Russian scientists have conducted a series of experiments to understand how spacecraft bodies and asteroid material are destroyed when entering the atmosphere. The work will help improve the spacecraft’s resistance to damage, the Russian Science Foundation press service reported.
Experts from the Lomonosov Moscow State University have developed a method that allows them to study what happens to calcium and iron compounds in plasma. These elements were not chosen by chance, because they are part of the shells of satellites and rockets, and are also present in asteroids. The results of the experiments will help to more accurately describe the destruction of both cosmic bodies and man-made objects when they enter the atmosphere.
A group led by Timur Labutin, associate professor at the Faculty of Chemistry of Moscow State University, conducted experiments with samples of calcium carbonate and iron oxide. They heated the materials in a vacuum chamber using a powerful laser, creating a plasma cloud around them. This made it possible to study how the surface of the material evaporates and decomposes under the influence of plasma and shock waves. The data obtained will help spacecraft designers improve the testing of their designs and better simulate the processes that occur when meteorites enter the atmosphere.
Source: Ferra
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