Space Shuttle Exhaust Modifications of the Mid-Latitude Ionospheric Plasma As Diagnosed By Ground Based Radar

Details Space Shuttle Exhaust Modifications of the Mid-Latitude Ionospheric Plasma As Diagnosed By Ground Based Radar Space Shuttle Exhaust Modifications of the Mid-Latitude Ionospheric Plasma As Diagnosed By Ground Based Radar

Dec 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009agufmsa12a..02l&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2009, abstract #SA12A-02

Physics

Plasma Physics

[2403] Ionosphere / Active Experiments, [7803] Space Plasma Physics / Active Perturbation Experiments

Scientific paper

The Space Shuttle's Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) engines have been used since the early days of the STS program for active ionospheric modification experiments designed to be viewed by ground based ionospheric radar systems. In 1995, the Naval Research Laboratory initiated the Shuttle Ionospheric Modification with Pulsed Localized Exhaust (SIMPLEX) Program using dedicated Space Shuttle OMS burns scheduled through the US Department of Defense's Space Test Program. SIMPLEX objectives include generation of localized ion-acoustic turbulence and the formation of ionospheric density irregularities for injections perpendicular to the local magnetic field, creating structures which can scatter incident UHF radar signals. We discuss radar observations made during several recent SIMPLEX mid-latitude experiments conducted over the Millstone Hill incoherent scatter radar system in Westford, Massachusetts. OMS engine firings release 10 kg/s of CO2, H2, H2O, and N2 molecules which charge exchange with ambient O+ ions in the F region, producing molecular ions and long lived electron density depletions as recombination occurs with ambient electrons. Depending on the magnetic field angle, the high velocity of the injected reactive exhaust molecules relative to the background ionosphere can create longitudinal propagating ion acoustic waves with amplitudes well above normal thermal levels and stimulate a wide variety of plasma instability processes. These effects produce high radar cross section targets readily visible to the Millstone Hill system, a high power large aperture radar designed to measure very weak scatter from the quiescent background ionosphere. We will survey the plasma instability parameter space explored to date and discuss plans for future SIMPLEX observations.

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