Description:
A major gap in current knowledge of the meteoroid environment has been filled by directly estimating the densities of ablating meteoroids from measurements of their decelerations. This was done by analyzing three unique data sets obtained by the high-power ALTAIR radar located on Kwajalein Atoll during the Leonid showers of 1998 and 1999. The characteristics of the ALTAIR radar were such that not only can precise meteor velocities be measured (thereby enabling determination of the decelerations), but also the trajectories of the meteors in the upper atmosphere can be ascertained. When combined with the velocity information, these trajectories permit the establishment of accurate meteor orbits, which in turn reveal the origins of the various meteors in the data.
The results contained in the Meteor Properties Database will have a major impact upon spacecraft meteoroid risk analyses in that, for the first time, a density distribution associated with the sporadic meteor background can be constructed, rather than the crude 3 values used in current environment models.
Additional Information:
Language: Microsoft Access 2000 (required for viewing database)
Operating System: Windows 2000, XP
Hardware Requirements: PC with 128 Mb RAM, 1024x768 video resolution, CD drive
Availability:
Input Description:
Graphical user interface database queries.
Point of Contact:
Dr. Rob Suggs
Marshall Space Flight Center
Phone: (256) 544-2704
E-mail: rob.suggs@nasa.gov