Ground Cloud Dispersion Measurements During The Titan IV Mission number K16 (24 April 1996) at Cape Canaveral Air Station. Volume 1. Test Overview and Data Summary.
Abstract
Launch plume imagery and aircraft measurement of HCl were accomplished during the launch of Titan IV Mission #K16 at Cape Canaveral Air Station on 24 April 1996. These data will be used to determine the accuracy of the Rocket Exhaust Effluent Diffusion Model. The imagery, recorded at three camera sites, showed a cloud stabilization height of 1023 m above MSL (35% higher than predicted); the height was reached 3.5 min after launch (20% faster than predicted). The cloud had a south-southwesterly trajectory (compared to an east-southeasterly prediction) and an average speed of 3.6 m/s (38% slower than predicted). The imagery documented a large displacement between the upper and lower portions of the ground cloud due to variations in wind speed and direction with altitude. Aircraft measurements, using a modified Geomet instrument in a Piper Seminole aircraft, documented the movement of the lower cloud immediately after launch, the mixing of HCl to altitudes as low as ground level, and the movement of the upper cloud portion first to the southeast and then to the east. The sampling aircraft entered the plume about 3.5 min after launch, made 36 passes, and measured HCI concentrations ranging from 2 to 21 parts per million.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 31, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA325502
Entities
Organizations
- The Aerospace Corporation