Premium
Spacecraft Ram cloud atom exchange and N 2 LBH glow
Author(s) -
Swenson G. R.,
Meyerott R. E.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/gl015i003p00245
Subject(s) - spacecraft , physics , atmosphere (unit) , satellite , altitude (triangle) , excited state , astrobiology , astrophysics , atomic physics , cloud computing , effects of high altitude on humans , atmospheric sciences , astronomy , meteorology , computer science , geometry , mathematics , operating system
Recently a ram source of N 2 Lyman‐BirgeHopfield (LBH) emission has been reported on S3‐4 satellite. An investigation of likely chemical processes responsible has identified a gas phase reaction involving ram atmosphere and the ram‐side cloud of gas leading the satellite. The process produces large quantities of fast N that impinge on low‐altitude spacecraft. Subsequent surface recombination produces excited N 2 which results in the emission with predictions of altitude variation similar to that measured by other investigators.