Dr. Martin Ross, the RISO program manager for the Aerospace Corporation s Environmental Systems Directorate, led the RISO team. From April 1996 to August 1997, the RISO WB-57F team flew six sampling missions through the plumes of three Titan IV, two Space Shuttle, and one Delta II rocket boosters. They measured, for the first time, molecular-chlorine in the stratosphere. This measurement confirmed the theory of molecular-chlorine production in SRM plumes caused by afterburning reactions. They verified models of SRM s hot plume chemistry.
Researchers can now determine ozone loss in plumes.
They found that local ozone loss in plume wakes begins several minutes after launch, reaches its maximum after about 45 minutes, then abates. The research results provide, for the first time, hard data on the impact of SRM exhausts on stratospheric ozone depletion. Boeing C-17 aircraft engineers believe that this temperature reduction could significantly reduce powered airlift costs. The idea was to use fluidic rather than mechanical means to control a jet, thus reducing the number of mechanical parts. Implementing the fluidic concept reduces system weight and cost.