Vol 51, No 7 (2017)

The RadioAstron ground-space interferometer provides the highest angular resolution achieved now in astronomy. The detection of interferometric fringes from quasars with this angular resolution on baselines of 100–200 thousand km suggests the brightness temperatures which exceed the Compton limit by two orders of magnitude. Polarimetric measurements on ground-space baselines have revealed fine structure testifying to recollimation shocks on scales of 100–250 μas and a helical magnetic field near the base of radio emission in BL Lacertae. Substructure within a the scattering disk of pulsar emission on interferometer baselines (from 60000 to 250000 km) was discovered. This substructure is produced by action of the interstellar interferometer with an effective baseline of about 1 AU and the effective angular resolution of better than 1 μas. Diameters of scattering disks were measured for several pulsars, and distances to diffusing screens were evaluated. The ground-space observations of sources of the maser radiation in lines of water and hydroxyl have shown that the maser sources in star-forming regions remain unresolved on baselines, which considerably exceed the Earth diameter. These very compact and bright features with angular sizes of about 20–60 μas correspond to linear sizes of about 5–10 million km (several solar diameters).

We know the spacecraft orientation before its touchdown on the Martian surface with an accuracy of 3–4°. The spacecraft control can result in a significant horizontal velocity at altitudes lower than 15 meters at the instant when the landing legs contact the surface when data from the radar location system terminates. An independent method for determining the gravity acceleration vector is presented in the paper. This method is implemented using information obtained from the gyro-inertial and radar instrumentation.

The paper describes unmanned spacecraft Luna-9, Luna-10, and similar ones designed by NPO Lavochkin. The history of their development is given, and their high importance in lunar studies is noted. Projects of Luna-Globe, Luna-Resurs, and Luna-Grunt that should be implemented in the near future are briefly described.

In this contribution, I consider those aspects of the modern star formation theory, which can be substantiated with observations in the UV band, paying special attention to early stages of molecular cloud formation and initial conditions for the chemical evolution of starless cores. I describe the main results of available diffuse cloud observations in the UV band, as well as prospective directions for future studies with the instrumentation of the World Space Observatory project.

The main parameters of spectroscopic experiments in the UV range of the electromagnetic spectrum are estimated. Different spectral devices are compared in terms of their potential quality. Some technical details of current UV experiments and prospects of spectrographs of the WSO-UV project are discussed.

Physical conditions in the near-surface layer of the Moon are overviewed. This medium is formed in the course of the permanent micrometeoroid bombardment of the lunar regolith and due to the exposure of the regolith to solar radiation and high-energy charged particles of solar and galactic origin. During a considerable part of a lunar day (more than 20%), the Moon is passing through the Earth’s magnetosphere, where the conditions strongly differ from those in the interplanetary space. The external effects on the lunar regolith form the plasma-dusty medium above the lunar surface, the so-called lunar exosphere, whose characteristic altitude may reach several tens of kilometers. Observations of the near-surface dusty exosphere were carried out with the TV cameras onboard the landers Surveyor 5, 6, and 7 (1967–1968) and with the astrophotometer of Lunokhod-2 (1973). Their results showed that the near-surface layer glows above the sunlit surface of the Moon. This was interpreted as the scattering of solar light by dust particles. Direct detection of particles on the lunar surface was made by the Lunar Ejects and Meteorite (LEAM) instrument deployed by the Apollo 17 astronauts. Recently, the investigations of dust particles were performed by the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) instrument at an altitude of several tens of kilometers. These observations urged forward the development of theoretical models for the lunar exosphere formation, and these models are being continuously improved. However, to date, many issues related to the dynamics of dust and the near-surface electric fields remain unresolved. Further investigations of the lunar exosphere are planned to be performed onboard the Russian landers Luna-Glob and Luna-Resurs.

Methods for calculating heat and erosion impact caused by particles in the Martian atmosphere on the heat protection of the descent module EXOMARS-2 during descent in the atmosphere are presented. Atmosphere models corresponding to climatic conditions when landing on the Martian surface are investigated for the landing site Oxita Planum.

The paper considers a digital modeling complex for the attitude control system of the Auriga Earth remote sensing small spacecraft. Mathematical models of measuring and executive devices are described. The results of spacecraft orbital attitude tests are presented.

An arrangement of the orbital experiment on the measurement of the light propagation delay in the gravitational field of the Earth (Shapiro effect) using laser interferometry based on a cluster of small spacecraft (SC) is proposed. SC layouts, launch technology, and high-precision measurements of their orbital parameters are considered.