Although number densities are low at altitudes where spacecraft typically operate, high orbital speeds result in incident fluxes and collisional energies large enough to interact with and degrade material surfaces. Global thermospheric models, when combined with orbital mechanics models, may be used to predict atomic oxygen fluence, or total integrated flux incidence on spacecraft sentences. Fluence predictions, when used with STS materials reactivity measurements, provide reliable estimates of the oxidative effects on spacecraft surfaces.


    Access

    Access via TIB

    Check availability in my library


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Environmental definition of the earth's neutral atmosphere


    Contributors:


    Publication date :

    1989-05-01


    Type of media :

    Conference paper


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English





    The earth's atmosphere

    Vaughan, William W. | TIBKAT | 1972


    The earth's atmosphere - density

    King-Hele, D. G. | NTRS | 1964


    Flight BEYOND The Earth's Atmosphere

    CLAUSER, FRANCIS H. | SAE Technical Papers | 1948


    Piloted entries into the earth's atmosphere

    Cheatham, D. C. / Eggleston, J. M. | NTRS | 1959