Performance of a Microwave Antenna System in the Shoulder Region of a Blunt Reentry Nose Cone

Performance of a Microwave Antenna System in the Shoulder Region of a Blunt Reentry Nose Cone
Title Performance of a Microwave Antenna System in the Shoulder Region of a Blunt Reentry Nose Cone PDF eBook
Author J. Leon Poirier
Publisher
Pages 46
Release 1973
Genre Microwave antennas
ISBN

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The purpose of the third AFCRL Trailblazer II reentry vehicle flight was to study the effects of shock ionized air on the performance of a microwave antenna system located in the expansion region of the nose cone. The system consisted of a pair of cavity-backed circumferential slot antennas mounted one behind the other on the conical afterbody of the reentry vehicle. During reentry, measurements of antenna impedance mismatch, interantenna coupling, signal attenuation and antenna pattern distortion were made. The data have been compared with computed values and found to be in good agreement. This experiment thus establishes the validity of the various microwave and flow field models and calculations used to obtain the theoretical values in the shoulder region of the reentry body. These results will now serve as a standard against which to compare the properties of various chemical alleviants which are being studied in other flights. (Author).

Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports

Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports
Title Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports PDF eBook
Author
Publisher
Pages 948
Release 1974
Genre Aeronautics
ISBN

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Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports

Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports
Title Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports PDF eBook
Author
Publisher
Pages 760
Release 1974
Genre Aeronautics
ISBN

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Interpretation of Microwave Antenna Results from a Reentry Flight Test

Interpretation of Microwave Antenna Results from a Reentry Flight Test
Title Interpretation of Microwave Antenna Results from a Reentry Flight Test PDF eBook
Author John F. Lennon
Publisher
Pages 58
Release 1974
Genre Breakdown (Electricity)
ISBN

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This is one of a series of reports on the Trailblazer II program. The particular aspect treated here involves the unmodified expansion-region plasma and its effect on an antenna located on the vehicle shoulder. This report describes some of the theoretical approaches used, discusses the levels of approximation involved, and shows the agreement between these various methods and the test data. The failure of a single set of assumptions to yield consistent agreement over a range of altitudes confirms the need to adopt flow models appropriate to the changing regimes encountered during reentry. One significant conclusion is that performance characteristics such as reflection and interantenna coupling which depend mostly on the level of peak electron density can be represented by simple plane wave, as well as by the more sophisticated slot antenna models. The latter approach, however, is necessary to describe propagation across the entire plasma sheath.

A Simple Method of Simulating Motion and Plasma Induced Variations in the Attenuation of Signals Transmitted from Reentry Vehicles

A Simple Method of Simulating Motion and Plasma Induced Variations in the Attenuation of Signals Transmitted from Reentry Vehicles
Title A Simple Method of Simulating Motion and Plasma Induced Variations in the Attenuation of Signals Transmitted from Reentry Vehicles PDF eBook
Author J. L. Poirier
Publisher
Pages 32
Release 1973
Genre Plasma sheaths
ISBN

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A simple method of simulating the variation in the amplitude of microwave signals from rocket-borne transmitters is presented. The technique reproduces signal changes caused by vehicle motion as well as those induced by plasma effects. The simulator uses a voltage controlled attenuator which is programmed to vary the output power of a test transmitter to produce the variations in signal amplitude which would be observed during a flight. An analog system which is suitable for variations of simple cyclical shape and a digital simulator which can reproduce changes of any complexity are presented. Use of the simulator before flight allows the dynamic behavior of a microwave link to be determined, permits optimum receiver and recorder parameters to be selected, increases operator confidence, and enhances flight test reliability. (Author).

Laboratory and Flight Results of the Microstrip Plasma Probe

Laboratory and Flight Results of the Microstrip Plasma Probe
Title Laboratory and Flight Results of the Microstrip Plasma Probe PDF eBook
Author Nicholas V. Karas
Publisher
Pages 62
Release 1974
Genre Electron distribution
ISBN

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The microstrip plasma probe, a new diagnostic tool for use in the investigation of ionized media, has been developed and successfully tested both in the laboratory and in an actual flight. It is flush mounted (therefore causes no aerodynamic disturbances); simple in geometric shape (therefore can be modified to fit curved surfaces and ruggedized to withstand shock and vibration); only a fraction of the operating wavelength in length (therefore saves on payload space); and operates with low power (therefore does not disturb the plasma which it is measuring). Experimental results, obtained from both the laboratory and from an actual flight, have been compared to theory and to experimental data from other probes. In both instances the results are close.

Instrumentation Papers

Instrumentation Papers
Title Instrumentation Papers PDF eBook
Author
Publisher
Pages 364
Release
Genre Aeronautical instruments
ISBN

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