Simulations of spacecraft rarefied environments using a proposed surface model

This paper models a specific example of spacecraft glow from the Atmospheric Explorer Satellite, a small clean satellite, where in-situ measurements were made in the visible spectral region. The direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) technique was used to model the formation of NO in the flowfield of a 1-meter nose radius satellite from altitudes of 130 to 200 km. This species has been suggested as the precursor to the formation of NO₂, the molecular system that produces the spacecraft glow. A surface model was used in conjunction with the DSMC calculations to model the conversion of NO to NO₂ and radiation. The satellite orbit-dependent radiation was determined and compared with data. The results show that the surface model can explain both the absolute magnitude as well as most of the altitude dependence of the glow data.