Study of the ablative effects on tektites: Atmosphere entry of a swarm of tektites
Abstract
The large variety of ablation markings observed on recovered tektites lead to the previously proposed swarm wake model which states that the lead peripheral tektites bore the blunt of aerodynamic heating upon entry, and that the bulk of tektites in the wake enjoyed partial shielding at the expense of the leaders. Further considerations are presented in support of this model. Quantitative assessments indicate that wake shielding might indeed have provided for substantially less heating than would have been experienced by a tektite entering an undisturbed atmosphere along a similar trajectory. For the case of strong wake shielding it is even possible that the surface temperature of a falling tektite had barely reached its melting point. In the distribution of tektites, there is a size band (near R = 0.5 cm) which is least susceptible to melting.
- Publication:
-
NASA STI/Recon Technical Report N
- Pub Date:
- February 1977
- Bibcode:
- 1977STIN...7822007S
- Keywords:
-
- Ablation;
- Atmospheric Entry;
- Hypersonic Wakes;
- Shielding;
- Tektites;
- Aerodynamic Heating;
- Density (Mass/Volume);
- Heat Transfer;
- Momentum;
- Stagnation Point;
- Lunar and Planetary Exploration