Other Interesting Alloys for Aerospace and Related Applications

Gialanella, Stefano; Malandruccolo, Alessio

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-24440-8_9

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 156 publications

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“…The Nb to Hf ratio derived from the mass spectra of these particles ( SI Appendix , Fig. S1 ) matches the C-103 alloy that is used in certain rocket nozzle extensions ( 11 , 12 ). Particles with niobium or silver almost always contained enhanced aluminum, but there is no such correlation with sodium ( Fig.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 61%

Metals from spacecraft reentry in stratospheric aerosol particles

Murphy,

Abou-Ghanem,

Cziczo

et al. 2023

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Large increases in the number of low earth orbit satellites are projected in the coming decades [L. Schulz, K.-H. Glassmeier, Adv. Space Res. 67 , 1002–1025 (2021)] with perhaps 50,000 additional satellites in orbit by 2030 [GAO, Large constellations of satellites: Mitigating environmental and other effects (2022)]. When spent rocket bodies and defunct satellites reenter the atmosphere, they produce metal vapors that condense into aerosol particles that descend into the stratosphere. So far, models of spacecraft reentry have focused on understanding the hazard presented by objects that survive to the surface rather than on the fate of the metals that vaporize. Here, we show that metals that vaporized during spacecraft reentries can be clearly measured in stratospheric sulfuric acid particles. Over 20 elements from reentry were detected and were present in ratios consistent with alloys used in spacecraft. The mass of lithium, aluminum, copper, and lead from the reentry of spacecraft was found to exceed the cosmic dust influx of those metals. About 10% of stratospheric sulfuric acid particles larger than 120 nm in diameter contain aluminum and other elements from spacecraft reentry. Planned increases in the number of low earth orbit satellites within the next few decades could cause up to half of stratospheric sulfuric acid particles to contain metals from reentry. The influence of this level of metallic content on the properties of stratospheric aerosol is unknown.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 61%