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Bipropellant rocket exhaust plume analysis on the Galileo spacecraftThis paper describes efforts to quantify the contaminant flow field produced by 10 N thrust bipropellant rocket engines used on the Galileo spacecraft. The prediction of the composition of the rocket exhaust by conventional techniques is found to be inadequate to explain experimental observations of contaminant deposition on moderately cold (200 K) surfaces. It is hypothesized that low volatility contaminants are formed by chemical reactions which occur on the surfaces. The flow field calculations performed using the direct simulation Monte Carlo method give the expected result that the use of line-of-sight plume shields may have very little effect on the flux of vapor phase contaminant species to a surface, especially if the plume shields are located so close to the engine that the interaction of the plume with the shield is in the transition flow regime. It is shown that significant variations in the exhaust plume composition caused by nonequilibrium effects in the flow field lead to very low concentrations of species which have high molecular weights in the more rarefied regions of the flow field. Recommendations for the design of spacecraft plume shields and further work are made.
Document ID
19860057931
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Guernsey, C. S.
(California Institute of Technology Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, United States)
Mcgregor, R. D.
(TRW, Inc. Redondo Beach, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 12, 2013
Publication Date
June 1, 1986
Subject Category
Spacecraft Propulsion And Power
Report/Patent Number
AIAA PAPER 86-1488
Accession Number
86A42669
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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