Evolution of a Gas–Dust Cloud in the Upper Atmosphere: Analysis of Events October 26, 2017

Abstract

A sequence of digital images of a gas–dust cloud of combustion products of solid fuel that formed during the separation of rocket stages is analyzed. The images were obtained in twilight conditions from a distance of ~1500 km. The height of the cloud center reaches ~900 km, and its diameter is ~2000 km. The obtained data make it possible to estimate the dispersed composition of the cloud and the dynamic parameters of its development. The practically constant expansion velocity of the cloud, ~2 km/s, indicates that it consists of rather large, dispersed particles that do not slow down in the upper atmosphere. The proposed method can be used to clarify the physical picture of the interaction of solid-fuel combustion products with the environment.