The Mobile Lidar Trailer (MLT) measures backscattering returns from solid rocket booster exhaust plumes in the stratosphere. A worst-case assessment of the stratospheric ozone depletion, often associated with the use of Solid Rocket Motors such as the TITAN IV and the Space Shuttle, is provided. The study is based on the measurement of more than 150 layers of plume sampled in the altitudes between 15 and 55 km. The results show that less than 2 percent of the ozone column is destroyed in the lidar line-of-sight as a result of the launch. Results are also presented on the fading of the plume return associated with the dispersion of the plume for times between 30 minutes and 3 hours after launch. A comparison with current dispersion models is provided. The measurement and analysis are based on the lidar backscattering signal from the rocket exhaust plume measured at the wavelengths of 308, 355, 532, and 1064 nm for times between 5 and 200 minutes after launch. 14. SUBJECT TERMS 15. NUMBER OF PAGES lidar, Launch vehicle, Exhaust plume, Backscattering, Ozone depletion 22.


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    Solid rocket exhaust in the stratosphere - Plume diffusion and chemical reactions

    DENISON, M. / LAMB, J. / BJORNDAHL, W. et al. | AIAA | 1992



    Solid rocket exhaust in the stratosphere - Plume diffusion and chemical reactions

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