Radio-physical and gasdynamic problems of passage through an atmosphere

The book examines problems associated with the passage of spacecraft through the atmosphere of the earth and the atmospheres of other planets, with particular reference to the assurance of two-way radio communications with spacecraft returning to the earth. Attention is given to ballistic, thermophysical, and gasdynamic processes occurring near the spacecraft and in its wake. These processes include hypersonic air flow past the spacecraft, with the formation of plasma near the spacecraft and in its wake. Consideration is then given to radio-physical problems that are of importance in relation to the radar tracking of and radio communication with spacecraft. Emphasis is placed on the transmission of electromagnetic waves through plasmas, the diffraction of these waves by spacecraft coated with plasma layers, and the scattering of electromagnetic waves by the plasma of the wake.