV. The main themes are observations of accelerated populations from the magnetosphere to extragalactic scales and assessments of the physical processes underlying particle acceleration in different environments (magnetospheres, the solar atmosphere, the heliosphere, supernova remnants, pulsar wind nebulae and relativistic outflows). Several contributions review the status of shock acceleration in different environments and also the role of turbulence in particle acceleration. Observational results are compared with modelling in different parameter regimes. The book concludes with contributions on the status of particle acceleration research and its future perspectives. This volume is aimed at graduate students and researchers active in astrophysics and space science. Previously published in Space Science Reviews journal, Vol. 173 Nos. 1-4, 2012.

The book focuses on the orbital dynamics and mission trajectory (transfer or target trajectory) design of low-energy flight in the context of modern astrodynamics. It investigates various topics that either offer new methods for solving classical problems or address emerging problems that have yet to be studied, including low-thrust transfer trajectory design using the virtual gravity field method; transfer in the three-body system using invariant manifolds; formation flying under space-borne artificial magnetic fields; and the orbital dynamics of highly irregular asteroids. It also features an extensive study of the orbital dynamics in the vicinity of contact binary asteroids, including the 1:1 ground-track resonance, the equilibrium points and their stability, and the third-order analytical solution of orbital motion in the vicinity of the non-collinear equilibrium point. Given its breadth of coverage, the book offers a valuable reference guide for all engineers and researchers interested in the potential applications of low-energy space missions.

The aim of this book is the pedagogical exploration of the basic principles of quantum-statistical thermodynamics as applied to various states of matter - ranging from rare gases to astrophysical matter with high-energy density. The reader will learn in this work that thermodynamics and quantum statistics are still the concepts on which even the most advanced research is operating - despite of a flood of modern concepts, classical entities like temperature, pressure, energy and entropy are shown to remain fundamental. The physics of gases, plasmas and high-energy density matter is still a growing field and even though solids and liquids dominate our daily life, more than 99 percent of the visible Universe is in the state of gases and plasmas and the overwhelming part of matter exists at extreme conditions connected with very large energy densities, such as in the interior of stars. This text, combining material from lectures and advanced seminars given by the authors over many decades, is a must-have introduction and reference for both newcomers and seasoned researchers alike.

Government agencies have tended to attempt to project favorable public images of themselves as a method of building the public support they need to survive, all the more so in times of increasingly sophisticated communications and decreasingly available financial resources. This study analyzes NASA's efforts to build political support through its public image. Throughout its tumultuous history, the space agency has carefully tailored its use of basic images: nationalism (during the Mercury era), romanticism (during the Apollo era), and pragmatism (during the Shuttle era)--to fit its prevailing political circumstances. This in-depth study will be of keen interest to scholars in political science and political communication.

This book reports the results of exhaustive research work on modeling and control of vertical oil well drilling systems. It is focused on the analysis of the system-dynamic response and the elimination of the most damaging drill string vibration modes affecting overall perforation performance: stick-slip (torsional vibration) and bit-bounce (axial vibration). The text is organized in three parts. The first part, Modeling, presents lumped- and distributed-parameter models that allow the dynamic behavior of the drill string to be characterized; a comprehensive mathematical model taking into account mechanical and electric components of the overall drilling system is also provided. The distributed nature of the system is accommodated by considering a system of wave equations subject to nonlinear boundary conditions; this model is transformed into a pair of neutral-type time-delay equations which can overcome the complexity involved in the analysis and simulation of the partial differential equation model. The second part, Analysis, is devoted to the study of the response of the system described by the time-delay model; important properties useful for analyzing system stability are investigated and frequency- and time-domain techniques are reviewed. Part III, Control, concerns the design of stabilizing control laws aimed at eliminating undesirable drilling vibrations; diverse control techniques based on infinite--dimensional system representations are designed and evaluated. The control proposals are shown to be effective in suppressing stick-slip and bit-bounce so that a considerable improvement of the overall drilling performance can be achieved. This self-contained book provides operational guidelines to avoid drilling vibrations. Furthermore, since the modeling and control techniques presented here can be generalized to treat diverse engineering problems, it constitutes a useful resource to researchers working on control and its engineering application in oil well drilling.

