Sounding rocket
A sounding rocket (also known as rocket or missile height ) is an unmanned rocket, with the help of physical measurements are carried out in the upper atmosphere. These are usually meteorological or aero logical measurements, such as air pressure, temperature, or the wind speed in the atmosphere, but also measurements of other nature, such as the study of the electrical properties of the ionosphere. In addition, be carried out by means of sounding rockets also astronomical observations or studies in materials science.
Properties
A sounding rocket is usually a ballistic missile, which consists of a driving solid-fuel rocket and an attached payload container. The preparations for the launch are much simpler than in space. As a payload measurement instruments for scientific researches are carried at altitudes between 45 km and over 1,200 km. Depending on the objective, the following instruments can be used:
- Cameras for earth observation or observation of the sky
- Temperature sensors
- Pressure sensors
- Spectrometer of all kinds (including mass spectrometer and gas chromatograph )
- Tracking device ( can be the same as the transmitters used for telemetry )
- Radio receiver - for measuring the ionosphere
- Instruments for microgravity experiments
In many cases, the measuring instruments covered by their height use on parachutes back to Earth where salvaged and their measurements to be evaluated, on the other hand, the measurement data can also be transmitted by radio.
As rockets can be used in principle guided or unguided liquid, hybrid or solid fuel rockets. Mostly unguided solid-propellant rockets used - For reasons of cost today as sounding rockets - if the experiment does not require any particular orientation. Such missiles are also called meteorological rockets. Steered solid rocket boosters are used only for experiments that require an exact flight path. Liquid and hybrid rockets are occasionally used for heavier payloads.
Sounding rockets are often launched from mobile launchers from in order to extend their use can significantly radius.
Special experiments
For the measurement of wind speeds, either the position of a measuring capsule returns on a parachute to Earth and other instruments may have (for example, to determine the temperature ), determined or are dropped metal-coated plastic strips, whose trajectory can be tracked with a radar device. The production of an artificial clouds, for example titanium dioxide for this purpose is possible. In order to measure the magnetic field of the earth, can be carried with alkali or alkaline earth metals, which are detonated at the top point of the trajectory. Due to the sun's rays easily ionizable elements are ionized, and the charged ions are distributed as a function of the field lines.
Examples of sounding rockets
- Aerobee ( Aerojet General X-8 )
- Arcas
- Argo
- Asp
- Astrobee
- Black Brant
- Cajun
- Deacon
- Journeyman
- Loki
- M-100
- Meteor
- MMR06
- Nike Apache
- Nike Cajun
- Nike Tomahawk
- Orion
- Sidewinder Arcas
- Skylark
- Terrier
- Zenit ( sounding rocket )