The Motion of Ballistic Missiles

Abstract

The handbook on the motion of ballistic missiles has been prepared primarily for use in training new personnel charged with the responsibility of evaluating the performance of reentry bodies. Aerodynamic fundamentals and characteristics of the atmosphere are reviewed briefly, followed by discussions of the effects on ballistic missile motion of gravity, earth rotation, the atmosphere, and initial body rates. The anomalous motion resulting from various types of mass and/or aerodynamic asymmetries is discussed in detail. Simple solutions are given for the impact dispersion resulting from asymmetries and nonstandard meteorological characteristics at the impact location. Various trajectory simulations and flight test analyses are also discussed. Numerical examples illustrate the material.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 01, 1971
Accession Number
AD0731662

Entities

People

  • J. C. Hagen
  • L. S. Glover

Organizations

  • Johns Hopkins University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aerodynamic Characteristics
  • Altitude
  • Angular Momentum
  • Atmospheric Temperature
  • Ballistic Missiles
  • Boundary Layer
  • Computer Simulations
  • Data Analysis
  • Equations Of Motion
  • Fluid Dynamics
  • Geometry
  • High Altitude
  • Measurement
  • Physics Laboratories
  • Turbulent Flow
  • Two Dimensional
  • Water Vapor

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science / Meteorology, specifically Wind Wave Turbulence.
  • Instructional Design and Training Evaluation.
  • Space Exploration and Orbital Mechanics.