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STS 8 Orbiter mission window pitting and the possible association with the El Chichon eruption of March and April 1982The possibility that the pitting that occurred in the STS-8 Orbiter windows was caused by dust from the El Chichon volcano eruption in March-April 1982 is considered. The pit density was more than 30/sq cm, most being 2.5-5 microns deep, and showed no evidence of impact melting. An 'alley' of higher incidence of pits in one window coincided with the line of a seam between TPS tiles. The particles causing the sandblasting were concluded to have arrived in parallel and could not be attributed to the ET, SRBs or a dust storm. The sulfuric gas-rich El Chichon plume injected sufficient material into the atmosphere so that the globe was soon encircled. Most of the resulting particulates (480-8400 tons) stayed in the Northern Hemisphere, and H2SO4 and ash concentrations were high during the STS-8 mission. The Orbiter cut through the debris layer at 19.8 km altitude at a 10 deg angle of attack, which matches the particle crater impact angle in the Orbiter windows. Since the passage was at night, larger H2SO4 droplets may have coalesced and formed larger particles on available solid nuclei, thus producing the 20-40 microns cratering observed in the windows.
Document ID
19850037366
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Cour-Palais, B. G.
(NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Kessler, D. J.
(NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Zook, H. A.
(NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Clanton, U. S.
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Date Acquired
August 12, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1985
Subject Category
Spacecraft Design, Testing And Performance
Report/Patent Number
AIAA PAPER 85-0098
Accession Number
85A19517
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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