The aim of the researches is detecting and exploration of microorganisms of Terrestrial and Cosmic origin. Microorganisms are supposed to be studied in the near-earth space on space objects of manmade origin and on the space bodies of Solar system in the extraterrestrial space, including planets. For research, it is proposed to use the properties of microorganisms to emit a fluorescent glow when they irradiated with flashes of light causing their fluorescence. One of the research tasks is to search for terrestrial microorganisms that have occurred in space from Earth, as well as research of the survival of the terrestrial microorganisms in space conditions which shall be placed in special laboratories on board of the microsatellites on the Earth. The second task is to search for microorganisms on space bodies in interplanetary space by remote sensing of the surface of space bodies by flashes of light. To solve the first problem of this work is considered an example of a micro-laboratory for the study of terrestrial microorganisms located in space conditions in near-earth space on microsatellites. To solve the second problem, is considered an example of remote sensing equipment of space objects for searching for microorganisms on space bodies in interplanetary space which is installed on board of microsatellite created for far space exploration. Concerning to the first task it is shown that in automatic laboratories on microsatellites, it is possible to study the dynamics of microorganisms survival in space in conditions with a fixed habitat similar to earth's and in a changing environment that adequate the entry of microorganisms into open space and return them back to the earth conditions. Concerning to the second task it is shown that colonies of microorganisms on the surface of space bodies can be detected and studied from the orbits of their artificial satellites or from flight path trajectories near the space body at distances in order 200 km, and single microorganisms can be detected and studied at distances in order hundreds of meters

Experimental evidence in favor of or against the existence of a universal mechanism for the acceleration of charged particles in the Universe is analyzed from the modern standpoint. We adopt a purely phenomenological approach to this very intricate problem, discussing spatial scales that range from the magnetospheres of Earth and other planets of the Solar System to the Sun's atmosphere, the heliosphere, supernovae, and extragalactic objects responsible for the generation of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays. We demonstrate a great variety of acceleration mechanisms operating in the Universe. However, data on the nuclear composition of accelerated particles ob-tained in numerous experiments may be indicative of a global nature of the Fermi-type stochastic acceleration mechanism inherent in various astrophysical objects. This mechanism may well be dominant over others, but a number of experimental observations are nevertheless inconsistent with that idea. It is possible that a hierarchy of accelerating mechanisms operates in some space objects, with preliminary acceleration by one mech-anism followed by other mechanisms, acting sequentially or alternatively. We therefore discuss all currently available data for and against the global `presence' of a Fermi-type accelera-tion mechanism.

The number of experiments on-board Lomonosov spacecraft are preparing now at SINP MSU in co-operation with other organisations. The main idea of Lomonosov mission is to study extreme astrophysical phenomena, such as cosmic gamma-ray bursts and ultra-high energy cosmic rays. These phenomena connect with processes occurred in very distant astrophysical objects of the Early Universe and give us information about first stages of Universe evolution. Thus, the Lomonosov mission scientific equipment includes several instruments for gamma-ray burst observation in optics, ultra-violet, X-rays and gamma-rays and the wide aperture telescope for ultra-high energy particle study by detection of ionisation light along its tracks in the atmosphere. The main parameters and a brief description of these instruments are presented.

Mini-EUSO will observe the Earth in the UV range (300 - 400 nm) offering the opportunity to study a variety of atmospheric events such as Transient Luminous Events (TLEs), meteors and marine bioluminescence. Furthermore it aims to search for Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECR) above $10^{21}$ eV and Strange Quark Matter (SQM). The detector is expected to be launched to the International Space Station in August 2019 and look at the Earth in nadir mode from the UV-transparent window of the Zvezda module of the International Space Station. The instrument comprises a compact telescope with a large field of view ($44^{\circ}$), based on an optical system employing two Fresnel lenses for light collection. The light is focused onto an array of 36 multi-anode photomultiplier tubes (MAPMT), for a total of 2304 pixels and the resulting signal is converted into digital, processed and stored via the electronics subsystems on-board. In addition to the main detector, Mini-EUSO contains two ancillary cameras for complementary measurements in the near infrared (1500 - 1600 nm) and visible (400 - 780 nm) range and also a 8x8 SiPM imaging array.

