Transient Plume Model Testing Using LADEE Spacecraft Attitude Control System Operations
- Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies, Inc., 7701 Greenbelt Rd., Greenbelt, Maryland 20770 (United States)
The Lunar Atmosphere Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft is being designed for a mission featuring low altitude orbits of the Moon to take relevant ambient measurements before that environment becomes altered by future exploration activities. Instruments include a neutral mass spectrometer capable of measuring ambient species density levels below 100 molecules/cm{sup 3}. Coincidentally, with a favorable combination of spacecraft orientations, it is also possible to measure plume gases from LADEE attitude control system thruster operations as they are reflected from the daytime lunar surface and subsequently intercepted by the spacecraft as it orbits overhead. Under such circumstances, it may be possible to test a variety of properties and assumptions associated with various transient plume models or to infer certain aspects regarding lunar surface properties.
- OSTI ID:
- 21511593
- Journal Information:
- AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 1333, Issue 1; Conference: 27. international symposium on rarefied gas dynamics, Pacific Grove, CA (United States), 10-15 Jul 2010; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3562716; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0094-243X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
GENERAL PHYSICS
ALTITUDE
DENSITY
DUSTS
EXPLORATION
GASES
LUNAR ATMOSPHERE
MASS SPECTROMETERS
MOLECULES
MOON
ORBITS
PLUMES
SPACE VEHICLES
SURFACE PROPERTIES
SURFACES
TESTING
THRUSTERS
TRANSIENTS
ATMOSPHERES
FLUIDS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
SATELLITE ATMOSPHERES
SATELLITES
SPECTROMETERS
VEHICLES