New evidence emerged today that a mysterious spiral light display which appeared in the dark skies over Norway yesterday morning was caused by an embarrassing failed test launch of a jinxed Russian missile.
The Bulava missile was test-fired from the Dmitry Donskoi submarine in the White Sea early on Wednesday but failed at the third stage, the Russian military confirmed today.
New video also emerged today showing a simulation of what would happen if such a missile were to fail - video that bore an uncanny resemblance to the light display seen in the Norwegian sky.
The video, a 3-D simulation of what may have occurred to produce the light display, was put together by a British engineer named Doug Ellison. Ellison runs the forum unmannedspaceflight.com.
On YouTube, Ellison described the video as 'a set of rendered views using 3DS Max to produce a coarse simulation of what may have occurred to produce the beautiful formation in the sky over Norway'.
The confirmation of a test launch emerged despite earlier reports denying a missile launch yesterday.
The military did not confirm, however, that the failed test launch was behind the mysterious spiral lights that have baffled millions since they were spotted - though, as the new video today showed, it appears increasingly likely.
Tromsō Geophysical Observatory researcher Truls Lynne Hansen agreed, saying the missile had likely veered out of control and exploded, and the spiral was light reflecting on the leaking fuel.
The Russian explanation makes the most sense to William Dimpfl, a senior research scientist at the Aeorospace Corporation.
Dr. Dimpfl, whose non-profit conducts missile research for the US Air Force and NASA, and who has carried out research on the way exhaust is emitted from rockets and the space shuttle, says he’s fully convinced that the spiral plume was caused by a man-made missile.
He said after watching the video that he observed no “atmospheric drag” on the event, which implied the missile was higher than 100 kilometers from the earth’s surface – beyond the line between our atmosphere and space. The large, white spiral in the video and images is, in his opinion, “an illuminated solid propellent motor.”
“The blue plume was from a motor that was still attached to the vehicle.” He says the bluish color was from aluminum oxide that is typically added to the solid propellant used for such motors. “What I believe is that the blue is from solar fluorescence from chemicals in the plume. That’s just aluminium oxide that the sunlight is scattering from. Aluminum oxide is the chemical formula for sapphires, so what you’re looking at is sunlight scattering off lots of tiny sapphires.”
添加物というか、固体推進剤ではアルミニウム粉末そのものが燃料（の一部）なわけです。 Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_propellant#Description During the 1950s and 60s researchers in the United States developed what is now the standard high-energy solid rocket fuel, Ammonium Perchlorate Composite Propellant (APCP). This mixture is primarily ammonium perchlorate powder (an oxidizer), combined with fine aluminium powder (a fuel), held together in a base of PBAN or HTPB (rubber-like fuels). アルミニウム粉末とポリブタジエンが燃料になり、過塩素酸アンモニウムが酸化剤となる。 日本のＨ-IIＡの固体ロケットブースター（ＳＲＢ)を例に取ると固体推進剤の組成は過塩素酸アンモニウム６８％、末端水酸基ポリブタジエン１４％、アルミニウム粉末１８％、添加剤少少となります。
螺旋状になっているのはロケットの排気そのものじゃないのかなあ？
ロケット（固体推進剤）の螺旋飛行と言えばこんな例があります。
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Z-3fjg4dYY
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_propellant#Description
During the 1950s and 60s researchers in the United States developed what is now the standard high-energy solid rocket fuel, Ammonium Perchlorate Composite Propellant (APCP). This mixture is primarily ammonium perchlorate powder (an oxidizer), combined with fine aluminium powder (a fuel), held together in a base of PBAN or HTPB (rubber-like fuels).
アルミニウム粉末とポリブタジエンが燃料になり、過塩素酸アンモニウムが酸化剤となる。
日本のＨ-IIＡの固体ロケットブースター（ＳＲＢ)を例に取ると固体推進剤の組成は過塩素酸アンモニウム６８％、末端水酸基ポリブタジエン１４％、アルミニウム粉末１８％、添加剤少少となります。