Polar Mesospheric Clouds Formed From Space Shuttle Exhaust

We observe a plume of water vapor in the Arctic above 85 km and a day after an August shuttle launch. Our satellite observations reveal that a discrete region of polar mesospheric clouds (PMCs) appears a week after that launch. We calculate that the water contained in the observed PMCs is consistent...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Stevens, Michael H., Gumbel, Jorg, Englert, Christoph R., Grossmann, Klaus U., Rapp, Markus, Hartogh, Paul
Other Authors: NAVAL RESEARCH LAB WASHINGTON DC E O HULBURT CENTER FOR SPACE RESEARCH
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: 2003
Subjects:
Atmospheric Physics
Combustion and Ignition
Manned Spacecraft
*CLOUDS
*SPACE SHUTTLES
*EXHAUST PLUMES
*MESOSPHERE
WATER VAPOR
DESCENT
LAUNCHING
SATELLITE IMAGERY
ICE FORMATION
REPRINTS
TRANSPORT
*POLAR MESOSPHERIC CLOUDS
PMC(POLAR MESOSPHERIC CLOUD)
ARCTIC DESCENT
Arctic
Online Access:http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA524810
http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA524810
Description
Summary:We observe a plume of water vapor in the Arctic above 85 km and a day after an August shuttle launch. Our satellite observations reveal that a discrete region of polar mesospheric clouds (PMCs) appears a week after that launch. We calculate that the water contained in the observed PMCs is consistent with the amount injected by the shuttle. This is evidence for a source of PMCs not previously considered. Published in Geophysical Research Letters, v30 n10 p53-1 through 4, 2003.

Similar Items