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Low-pressure electrical discharge experiment to simulate high-altitude lightning above thundercloudsRecently, extremely interesting high-altitude cloud-ionosphere electrical discharges, like lightning above thunderstorms, have been observed from NASA's space shuttle missions and during airborne and ground-based experiments. To understand these discharges, a new experiment was conceived to simulate a thundercloud in a vacuum chamber using a dielectric in particulate form into which electrodes were inserted to create charge centers analogous to those in an electrified cloud. To represent the ionosphere, a conducting medium (metallic plate) was introduced at the top of the chamber. It was found that for different pressures between approximately 1 and 300 mb, corresponding to various upper atmospheric altitudes, different discharges occurred above the simulated thundercloud, and these bore a remarkable similarity to the observed atmospheric phenomena. At pressures greater than 300 mb, these discharges were rare and only discharges within the simulated thundercloud were observed. Use of a particulate dielectric was critical for the successful simulation of the high-altitude lightning.
Document ID
19960002997
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Technical Publication (TP)
Authors
Jarzembski, M. A. (NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
Srivastava, V. (Universities Space Research Association Huntsville, AL., United States)
Date Acquired
September 6, 2013
Publication Date
August 1, 1995
Subject Category
Geophysics
Report/Patent Number
M-792
NASA-TP-3578
NAS 1.60:3578
Accession Number
96N13006
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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