In‐situ measurement of Cl2 and O3 in a stratospheric solid rocket motor exhaust plume

Abstract

The concentration of Cl2 in the stratospheric exhaust plume of a Titan IV launch vehicle was measured with a neutral mass spectrometer carried on a WB‐57F aircraft at 18.9 km altitude. Twenty nine minutes after a twilight Titan IV launch, the mean Cl2 concentration across an 8 km wide plume was 126 ± 44 ppbv, consistent with model predictions that a large fraction of the HCl in solid rocket motor exhaust is converted into Cl2 by afterburning reactions in the hot plume. Co‐incident measurements with ultraviolet absorption photometers also carried on the aircraft show that ozone concentration in the plume was not different from ambient levels. This is consistent with model predictions that nighttime SRM launches will not cause transient ozone loss in the lower stratosphere. The measured Cl2 concentration equals 15% of the ambient ozone concentration suggesting that transient ozone reduction in SRM plume wakes can be expected after daytime launches when solar ultraviolet radiation will photolyze the exhaust plume Cl2.