Spectrographic observation at wavelengths near 630 nm of the interaction between the atmosphere and the space shuttle exhaust

Broadfoot, A. L.; Anderson, E.; Sherard, P.; Knecht, David J.; Viereck, R. A.; Pike, C. P.; Murad, Edmond; Elgin, J. E.; Bernstein, Lawrence S.; Kofsky, I. L.; Rall, David L. A.; Blaha, J.; Culbertson, F. L.

doi:10.1029/92ja01654

Cited by 19 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…22 Strong, extended optical emission (at A = 630 nm) has also been observed using ground-based sensors. 23 This emission was found to depend on the angle of attack and to extend several kilometers from the point of origin. Its cause, collisional excitation of atmospheric O( 3 F) to the O^D) state, was correctly modeled by SOCRATES.…”

Section: Reactions With Spacecraft Exhaust (Plume)mentioning

confidence: 97%

Spacecraft Interaction with Atmospheric Species in Low Earth Orbit

Murad

1996

Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets

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Spacecraft interaction with ambient atmospheric species (O, NI, O + , and electrons) in low Earth orbit involves collisions at high energies, giving rise to such complex phenomena as the shuttle glow, plume-atmosphere interactions, and plasma modifications. A survey of these and other effects is presented, and conclusions are drawn about possible ambiguities in interpretation of present data. For example, a suggestion is made that ions may play a role in the Shuttle glow phenomenon. Lack of data on the accommodation (in terms of energy and in terms of adsorption and subsequent reactions) of atmospheric species, such as O and NI, on amorphous surfaces at hyperthermal energies is a distinct handicap in the development of appropriate numerical codes for predicting the effects of spacecraft interactions. Introduction T HE atmosphere in low Earth orbit (LEO, 200-700-km attitude) consists primarily of neutral O and N 2 and of O + and electrons. At an altitude of 300 km the densities of the atmospheric constituents are 1 [O] ~ 10 8 cm~3, [N 2 ] -2 x 10 7 cnr 3 , [O + ] -[e] -10 5 cnr 3 .Although the neutral density is considerably greater than the plasma density, it should be kept in mind that ion-neutral reactions have rate coefficients that are 100-1000 times greater than neutral-neutral reactions. Thus, under some circumstances ion-neutral reactions may become as important as the neutral-neutral reactions. Likewise, ionsurface reactions may play an important role in surface effects, even though the densities are low.These atmospheric constituents collide with the spacecraft and its local gaseous atmosphere at orbital velocity, leading to two major types of interaction: gas-phase reactions and gas-surface reactions. Figure 1 provides an illustration of these interactions. The gas-phase reactions may be further broken down into a neutral component and a plasma component, and the gas-surface reactions may be broken into several components: surface-catalyzed reactions, surface neutralization of ions, chemical reactions with surfaces, and inelastic collisions. Because of their strong connection with surface charging phenomena, 2 we will not discuss ion-surface collisions; reference is made to two recent comprehensive reviews. 3 ' 4 Likewise, inelastic collisions between the atmosphere and surfaces represent a very specialized topic intimately connected with atmospheric density measurements. Readers are referred to well-established reviews. 5 ' 9 The aim of this review is to present a concise summary of work on spacecraft-atmosphere interactions, to present, when possible, ideas about the implications of the results, and to suggest work that needs to be done still. Gas-phase reactions will be considered first, followed by gas-surface interactions. Gas-Phase InteractionsA dramatic indication of the transition from the dense local atmosphere of a spacecraft to the ambient atmosphere is shown in Fig. 2, which presents pressure-gauge data obtained on STS-39. The pressure gauge was located on a free-flying satellite, which was ...

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Section: Reactions With Spacecraft Exhaust (Plume)mentioning

confidence: 97%

Spacecraft Interaction with Atmospheric Species in Low Earth Orbit

Murad

1996

Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets

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“…emission to be more concentrated along the plume axis. Since the present experiment involved a line of sight closely aligned to the plume axis, it substantially enhanced the green line emission in comparison to that seen by a remote observer, such as at the Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS) as reported byBroadfoot et al [ 1992]. With the rate constant derived here the predicted green line emission is approximately 20% as bright as the red line…”

mentioning

confidence: 54%

“…Supplementing these composition studies are measurements of the optical environment that have until now concentrated mostly on the space shuttle glow phenomenon (see Viereck et al [1992] for a recent discussion). Ground observations of optical emissions generated by the interaction of thruster effluents with the atmosphere [Broadfoot et al, 1992]…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

O(¹S) 557.7 nm and O(¹D) 630 nm emissions in shuttle thruster plumes

Viereck¹,

Murad²,

Pike³

et al. 1995

J. Geophys. Res.

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Radiation resulting from interaction between the effluent cloud of a space shuttle thruster and the ambient atmosphere was observed with a spectrograph aboard the shuttle. The spectral measurements were made between 400 and 800 nm with a resolution of 3 nm. The primary emissions are identified as NO2, HNO, O(•D), and O(•S). These are the first observations of O(•S) emission in the shuttle plume. These data are compared with previous measurements, and possible excitation mechanisms are discussed. The results are also compared with a Monte Carlo simulation of thruster plume-atmosphere interaction radiation. 5819 5820 VIERECK ET AL.: OXYGEN EMISSIONS IN SHUTTLE THRUSTER PLUMES

