Fig. 5: Ablation profiles for aluminium rockets.
From: Measurement of a lithium plume from the uncontrolled re-entry of a Falcon 9 rocket
The expected ablation profiles for rockets with aluminium hulls of various thicknesses. Derived using the Leeds Chemical Ablation Model, assuming a shallow re-entry angle of 88.8∘ to zenith. The Falcon 9 is reported to have a hull thickness of 4.7 mm and should reach a melting temperature of 933 K at 98.2 km.
