The CIAC (Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry) Comprehensive Information System of Rare Earths is composed of three subsystems, namely, extraction data, physicochemical properties, and reference data. This paper describes the databases pertaining to the extraction of rare earths and their physicochemical properties and discusses the relationships between data retrieval and optimization and...

The termites and mud-dauber wasps of West Africa build earthen structures in which their eggs and larvae develop. This paper examines how these insect earths are understood and used in West Africa, focusing on their direct consumption (geophagy) and medicinal qualities. Existing research reveals these earths to be enriched in minerals otherwise lacking in the diets of the region, and suggests t...

We consider the Kehagias-Sfetsos (KS) solution in the Ho!ava-Lifshitz gravity that is the analog of the general relativistic Schwarzschild black hole. In the weak-field and slow-motion approximation, we, first, work out the correction to the third Kepler law of a test particle induced by such a solution. Then, we compare it to the phenomenologically determined orbital period of the transiting e...

ABSTRACT With the flourishing number of small body missions that involve surface interactions, understanding mechanics spacecraft – interactions is crucial for improving our knowledge about landing phases space missions, preparing operations, and interpreting results measurements made during interactions. Given their regolith-covered surfaces, process on a can be considered as an impact at low-...

We examine how the new forthcoming Earth gravity models from the CHAMP and, especially, GRACE missions could improve the measurement of the general relativistic Lense–Thirring effect according to the various kinds of observables which could be adopted. In a very preliminary way, we use the recently released EIGEN2 CHAMP–only and GRACE01S GRACE–only Earth gravity models in order to assess the im...

Electric propulsion has recently become a viable option for robotic missions, enabling shorter flight times, fewer required planetary gravity assists, smaller launch vehicles, and/or larger payloads. Trajectory design of these missions often relies on local optimization of the low-thrust trajectories using starting points for departure and arrival dates and selection of gravitational swing-bys ...

S U M M A R Y Improving the accuracy of the marine gravity field requires both improved altimeter range precision and dense track coverage. After a hiatus of more than 15 yr, a wealth of suitable data is now available from the CryoSat-2, Envisat and Jason-1 satellites. The range precision of these data is significantly improved with respect to the conventional techniques used in operational oce...