HIGH ALTITUDE ROCKET PLUME STRUCTURE
Abstract
A calculation of the flow field in the vicinity of a liquid-fueled rocket travelling through the ionosphere is described. A finite difference program is used to obtain both inviscid and viscous approximations to the exhaust and air flow field. The subsonic nose region is treated by an approximate procedure. Viscous effects are included in the so-called merged layer regime. Numerical calculations of the neutral flow field in the viscous layer approximation are presented for the flow at 180 km. The influence of the geomagnetic field on the motion of the ions is significant at altitudes above about 150 km. Simplified geometries are used to study the ion motion. At low altitudes (below about 150 km) the ions move with the neutrals. At high altitudes (above 250 km) the ions are more or less constrained by the geomagnetic field to a one-dimensional motion along the field lines except in a region relatively close to the missile where the density is sufficiently high to sweep the ions across the field lines. The mechanisms describing the motion of the ions across the field lines are examined in various limiting cases.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1965
- Accession Number
- AD0653769
Entities
People
- J. A. L. Thomson
- J. J. Brainerd
- J. R. Barthel
- M. S. Schoonover
- R. S. Janda
Organizations
- General Dynamics