Acceleration of single‐ and multicharged oxygen ions in the perturbed Earth's magnetotail is investigated as the possible source of energetic heavy ions in the ring current. The numerical model is developed that allows evaluating the acceleration of oxygen ions O + ‐O +8 in two possible scenarios of characteristic perturbations: (A) passage of multiple dipolarization fronts in the magnetotail; (B) passage of fronts followed by electromagnetic turbulence. It is shown that acceleration processes depend on particle charges as well as characteristic time scales of induced electric field variations. Maximum energies gained by oxygen ions correlate with values of their charges. Our simulations show that all kinds of single‐ and multiply charged heavy particles can be efficiently accelerated during multiple dipolarizations processes of the type (A) from initial energies 12 keV to maximum energies about several MeV. The gain of energies of heavy ions under the (B) scenario of magnetospheric perturbations is about 10% higher than in (A) scenario. The shapes of obtained in the model energy spectra were shown to be in agreement with experimental spectra in the range of L‐shells corresponding to ring/radiation belts. Therefore, we conclude that the Earth's magnetotail can play the role of the depot where oxygen ions of both ionospheric and solar wind origin can be effectively accelerated during magnetic substorms to energies about several MeV and then populate the ring current and radiation belts of the Earth.

Mini-EUSO is a telescope observing the Earth in the ultraviolet band from the International Space Station. It is a part of the JEM-EUSO program, paving the way to future larger missions, such as K-EUSO and POEMMA, devoted primarily to the observation of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays from space. Mini-EUSO is capable of observing extensive air showers generated by ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays with an energy above 10 21 eV and to detect artificial showers generated with lasers from the ground. Other main scientific objectives of the mission are the search for nuclearites and strange quark matter, the study of atmospheric phenomena such as transient luminous events, meteors, and meteoroids, the observation of sea bioluminescence and of artificial satellites and man-made space debris. Mini-EUSO will map the nighttime Earth in the UV range (290–430 nm), with a spatial resolution of about 6.3 km and a temporal resolution of 2.5 μ s, through a nadir-facing UV-transparent window in the Russian Zvezda module. The instrument, launched on 2019 August 22, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, is based on an optical system employing two Fresnel lenses and a focal surface composed of 36 multianode photomultiplier tubes, 64 channels each, for a total of 2304 channels with single-photon counting sensitivity and an overall field of view of 44°. Mini-EUSO also contains two ancillary cameras to complement measurements in the near-infrared and visible ranges. In this paper, we describe the detector and present the various phenomena observed in the first months of operations.

Mini-EUSO is a UV telescope that will look downwards to the Earth’s atmosphere onboard the International Space Station. With the design of the ultra-high energy cosmic ray fluorescence detectors belonging to the JEM-EUSO program, it will make the first UV map of the Earth by observing atmospheric phenomena such as transient luminous events, sprites and lightning, as well as meteors and bioluminescence from earth. Diffused light from laser shots from the ground, which mimic the fluorescence light emitted by Nitrogen molecules when extensive air showers pass through the atmosphere, can be used to verify the capability of this kind of detector to observe ultra-high energy cosmic rays. To validate the electronics and the trigger algorithms developed for Mini-EUSO, a scaled down version of the telescope with 1:9 of the original focal surface and a lens of 2.5 cm diameter has been built. Tests of the Mini-EUSO engineering model have been made in laboratory and in open sky condition. In this paper, we report results of observations of the night sky, which include the detection of stars, meteors, a planet and a rocket body reflecting the sunlight. Interesting results of the observation of city lights are also reported.

In the paper we present our simulation strategy of the Tunka-Grande, TAIGA-Muon, and TAIGA-HiSCORE arrays in the light of the problem of separation astrophysical high-energy gamma rays from the cosmic ray background. The paper contains a description of our simulation method, based on Geant4 and CORSIKA codes. We also present the prospect of future research with TAIGA (Tunka Advanced Instrument for cosmic rays and Gamma Astronomy) with using the simulation results.

