RE-ENTRY VEHICLE FOR RADAR SELECTIVITY EVALUATIONS,
Abstract
The materials and fabrication studies conducted in this program were directly concerned with the development of re-entry vehicles which would simulate objects re-entering the atmosphere. These objects could be 'heat sink' or 'ablative' type nose cones, spent metallic or nonmetallic missile tankage, or various types of spacecraft structural members. The identification of the re-entering object and its position in space is quite important in determining whether it is an actual warhead-bearing missile or just innocuous 'space garbage.' Two types of materials were selected for the test vehicles, a refractory metal (Mo-TZM, molybdenum alloy) which produces a metallic ionization pattern upon re-entry and represents the heat sink type metallic material, and a nonmetal (phenolic-impregnated fiberglass) representing the ablative type material, which produces an ionization pattern possessing characteristics different from the type observed with metallic type materials. These two materials would thus be representative of most man-made objects which conceivably could be re-entering the atmosphere. Several fabrication techniques were evaluated and developed in this study, including shear spinning, tape wrapping, plasma arc spraying and welding.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1963
- Accession Number
- AD0612128
Entities
People
- E. B. Dobbins
- R. M. Colton
Organizations
- United States Army Research Laboratory