Engineering Test Satellite V (ETS-V) is the first Japanese three-axis geostationary satellite of 550kg class. The development objectives of ETS-V are the verification of H-I launch vehicle (three stage test flight), the establishment of key technologies for three axis-stabilized satellite bus, the accumulation of domestic technologies for the future application satellite and mobile communication experiments. ETS-V is to be launched on Aug.20 1987 by H-I launch vehicle from the Tanegashima Space Center of National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA), injected into the geostationary orbit of 150°E and is used for the acquisition of technical data on the satellite bus and for mobile communication experiments for 1.5 years mission life. This article reviews the outlines of the ETS-V system, bus components and experimental transponder called AMEX.

View full abstract

It is required for a vehicle to control lift to drag ratio (L/D) during atmospheric re-entry to keep aerodynamic heat-rate or axial load factor at constant level. The L/D programs under such constraints are analytically solved directly from the equations of motion. A transfer flight mode to connect the constant heat-rate mode and constant axial load mode is introduced and also solved.

View full abstract

The limit of population on earth has been considered as about 30 billions depending on the ecological capacity of earth itself. According to the recent report of United State, world-wide population would reach to 5 billions in this July and continue to increase at rate of doubling every 40 years. The destruction of the global ecological balance based on population increase and the expansion of social and economic activities of human beings is now going to become the problems to be solved programatically in the international cooperation frame work. The world-wide trends of space activities are also going to expand the general human activities on earth to the human activities in space, namely in space infrastructure in order to expand the human activities in space, long duration stays of human beings in space become essential and new self-contained life support system called Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) is to be developed. The research and development of new artificial biosphere -CELSS - would also take an important role for the conservation of earth environment in future. This paper describes the purpose and present status of CELSS development and the key for CELSS.

View full abstract

Embryogenesis of the newt Cynops pyrrhogaster was studied under very weak magnetic fields, eggs and embryos being placed in a magnetic shield room for few days at certain stage of development. They show high rate of abnormal development and death resulted from the change of magnetic environment. The gastrula-neurula stage is most sensitive to this change. For clear-cut space biology studies, magnetic environment should be taken into consideration of experimental configuration and operation.

View full abstract