We developed an X-ray detector using 36 arrays, each consisting of a 64-pixellated yttrium oxyorthosilicate (YSO) scintillation crystal and a 64-channel multi-anode photomultiplier tube. The X-ray detector was designed to detect X-rays with energies lower than 10 keV, primarily with the aim of localizing gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). YSO crystals have no intrinsic background, which is advantageous for increasing low-energy sensitivity. The fabricated detector was integrated into UBAT, the payload of the Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory (UFFO)/Lomonosov for GRB observation. The UFFO was successfully operated in space in a low-Earth orbit. In this paper, we present the responses of the X-ray detector of the UBAT engineering model identical to the flight model, using 241Am and 55Fe radioactive sources and an Amptek X-ray tube. We found that the X-ray detector can measure energies lower than 5 keV. As such, we expect YSO crystals to be good candidates for the X-ray detector materials for future GRB missions.

Space Debris (SD) consist of non-operational artificial objects orbiting around the Earth, which could possibly damage space vehicles, such as the International Space Station (ISS) or other manned spacecrafts. The vast majority of such objects are cm-sized, not catalogued and usually the tracking data are not precise enough. Here we present the feasibility study of SD detection and tracking with techniques usually employed in cosmic-ray physics. For this purpose, we have evaluated the possibility of using Mini-EUSO, a space-borne fluorescence telescope to be deployed on the ISS, to track SD illuminated by the Sun. By means of ESAF (EUSO Simulation and analysis Framework) simulation and by developing the trigger algorithms, we estimated the minimum size and maximum distances of detectable SD. We then studied the number of possible SD detections using an ESA software called MASTER (Meteoroid and SD Terrestrial Environment Reference). With the Mini-EUSO Engineering Model (Mini-EUSO EM), we performed some measurements to estimate the reflectance of the most common SD materials and to demonstrate the ability of Mini-EUSO to detect SD events. We also performed some tests in open-sky conditions, identifying and tracking fast-moving objects. In particular, the detection of a rocket body allowed us to confirm the simulation outcomes predictions and the expected performance of the detector.

The TurLab facility is a laboratory, equipped with a 5 m diameter and 1 m depth rotating tank, located in the Physics Department of the University of Turin. Originally, it was mainly built to study systems of different scales where rotation plays a key role in the fluid behavior such as in atmospheric and oceanic flows. In the past few years the TurLab facility has been used to perform experiments related to the observation of Extreme Energy Cosmic Rays (EECRs) from space using the fluorescence technique. For example, in the case of the JEM-EUSO mission, where the diffuse night brightness and artificial light sources can vary significantly in time and space inside the Field of View of the telescope. The Focal Surface of Mini-EUSO Engineering Model (Mini-EUSO EM) with the level 1 (L1) and 2 (L2) trigger logics implemented in the Photo-Detector Module (PDM) has been tested at TurLab. Tests related to the possibility of using an EUSO-like detector for other type of applications such as Space Debris (SD) monitoring and imaging detector have also been pursued. The tests and results obtained within the EUSO@TurLab Project on these different topics are presented.

This paper presents a catalogue of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) that were detected by the instruments onboard the Lomonosov space observatory. The Lomonosov mission gave the first experience of not only multi-wavelength (from optical to gamma) observations of GRBs but also multi-messenger observations of extreme phenomena and GRBs. The detailed light curves and energy spectra of the detected GRBs are presented. The results of the prompt, early an afterglow optical observations of several GRBs are discussed.

