Computer model of chemistry and dynamics of the mesosphere, thermosphere, and ionosphere

This report describes a computer model of the mesosphere, thermosphere, and ionosphere and compares computed results with experimental data on the diurnal variations of that system under normal ambient and magnetically disturbed conditions. The model includes the effects of time-varying thermospheric winds and E fields, electron, ion and neutral temperatures, solar and geomagnetic activity, eddy diffusion, and molecular diffusion. The computer model is designed to be two-dimensional for application to problems of F-layer depletions due to rocket exhaust products. This report describes one-dimensional results and comparisons with data on the natural ionosphere at the time of the Skylab I launch in May 1973.