Spacecraft contamination from a chemical laser ring-jet : a progress report

摘要

The purpose of this report is to present a review of work done at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) on the contaminating backflow from the exhaust plume of a chemical laser mounted on an earth-orbiting spacecraft. Various mechanisms that may give rise to a backflow are outlined; primarily: thermal backscattering; ambient scattering; and viscous effects. Detailed studies have been conducted at NPS on thermal backscattering. They are reviewed in this report, concluding that corrosive fluxes (HF,DF,F) due solely to this effect are negligible. The flux of light species (He,H2), however, is significant. Keywords: Hydrogen fluoride; Deuterium fluoride; Fluorine; Helium; Hydroden; Laser exhaust; Spacecraft contamination; Chemical laser; Exhaust plume