Optical features of rocket exhaust products interaction with the upper atmosphere

The launch of powerful rockets and exhaust of space-vehicle engines are accompanied by injection of combustion products with complex structure into the atmosphere. These products contain both gas and dispersed solid components that result in development of gas-dust clouds having certain geometric and dynamic features. The development of such artificial formations in the upper atmosphere is accompanied by rather unusual optical phenomena caused by the scattering of sunlight from the combustion products as well as their interaction with constituents of the upper atmosphere. Investigation of these optical phenomena permits studies of anthropogenic pollution of near-Earth space, interaction processes of pollution with the environment and dynamic processes in the upper atmosphere. The report demonstrates and evaluates experimental data obtained by all-sky photo and TV cameras and by spectral camera S-180-S in the North of Russia.