Interactions of Space Vehicles with an Ionized Atmosphere

International Series of Monographs in Aeronautics and Astronautics, Volume 18: Interactions of Space Vehicles with an Ionized Atmosphere focuses on the interaction of bodies with ionized gas as it move through the interplanetary space. This book is divided into 10 chapters. Chapter 1 deals with the fundamental problem that underlies the distortion of a plasma in the vicinity of an electrically charged body. The rocket and satellite measurements of the plasma that sheath around the body in which the screening takes place are discussed in Chapters 2 to 4. In Chapters 5 to 6, the direct physical interactions between the particles of the plasma and surface of a body are described. The electromagnetic propagation effects introduced by the presence of a body in a plasma are covered in Chapters 7 to 9. The last chapter is devoted to finding and describing mechanisms that might explain the existence of plasma clouds produced by the passage of large bodies through a plasma. This volume is intended for scientists, engineers, and researchers interested in the interactions of space vehicles with an ionized atmosphere.