Electron number density profiles for the Aeroassist Flight Experiment

The basic features of a Microwave Reflectometer Ionization Sensor (MRIS) as designed for utilization on the Aeroassist Flight Experiment are described. A parametric study of the effects of trajectory and unknowns in the thermochemical nonequilibrium models for translational and vibrational-electronic energy exchange rates, reaction rates, and the average electronic excitation level of atoms is performed to illustrate how the MRIS data may be employed for code validation. This study, implemented with program LAURA, shows a particular sensitivity of the onset and severity of an electron avalanche phenomena associated with changes in these physical models.