WAKE MODIFICATION OF BALLISTIC AND MANEUVERING REENTRY VEHICLES AND ASSOCIATED PENETRATION AIDS

WE PROPOSE TO INVESTIGATE THE POTENTIAL OF INTRODUCING FINE PARTICLES INTO THE WAKES OF REENTRY VEHICLES TO HASTEN ELECTRON DECAY. THE PARTICLES WOULD BE FORMED IN SITU IN THE NEAR WEAK THROUGH THE APPROPRIATE CHOICE OF FILLER ADDITIVES TO HEAT SHIELD MATERIALS. THE FULL WAKE PLASMA/PARTICLE INTERACTION WOULD BE ADDRESSED AND INCORPORATED INTO AN EXISTING FINITE RATE KINETICS WAKE COMPUTER CODE. RELEVANT PARTICLE PROPERTIES WOULD BE ASSESSED, OPTIMUM MATERIALS WOULD BE IDENTIFIED AND MODELED WITH THE WAKE COMPUTER CODE TO EVALUATE ELECTRON QUENCH EFFECTIVENESS. A PROOF-OF-CONCEPT TEST SERIES WOULD BE DEFINED.