Celiberto, RobertoArmenise, IoleCacciatore, M.Capitelli, MarioEsposito, FabrizioGamallo Belmonte, PabloJanev, R. K.Laganà, AntonioLaporta, VincenzoLaricchiuta, AnnaritaLombardi, AndreaRutigliano, MariaSayós Ortega, RamónTennyson, JonathanWadehra, J. M.2018-10-102018-10-102016-05-170963-0252https://hdl.handle.net/2445/125245The modeling of atmospheric gas, interacting with the space vehicles in re-entry conditions in planetary exploration missions, requires a large set of scattering data for all those elementary processes occurring in the system. A fundamental aspect of re-entry problems is represented by the strong non-equilibrium conditions met in the atmospheric plasma close to the surface of the thermal shield, where numerous interconnected relaxation processes determine the evolution of the gaseous system towards equilibrium conditions. A central role is played by the vibrational exchanges of energy, so that collisional processes involving vibrationally excited molecules assume a particular importance. In the present paper, theoretical calculations of complete sets of vibrationally state-resolved cross sections and rate coefficients are reviewed, focusing on the relevant classes of collisional processes: resonant and non-resonant electron-impact excitation of molecules, atom-diatom and molecule-molecule collisions as well as gas-surface interaction. In particular, collisional processes involving atomic and molecular species, relevant to Earth (N-2, O-2, NO), Mars (CO2, CO, N-2) and Jupiter (H-2, He) atmospheres are considered.27 p.application/pdfeng(c) Institute of Physics (IOP), 2016Astrofísica del plasmaVehicles espacialsCol·lisions (Física)AtmosferaPlasma astrophysicsSpace vehiclesCollisions (Physics)Atmosphereinfo:eu-repo/semantics/article6737822018-10-10info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess