Propellant Plume Gas Scattering


H density versus altitude

geocoronaMarkup.png

alt km

radius km

#/m3

1000

7378

21000e6

2000

8378

12000e6

Construction perigee

5000

11378

3100e6

10000

16378

820e6

20000

26378

180e6

30000

36378

67e6

35786

42164

45e6

GEO circular

40000

46378

35e6

50000

56378

22e6

60000

66378

14e6

69572

75950

11e6

Construction apogee

70000

76378

10e6

image source

. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0022407372900052

Estimated hydrogen mass per 1000 km height, 1.67e-27kg/H

Altitude km

1000

2000

10000

20000

30000

35786*

40000

50000

60000

69572*

70000

Radius km

7378

11378

16378

26378

36378

42164*

46378

56378

66378

75950*

76378

Volume km³

6.8e11

1.6e12

3.4e12

8.7e12

1.7e13

2.2e13

2.7e13

4.0e13

5.5e13

7.2e13

7.3e13

#H / m³

2.1e10

1.2e10

8.2e8

1.8e8

6.7e7

4.5e7

3.5e7

2.2e7

1.4e7

1.1e7

1.0e7

H kg

240000

32000

4700

2600

1900

1700*

1000

1500

1300

1300*

1200

Less than 20 tonnes of hydrogen (and almost nothing else) above GEO, out to the bow shock.

Collision cross section table

Gas

(nm)²

(nm)² with H₂

H₂

0.27

1.02

He

0.21

0.99

Ar

0.36

1.06

O₂

0.40

1.07

N₂

0.43

1.08

CH₄

0.46

1.09

CO₂

0.52

1.11

Cl₂

0.93

1.22

The second column is the combined collision cross section with an H₂ molecule ... the square of the sum of the square roots.

from libretexts



GasScatter (last edited 2020-08-28 17:21:33 by KeithLofstrom)