In this book an international group of specialists discusses studies of exoplanets subjected to extreme stellar radiation and plasma conditions. It is shown that such studies will help us to understand how terrestrial planets and their atmospheres, including the early Venus, Earth and Mars, evolved during the host star's active early phase. The book presents an analysis of findings from Hubble Space Telescope observations of transiting exoplanets, as well as applications of advanced numerical models for characterizing the upper atmosphere structure and stellar environments of exoplanets. The authors also address detections of atoms and molecules in the atmosphere of "hot Jupiters" by NASA's Spitzer telescope. The observational and theoretical investigations and discoveries presented are both timely and important in the context of the next generation of space telescopes. The book is divided into four main parts, grouping chapters on exoplanet host star radiation and plasma environments, exoplanet upper atmosphere and environment observations, exoplanet and stellar magnetospheres, and exoplanet observation and characterization. The book closes with an outlook on the future of this research field.

This book presents lecture materials from the Third LOFAR Data School, transformed into a coherent and complete reference book describing the LOFAR design, along with descriptions of primary science cases, data processing techniques, and recipes for data handling. Together with hands-on exercises the chapters, based on the lecture notes, teach fundamentals and practical knowledge. LOFAR is a new and innovative radio telescope operating at low radio frequencies (10-250 MHz) and is the first of a new generation of radio interferometers that are leading the way to the ambitious Square Kilometre Array (SKA) to be built in the next decade. This unique reference guide serves as a primary information source for research groups around the world that seek to make the most of LOFAR data, as well as those who will push these topics forward to the next level with the design, construction, and realization of the SKA. This book will also be useful as supplementary reading material for any astrophysics overview or astrophysical techniques course, particularly those geared towards radio astronomy (and radio astronomy techniques).

Sonar performance modelling (SPM) is concerned with the prediction of quantitative measures of sonar performance, such as probability of detection. It is a multi-disciplinary subject, requiring knowledge and expertise in the disparate fields of underwater acoustics, acoustical oceanography, sonar signal processing and statistical detection theory. No books have been published on this subject, however, since the 3rd edition of Urick s classic work 25 years ago and so Dr Ainslie s book will fill a much-needed gap in the market. Currently, up-to-date information can only be found, in different forms and often with conflicting information, in various journals, conference and textbook publications.

Dr Michael Ainslie is eminently qualified to write this unique book. He has worked on sonar performance modeling problems since 1983. He has written many peer reviewed research articles and conference papers related to sonar performance modeling, making contributions in the fields of sound propagation and detection theory."

Practical Ship Hydrodynamics, Second Edition, introduces the reader to modern ship hydrodynamics. It describes experimental and numerical methods for ship resistance and propulsion, maneuvering, seakeeping, hydrodynamic aspects of ship vibrations, and hydrodynamic options for fuel efficiency, as well as new developments in computational methods and model testing techniques relating to marine design and development. Organized into six chapters, the book begins with an overview of problems and approaches, including the basics of modeling and full-scale testing, prediction of ship hydrodynamic performance, and viscous flow computations. It proceeds with a discussion of the marine applications of computational fluid dynamics and boundary element methods, factors affecting ship hydrodynamics, and simple design estimates of hydrodynamic quantities such as resistance and wake fraction. Seakeeping of ships is investigated with respect to issues such as maximum speed in a seaway, route optimization (routing), structural design of the ship with respect to loads in seaways, and habitation comfort and safety of people on board. Exercises and solutions, formula derivations, and texts are included to support teaching or self-studies. This book is suitable for marine engineering students in design and hydrodynamics courses, professors teaching a course in general fluid dynamics, practicing marine engineers and naval architects, and consulting marine engineers.

This book is intended to be a text for undergraduate students of coastal engineering. It also serves as a reference for graduate students and practicing engineers, building on a basic foundation in coastal engineering. Finally, it is a guide for people in related disciplines. Coastal managers may use the book to cover the more theoretical and engineering-related aspects of their trade. Its subject matter is of interest to geographers, planners and coastal scientists alike.

This book constitutes a multidisciplinary introduction to the analysis of air defence systems. It supplies the tools to carry out independent analysis. Individual sections deal with threat missions, observability, manoeuvrability and vulnerability. With the support of several examples, the text illustrates 12 air defence process models. These models form the foundation for any air defence system analysis, covering initial detection to kill assessment.

