RADIO PROPAGATION IN RE-ENTRY PLASMAS,
Abstract
Altitude versus speed profiles for space ships entering earth's atmosphere from orbit, from the moon, and from a planet were used to estimate plasma and collision frequencies in the stagnation and expansion regions. The lunar and planetary profiles are shown to result in plasmas dominated by non-local conductivity. Weibel's analysis is adapted to apply for 'whistler' mode propagation in a plasma with a magnetic field. The B field produced by a ferrite radio window (250 gauss 10 cm from its pole face) is used to calculate the attenuation parameter of a 100 MHz telemetry signal. It is found that the radio 'blackout' along the orbital re-entry profile is eliminated for these parameters. However, this is not so for the lunar and planetary re-entry profiles. It would require about twenty-five times as much B field to cure these 'blackout' blues. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1967
- Accession Number
- AD0668162
Entities
People
- James E. Drummond
Organizations
- Boeing