TUS (Tracking Ultraviolet Set-up) is the world's first orbital detector of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs). It was launched into orbit on 28th April 2016 as a part of the scientific payload of the Lomonosov satellite. The main aim of the mission was to test the technique of measuring the ultraviolet fluorescence and Cherenkov radiation of extensive air showers generated by primary cosmic rays with energies above ∼100 EeV in the Earth atmosphere from space. During its operation for 1.5 years, TUS registered almost 80,000 events with a few of them satisfying conditions anticipated for extensive air showers (EASs) initiated by UHECRs. Here we discuss an event registered on 3rd October 2016. The event was measured in perfect observation conditions as an ultraviolet track in the nocturnal atmosphere of the Earth, with the kinematics and the light curve similar to those expected from an EAS. A reconstruction of parameters of a primary particle gave the zenith angle around 44̂ but an extreme energy not compatible with the cosmic ray energy spectrum obtained with ground-based experiments. We discuss in details all conditions of registering the event, explain the reconstruction procedure and its limitations and comment on possible sources of the signal, both of anthropogenic and astrophysical origin. We believe this detection represents a significant milestone in the space-based observation of UHECRs because it proves the capability of an orbital telescope to detect light signals with the apparent motion and light shape similar to what are expected from EASs. This is important for the on-going development of the future missions KLYPVE-EUSO and POEMMA, aimed for studying UHECRs from space.

A special version of the SHIELD transport code has been developed intended for radiation protection purposes in space. The calculation of the fluxes of primary and secondary particles and the absorbed dose rate in a water phantom behind various shielding under the influence of galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) using the GCR model developed by the Institute of Nuclear Physics, Moscow State University. The code architecture is briefly described as a version of SHIELD including models of nuclear reactions. Stopping power dE / dX ( E ) is calculated in the energy range of 10 keV/nucleon–100 GeV/nucleon. The calculation was performed in spherical geometry, which allows, in a simple formulation of the problem, to compare the fluxes of particles of different types in the phantom, as well as to estimate the contribution to the dose of different GCR components depending on the protection parameters.

The physics motivations and advantages of the new TAIGA (Tunka Advanced Instrument for cosmic ray physics and Gamma Astronomy) detector are presented. TAIGA aims at gamma-ray astronomy at energies from a few TeV to several PeV, as well as cosmic ray physics from 100 TeV to several EeV. For the energy range 30 – 200 TeV the sensitivity of 10 km2 area TAIGA array for the detection of local sources is expected to be 5 × 10-14 erg cm-2 sec-1 for 300 h of observations. Reconstruction of the given EAS energy, incoming direction and its core position, based on the timing TAIGA-HiSCORE data, allows one to increase a distance between the IACTs up to 600-1000 m. The low investments together with the high sensitivity for energies ≥ 30-50 TeV make this pioneering technique very attractive for exploring the galactic PeVatrons and cosmic rays. At present the TAIGA first stage has been constructed in Tunka valley, 50 km West from the Lake Baikal. The first experimental results of the TAIGA first stage are presented.

The EAS Cherenkov light array Tunka-133, with - 3 km(2) geometric area, is taking data since 2009.The array permits a detailed study of energy spectrum and mass composition of cosmic rays in the energy range from 6 . 10(18) to 10(18) eV. We describe the methods of time and amplitude calibration of the array and the methods of EAS parameters reconstruction. We present the all-particle energy spectrum, based on 7 seasons of operation. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The TAIGA astroparticle observatory is under development at Tunka valley close to the Baikal Lake. This simulation study is concentrated on the ultrahigh energy extensive air showers (EAS) induced by gamma-quanta or proton in the range from 1 PeV to 10 PeV and zenith angle ranging 0°–45°. For this work, a set of air showers was created by CORSIKA software package. The list of useful secondary particles at the ground level is produced using the COAST library package. The interaction of secondary particles with the soil and detectors was simulated with GEANT4 package. The method based on neural network has been developed for the separation of EAS induced by gamma-quanta or proton. The air showers having energy ranging 1–10 PeV show more than 90% of identification efficiency of protons while keeping identification efficiency of gamma around 50% or more.

The TAIGA-Muon scintillation array is located in the Tunka Valley. It is a part of the single TAIGA experimental complex. Its construction has started in the summer of 2019. By the autumn of 2019, the first three clusters were installed. We describe the design of the TAIGA-Muon array, the data acquisition (DAQ) sistem, reading and control systems.

The astrophysical complex TAIGA (Tunka Advanced Instrument for cosmic-ray physics and Gamma-ray Astronomy), whose first phase is being completed in the Tunka valley 50 km from Lake Baikal, is described. Its research program, first results, and development prospects are discussed.