A guide to the wide-variety of waste valorisation techniques related to various biomass, waste materials and by products Waste Valorisation provides a comprehensive review of waste chemistry and its application to the generation of value-added products. The authors - noted experts on the topic - offer a clear understanding of waste diversity, drivers and policies governing its valorisation based on the location. The book provides information on the principles behind various valorisation schemes and offers a description of general treatment options with their evaluation guidelines in terms of cost, energy consumption and waste generation. Each of the book's chapters contain an introduction which summarises the current production and processing methods, yields, energy sources and other pertinent information for each specific type of waste. The authors focus on the most relevant novel technologies for value-added processing of waste streams or industrial by-products which can readily be integrated into current waste management systems. They also provide the pertinent technical, economic, social and environmental evaluations of bioconversions as future sustainable technologies in a biorefinery. This important book: Presents the most current technologies which integrate waste and/or by-product valorisation Includes discussions on end-product purity and life-cycle assessment challenges Explores relevant novel technologies for value-added processing of waste streams or industrial by-products which can be integrated into current waste management systems Offers a guide to waste reuse, a key sustainability goal for existing biorefineries wishing to reduce material and environmental costs Written for academic researchers and industrial scientists working in agricultural and food production, bioconversions and waste management professionals, Waste Valorisation is an authoritative guide to the chemistry and applications of waste materials and provides an overview of the most recent developments in the field.

Compliant mechanisms and actuators are growing in importance due to their benefits in robotics, medical technology, sensor applications, or in handling compressible objects. This book helps to understand the mechanical behavior of compliant systems. Suggested classifications and different modeling methods are shown that allow for the description of compliant systems.

As the first comprehensive and authoritative review of intra-seasonal variability (ISV), this multi-author work balances coverage of observation, theory and modeling and provides a single source of reference for all those interested in this important, multi-faceted natural phenomenon and its relation to major short-term climatic variations. Commencing with an overview of ISV and observations from an historical perspective, the book offers successive chapters that deal with the role of ISV in monsoon variability on the monsoon regions of South Asia, East Asia and South America, in North America, and in the oceans. The coupling between ocean and atmosphere is considered, together with the function of angular momentum and Earth rotation. Later chapters deal with modeling ISV in the atmosphere and oceans, and the connection between the Madden and Julian Oscillations, and El Nino/Southern Oscillation with short-term climate are considered.

Microphone arrays have attracted a lot of interest over the last few decades since they have the potential to solve many important problems such as noise reduction/speech enhancement, source separation, dereverberation, spatial sound recording, and source localization/tracking, to name a few. However, the design and implementation of microphone arrays with beamforming algorithms is not a trivial task when it comes to processing broadband signals such as speech. Indeed, in most sensor arrangements, the beamformer output tends to have a frequency-dependent response. One exception, perhaps, is the family of differential microphone arrays (DMAs) who have the promise to form frequency-independent responses. Moreover, they have the potential to attain high directional gains with small and compact apertures. As a result, this type of microphone arrays has drawn much research and development attention recently. This book is intended to provide a systematic study of DMAs from a signal processing perspective. The primary objective is to develop a rigorous but yet simple theory

for the design, implementation, and performance analysis of DMAs. The theory includes some signal processing techniques for the design of commonly used first-order, second-order, third-order, and also the general "N"th-order DMAs. For each order, particular examples are given on how to form standard directional patterns such as the dipole, cardioid, supercardioid, hypercardioid, subcardioid, and quadrupole. The study demonstrates the performance of the different order DMAs in terms of beampattern, directivity factor, white noise gain, and gain for point sources. The inherent relationship between differential processing and adaptive beamforming is discussed, which provides a better understanding of DMAs and why they can achieve high directional gain. Finally, we show how to design DMAs that can be robust against white noise amplification.

Analytical solutions to the orbital motion of celestial objects have been nowadays mostly replaced by numerical solutions, but they are still irreplaceable whenever speed is to be preferred to accuracy, or to simplify a dynamical model. In this book, the most common orbital perturbations problems are discussed according to the Lie transforms method, which is the de facto standard in analytical orbital motion calculations.