Rocket Radiation Handbook. Volume I. Rocket Radiation Phenomenology and Theory
Abstract
A review is given of various mechanisms responsible for the generation of infrared, visible, and ultraviolet radiation from aerospace rockets. Key mechanisms responsible for most of the observed radiation are identified by examining the order-of-magnitude of the energy that is fed to each one. For the exhaust, the major mechanisms are: Undisturbed Core Relaxation (CORE); Afterburning (AB); Air Shock Collisional Deceleration (CD); Atmospheric pumping (ATMP); Solar Scattering by Particles (SOSP); Solar Ultraviolet Absorption and Reradiation (SUAR), while radiation from vehicle hardware is primarily caused by: Vehicle Body Solar Reflections (VBSR); Vehicle Body Earthshine Reflections (VBER); Vehicle Body Self-Emissions (VBSE). The AB and CD mechanisms are coupled and abbreviated ABCD. CORE and ABCD radiation are produced in different regions of the rocket plume and it is shown that they can be analyzed separately; together they are responsible for most of the infrared emissions from a thrusting rocket. ATMP is a weak infrared afterglow radiation from the slowed-down exhaust cloud that is active only at medium-high altitudes. It decays slowly but is usually not observed because of its dilution and because it is outside the field-of-view of a vehicle-tracking sensor. SOSP and SUAR are primarily operative in the visible part of the spectrum. SUAR is important at altitudes above 135 km and is shown to be the origin of several spectacular emissions in the visible observed during the Apollo space flights. Examples are presented on how to calculate altitude dependent rocket-radiation signatures in the infrared.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1974
- Accession Number
- ADA042640
Entities
People
- Jozef W. Eerkens