A Parametric Study of the Release of CO2 in Space

Abstract : SOCRATES (Spacecraft/Orbiter Contamination Representation Accounting for Transiently Emitted Species), which has been developed to account for contamination on spacecraft, has been used to simulate the CO2 reaction with atomic oxygen and hydrogen at altitudes of 500 to 800 km. The computerized simulation shows that the reactions of H atoms with CO2 and O with CO2 generate measurable quantities of radiation at the fundamental frequencies of carbon monoxide and OH. The intensity of these emissions was studied as a function of altitude and time.