Investigations of Rocket Engine Combustion Emissions During ACCENT

The composition of rocket combustion emissions and the atmospheric processes that determine their stratospheric impacts are poorly understood. While present day rocket emissions do not significantly affect stratospheric chemistry, the potential for vigorous growth of the space transportation industry in coming decades suggests that rocket emissions and their stratospheric impacts should be better understood. A variety of in-situ measurements and modeling results were obtained during the Atmospheric Chemistry of Combustion Emissions Near the Tropopause (ACCENT) effort that will be used to evaluate the role of rocket exhaust in perturbing ozone chemistry in plume wakes and in the global stratosphere. We present a review of the ACCENT rocket emissions science objectives, summarize data obtained during the WB-57F plume wake sorties, and briefly discuss how the data will help resolve several outstanding questions regarding the impact of rocket emissions on the stratosphere. These include measurement of the emission indices for several important rocket engine combustion products and validation of plume wake chemistry models.