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“…The asymmetry of the mort-distant contours about the trajectory direction is an artifact of limited numerical precision of the calculation. Their distinct *drag' toward the wake shows that after water dumps end at this altitude the 7Y' kmis-velocity spacecraft outruns the gaseous radiation source within 1 1 s; emission from the exhaust gases of Orbiter's thruster rocket engines shows a similar effect 30 . However water molecules that had adsorbed on surfaces could lead to longer-persisting optical foregrounds as they offgas at later times.…”

Section: Water Varmentioning

confidence: 75%

<title>Optical properties of water released in low earth orbit</title>

et al. 1992

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A D --266 9 '1 kG I0MSNyo, 0704-0 188iii c G ~the lime for rqv,*t.g ifftuuuvorn. searchmf esiIMnq data I0 =7gg a n manc l IIlIIIIIII Swll rend fll falmmitili egrding thi ,rden estimate of any~ Othtr asetOf hi 0-% "K&V 9nOm lllili .i 11111II111li l souner $r,.Oi r ota Ic lot inflion 00 oraoris and Repoili. 9 i AGENCY USE ONLY (Ledvi 93-14691Analysis of intensified video photographs of a twilight venting Of excess water from space shuttle showed that the -1 mm diameter stream cavitasionally fragments within about 1 =. forming two discrete-Particle components and vaOor. The images from nearby cameras are domitiated by irregular, polydisverse water/ice droplets with sizes comparable with the venting orifice and outward velocity indistiguishable from that of the initially coherent Liquid. In contrs-st the 2VA lzz-loog quasconical mril imaged from a distant ground station consists of 1cc opaflyifl submicroO ice spberules that were produc-Ed by partial recoodensation of the overexpanded vacuum-evaporatted water gas, which are sublimating at rates that we calculated from the measured faloff of aial sunlight-scatter radiance and the energy balance of progressively roughening ice at 329 Ian altiude-, at low latitudes they cool to 180K in < 1 s. 2nd their radii transition to the Rayleigh-SCa2tttrilg range in LMi The very much larger fragmentation particles come to a slightly higher equiLibrium temperature within -2 min, and persist for a few earth orbits. Thes three components of the vented water (and other high vapor pressure liquids) radiate and scatter earthshine and solar photons. and tne orbital-velocity molecules are also excited by collisions with the residual atmlospheric gas, overlaying wide-angle conaminating foregrounds On remotc Optical sensing from onboard. The particle sizes, diensities, and tEmpes-anres derived from the visible data are applied in eswtin~fg ultraviolet and iafrared radiances of the icei'vapor-containing volumes near Shuttle Orbiter. SUBJECT TERMS NUMBER OF PAGES Optical properties Orbital-velocity molecules 12Low Rarth orbit Solar photons PL-TR-93-2134Optical properties of water released in low earth orbit ABSTR-CrAnalysis of intensified video photographs of a twilight venting of excess water from space shuttle showed that the -1 mm diameter stream cavitationally fragments within about I m, forming two discrete-particle components and vapor. The images from nearby cameras are dominated by irregular, polydisperse water/ice droplets with sizes comparable with the venting orifice and outward velocity indistinguishable from that of the initially coherent liquid. In contrast the 2'h ki-long quasiconical trail imaged from a distant ground station consists of accompanying submicron ice spherules that were produced by partial recondensation of the overexpanded vacuum-evaporated water gas, which are sublimating at rates that we calculated from the measured falloff of axial sunlight-scatter radiance and the energy balance of progressively roughening ice at 329 kim altitude; at low latitudes they co...

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Spectrographic observation at wavelengths near 630 nm of the interaction between the atmosphere and the space shuttle exhaust

Cited by 19 publications

References 18 publications

Spacecraft Interaction with Atmospheric Species in Low Earth Orbit

Spacecraft Interaction with Atmospheric Species in Low Earth Orbit

O(¹S) 557.7 nm and O(¹D) 630 nm emissions in shuttle thruster plumes

<title>Optical properties of water released in low earth orbit</title>

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Spectrographic observation at wavelengths near 630 nm of the interaction between the atmosphere and the space shuttle exhaust

Cited by 19 publications

References 18 publications

Spacecraft Interaction with Atmospheric Species in Low Earth Orbit

Spacecraft Interaction with Atmospheric Species in Low Earth Orbit

O(1S) 557.7 nm and O(1D) 630 nm emissions in shuttle thruster plumes

<title>Optical properties of water released in low earth orbit</title>

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O(¹S) 557.7 nm and O(¹D) 630 nm emissions in shuttle thruster plumes