A Three-Dimensional Numerical Model of the Upper Atmosphere. Volume II. Steady-State Solutions for a Single-Fluid Model with a Fixed Temperature Field.

Abstract

The report is the second in a series of volumes that describe calculations carried out with a numerical model of the thermosphere developed at The Aerospace Corporation. Calculations that deal with a single-fluid upper atmosphere of variable molecular weight are described. This molecular weight varies from about 25 amu at 120 km, characteristic of a mixture of molecular nitrogen and molecular and atomic oxygen, to about 15 amu at 500 km, characteristic of a mixture of atomic oxygen and helium. The temperature field is assumed to be a fixed input quantity taken from a phenomenological model. The horizontal and vertical wind fields and the density of the thermosphere are discussed, with particular attention given to the diurnally averaged wind fields. Comparisons are made with previous theoretical and observational investigations. (Author)

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 15, 1974
Accession Number
AD0778420

Entities

People

  • Barbara K. Ching
  • Joe M. Straus
  • Robert M. Harris
  • Stephen P. Creekmore
  • Yam T. Chiu

Organizations

  • The Aerospace Corporation

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Atmospheres
  • Corporations
  • Molecular Weight
  • Nitrogen
  • Steady State
  • Thermosphere
  • Three Dimensional

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science / Meteorology, specifically Wind Wave Turbulence.
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
  • Electrochemical Engineering/ Fuel Cell Technologies

Technology Areas

  • Space