On the fast zonal transport of the STS-121 space shuttle exhaust plume in the lower thermosphere

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Title:	On the fast zonal transport of the STS-121 space shuttle exhaust plume in the lower thermosphere
Authors:	張起維;Yue, Jia;Liu, Han-Li;Meier, R.R.;Chang, Loren;Gu, Sheng-Yang;Russell III, James
Contributors:	地球科學學院太空科學與工程學系
Keywords:	Modeling;Thermosphere;Transport;Wind jet
Date:	2013-03-01
Issue Date:	2026-04-23 11:05:33 (UTC+8)
Publisher:	Elsevier Ltd.;Elsevier Ltd
Abstract:	摘要： Meier et al. (2011) reported rapid eastward transport of the STS-121 space shuttle (launch: July 4, 2006) main engine plume in the lower thermosphere, observed in hydrogen Lyman α images by the GUVI instrument onboard the TIMED satellite. In order to study the mechanism of the rapid zonal transport, diagnostic tracer calculations are performed using winds from the Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIME-GCM) simulation of July, 2006. It is found that the strong eastward jet at heights of 100–110km, where the exhaust plume was deposited, results in a persistent eastward tracer motion with an average velocity of 45m/s. This is generally consistent with, though faster than, the prevailing eastward shuttle plume movement with daily mean velocity of 30m/s deduced from the STS-121 GUVI observation. The quasi-two-day wave (QTDW) was not included in the numerical simulation because it was found not to be large. Its absence, however, might be partially responsible for insufficient meridional transport to move the tracers away from the fast jet in the simulation. The current study and our model results from Yue and Liu (2010) explain two very different shuttle plume transport scenarios (STS-121 and STS-107 (launch: January 16, 2003), respectively): we conclude that lower thermospheric dynamics is sufficient to account for both very fast zonal motion (zonal jet in the case of STS-121) and very fast meridional motion to polar regions (large QTDW in the case of STS-107). ► The fast eastward motion of shuttle plume can be accounted for by the eastward jet. ► The lack of quasi-two-day waves can underestimate meridional motion of the plume. ► Meridional movement can slow down the fast zonal transport of the plume. 出版者： Elsevier Ltd 出版日期： 2013-03 出處： Journal of atmospheric and solar-terrestrial physics, 2013-03, Vol.94, p.19-27 資源來源： Elsevier ScienceDirect Journals Complete 版權： 2013 Elsevier Ltd 識別號： ISSN: 1364-6826 識別號： EISSN: 1879-1824 識別號： DOI: 10.1016/j.jastp.2012.12.017
Appears in Collections:	[DEPARTMENT OF SPACE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING] journal & Dissertation

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