The Lightning Triggering: A Technique for Active Protection of a Site

Authors

  • Paul Perroud Commissariat a l’Energie Atomique Centre d’Etudes Nucleaires de Grenoble
  • Andre Eybert-Berard Commissariat a l’Energie Atomique Centre d’Etudes Nucleaires de Grenoble

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54782/jwm.v18i1.407

Abstract

The technique of lightning triggering that we have developed is well mastered after numerous campaigns in France and in USA. It consists mainly of firing a small rocket carrying a thin metallic wire from the ground toward a thundercloud when the electrostatic field rises above the critical value (4 to 7 kV/m). The chances of success reach 94% under favorable conditions. This is why it is now possible to conceive the utilization of this means of lightning control for an active protection of important installations such as spacecraft launching sites. The aim is to drive electricity generated within storm clouds to the ground through artificial lightning. Analysis of the feasibility of this technique is given. For a thunderstorm of 40 minutes duration, a total of 120 rockets is found necessary for efficient protection. The Lightning Rocket System (LRS) technique can also be used to test electrical stability of the atmosphere before a missile launch in order to avoid the accident which happened to Apollo 12 in 1969.

Downloads

Issue

Vol. 18 No. 1 (1986)

Section

Scientific Papers

License

Authors that submit papers for publication agree to the Journal’s copyright and publication terms. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the manuscript’s authorship and initial publication in Journal of Weather Modification. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal’s published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in the Journal of Weather Modification. Authors are permitted to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process to encourage productive exchanges and greater citation of the published article.
 
Articles are published online using restricted access for the first year. After the first year, articles are made freely available online. Immediate open access for an article may be obtained by the author paying an open access fee which is in addition to the normal page changes. Authors are expected to honor a page charge in order to support publication and distribution of the journal. After the author approves the gallery formatted version for publication, the Weather Modification Association’s Secretary will invoice the corresponding author for the page charges and payment is due within 30 days.

How to Cite

The Lightning Triggering: A Technique for Active Protection of a Site. (1986). The Journal of Weather Modification, 18(1), 46-48. https://doi.org/10.54782/jwm.v18i1.407