ROCKET PROPULSION AND SONIC BOOM ACOUSTIC PROPAGATION MODEL

The U.S. Department of Transportation/John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center) is seeking a rocket propulsion and sonic boom acoustic propagation model to enable planners to increase launch cadence while minimizing noise exposure increases. The model should be able to quantify propulsion and sonic boom noise from rockets, produce topological noise maps, and identify gaps in data. The Volpe Center is collaborating with the Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC) and the Department of War (DoW) on this project. The National Center for Physical Acoustics (NCPA) at the University of Mississippi is the intended sole source contractor for this project. • The model should utilize available noise source data to quantify propulsion and sonic boom noise from rockets. • The model should produce topological noise maps that show percentage of coverage that exceed noise levels to a given extent. • The model should identify gaps in data where the DoD cannot definitively say what will be impacted by the effects of the rocket launch. • The model should inform decisions on monitoring station locations and indicate where more data are needed.