This paper is an overview of the activity and state-of-the-art in the field of plasma aerospace applications. Both experimental results and theoretical ideas are analysed. Principal attention is focused on understanding the physical mechanisms of the plasma effect on hypersonic aerodynamics. In particular, it is shown that drag reduction can be achieved using a proper distribution of heat sources around a flying body. Estimates of the energetic efficiency of the thermal mechanism of aerodynamic drag reduction are presented. The non-thermal effect caused by the interaction of a plasma flow with a magnetic field is also analysed. Specifically, it is shown that appropriate spatial distribution of volumetric forces around a hypersonic body allows for complete elimination of shock wave generation. It should be noted that in an ideal case, shock waves could be eliminated without energy consumption.
本论文概述了等离子体在航空航天应用中的研究活动及最新进展。对实验结果与理论构想两方面进行了分析。重点关注的是理解等离子体效应对高超声速空气动力学影响的物理机制。特别地，展示了通过在飞行体周围合理配置热源来实现减阻的可能性。此外，还对利用热机制减小气动阻力的能量效率进行了评估。同时，分析了等离子体流与磁场相互作用所产生的非热效应。具体而言，证明了通过在飞行体周围适当分布体积力，可以完全消除激波的产生。值得注意的是，在理想情况下，无需消耗能量即可实现激波的消除。