Colors and Paint Schemes for Visibility

 

Visibility Index

Luminous Orange         100 percent

White                    90 percent

Light Yellow             80 percent

Light Orange             75 percent

Dark Yellow              70 percent

Light Grey               66 percent

Light Blue               60 percent

Light Red                58 percent

Light Brown              55 percent

Light Green              51 percent

Dark Grey                51 percent

Dark Red                 50 percent

Dark Blue                50 percent

Dark Brown               50 percent

Black                    50 percent

 

This means that International (luminous) Orange is the most visible color under most light conditions, and that the dark colors are only about half as visible as luminous orange.

 

Also, consider the following suggestions:

·        Avoid single-color rockets, particularly solid silver or solid dark colors.

·        Paint the bottom of the rocket a dark color and the top a light color.

·        Any series of adjacent colors on your rocket that are intended to facilitate orientation should be gray-scale opposites—not color opposites.

·        Don’t rely on intricate patterns; they tend to blend together to form an edgeless fuzz at approximately 100 feet away.