Parachute ejection systems that sense barometric pressure can malfunction during supersonic flight because:

Parachute ejection systems that sense barometric pressure can malfunction during supersonic flight because:

• A. Aerodynamic heating changes the values of electronic components
• B. The outside pressure distribution is not continuous around the model
• C. Static discharges will "zap" sensitive electronic components
• D. Both answers "A" and "B" are correct

Answer: (B)

Barometric parachute deployment relies on sensing ambient static pressure to infer altitude. In supersonic flight, the air around the model contains shock waves and rapid pressure changes, so the outside pressure distribution is not smooth or continuous. A barometric sensor exposed to this nonuniform flow can read pressures that don’t match the actual ambient altitude, leading to incorrect timing or failure of the deployment. That makes the noncontinuous outside pressure distribution the key issue here. Aerodynamic heating of electronics and static discharges can cause other problems, but they’re not the primary reason barometric sensing would misbehave in supersonic conditions.

Barometric parachute deployment relies on sensing ambient static pressure to infer altitude. In supersonic flight, the air around the model contains shock waves and rapid pressure changes, so the outside pressure distribution is not smooth or continuous. A barometric sensor exposed to this nonuniform flow can read pressures that don’t match the actual ambient altitude, leading to incorrect timing or failure of the deployment.

That makes the noncontinuous outside pressure distribution the key issue here. Aerodynamic heating of electronics and static discharges can cause other problems, but they’re not the primary reason barometric sensing would misbehave in supersonic conditions.