ATOMIC RECOMBINATION INTO EXCITED MOLECULAR - A POSSIBLE MECHANISM FOR SHUTTLE GLOW

A class of mechanisms is presented which could give rise to the observed glow above Shuttle surfaces exposed to energetic collisions with ambient atmospheric constituents as the Shuttle sweeps through its orbit. The collisional energies involved are sufficient to dissociate atmospheric N//2 upon impact with the Shuttle surfaces. The N-atoms formed can recombine on or over the surfaces to produce high vibrational levels. At Shuttle altitudes, collisional quenching is negligible and the metastable N//2 molecules slowly radiatively decay.