Polar Mesospheric Clouds Formed From Space Shuttle Exhaust

Abstract

We observe a plume of water vapor in the Arctic above 85 km and a day after an August shuttle launch. Our satellite observations reveal that a discrete region of polar mesospheric clouds (PMCs) appears a week after that launch. We calculate that the water contained in the observed PMCs is consistent with the amount injected by the shuttle. This is evidence for a source of PMCs not previously considered.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 31, 2003
Accession Number
ADA524810

Entities

People

  • Christoph R Englert
  • Jorg Gumbel
  • Klaus U. Grossmann
  • Markus Rapp
  • Michael H. Stevens
  • Paul Hartogh

Organizations

  • United States Naval Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Altitude
  • Atmospheric Composition
  • Atmospheric Physics
  • Climate Change
  • Data Analysis
  • Ground Based
  • High Resolution
  • Ice Formation
  • Measurement
  • Mesosphere
  • Military Research
  • North America
  • Physics
  • Space Sciences
  • Space Shuttles
  • Spectrometers
  • Water Vapor

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science
  • Physics

Readers

  • Aerospace Engineering.
  • Atmospheric Remote Sensing.
  • Electrochemical Engineering/ Fuel Cell Technologies

Technology Areas

  • Space