Evolution of a Gas-Dust Cloud in the Upper Atmosphere: Analysis of Events October 26, 2017

摘要

A sequence of digital images of a gas-dust cloud of combustion products of solid fuel that formed during the separation of rocket stages is analyzed. The images were obtained in twilight conditions from a distance of similar to 1500 km. The height of the cloud center reaches similar to 900 km, and its diameter is similar to 2000 km. The obtained data make it possible to estimate the dispersed composition of the cloud and the dynamic parameters of its development. The practically constant expansion velocity of the cloud, similar to 2 km/s, indicates that it consists of rather large, dispersed particles that do not slow down in the upper atmosphere. The proposed method can be used to clarify the physical picture of the interaction of solid-fuel combustion products with the environment.