Optical properties of water released in low earth orbit

James A. Gardner; David L. A. Rall; Christian A. Trowbridge; Irving L. Kofsky; Rodney A. Viereck; Edmond Murad; Charles P. Pike; Alvin T. Stair; Alireza Setayesh

doi:10.1117/12.140725

18 December 1992 Optical properties of water released in low earth orbit

James A. Gardner, David L. A. Rall, Christian A. Trowbridge, Irving L. Kofsky, Rodney A. Viereck, Edmond Murad, Charles P. Pike, Alvin T. Stair, Alireza Setayesh

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 1754, Optical System Contamination: Effects, Measurement, Control III; (1992) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.140725
Event: San Diego '92, 1992, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

Results of an analysis of intensified video photographs of a twilight venting of excess water from Space Shuttle are presented. The particle sizes, densities, and temperatures derived from the visible data are applied in estimating UV and IR radiances of the ice/vapor-containing volumes near Shuttle Orbiter, using a recently developed gas-transport/excitation model. The mean radius of the fragmentation-product droplets is 0.13 +/- 0.02 cm. This radius decreases by less than 5 percent over a 2.5-km initial flight path, and these particles survive for several hr. In the UV, intensities of radiation from the fragmentation particles fall off with decreasing wavelength due to the decrease in spectral irradiance of sunlight. In the IR, the mm particles are optically thick, while ice particles not greater than 0.3 micron are inefficient scatterer-radiators, except near 2.7 microns. The large-droplet component thus dominates the radiances even in projections to distant sensors, suppressing the severe spectral structure characteristic of the small droplets.

Citation Download Citation

James A. Gardner, David L. A. Rall, Christian A. Trowbridge, Irving L. Kofsky, Rodney A. Viereck, Edmond Murad, Charles P. Pike, Alvin T. Stair, and Alireza Setayesh "Optical properties of water released in low earth orbit", Proc. SPIE 1754, Optical System Contamination: Effects, Measurement, Control III, (18 December 1992); doi: 10.1117/12.140725; https://doi.org/10.1117/12.140725

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

PERSONAL SIGN IN
Full access may be available with your subscription

Email or Username Forgot your username?

Password Forgot your password?

Show

Remember Email/Username on this computer

Remember Password

No SPIE account? Create an account
or Institutional Sign In via Shibboleth

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available

Members: $14.40

Non-members: $18.00 ADD TO CART

Show All Keywords

Keywords/Phrases

Search In:

Publication Years