Rocket launches and reentries produce sonic booms that impact large areas on the ground. Historically, sonic booms from rocket launches in the United States have occurred over oceans, but recent launches and landings have produced audible sonic booms in populated areas. At Vandenberg Space Force Base, for example, some rockets now launch along southeastern trajectories that fly closer to the California coast than historical southern and southwestern trajectories over the Pacific Ocean. These coast-hugging trajectories increase the probability that audible sonic booms will occur in populated areas. As part of the launch licensing process, the predicted sonic boom impacts must be reported to the public in an environmental document. A typical environmental analysis models the sonic boom footprint from a nominal trajectory across a range of headings in average atmospheric conditions. However, the sonic boom footprint is highly sensitive to the atmospheric profile. This presentation explores the effects of atmospheric variability on the predicted sonic boom footprint from a nominal rocket launch at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Including atmospheric variability in environmental analyses will better inform the public about the probability of sonic boom impacts in populated areas.
Lympany et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: