Accession Number:
AD0755901
Title:
The Effects of Photoelectron Emission on a Multiple-Probe Spacecraft Near the Plasmapause.
Descriptive Note:
Rept. for Nov 71-Sep 72,
Corporate Author:
AEROSPACE CORP EL SEGUNDO CALIF LAB OPERATIONS
Personal Author(s):
Report Date:
1972-12-01
Pagination or Media Count:
23.0
Abstract:
Measurements of the potential difference between a pair of symmetrical, spherical, floating probes 14-cm diameter, 5-m baseline flown on the S3-A Explorer 45 spacecraft launched November 1971, with apogee 5.2 R sub e, perigee 222 km, and inclination 3.6 deg have shown a complicated response to sheath potentials in the region near and inside the plasmapause. Typically, with increasing altitude 1 the sunward sphere will first assume a more negative potential than the antisunward sphere, 1 the polarities of the probes in the region L 2 to 4 may switch, sometimes several times, and 3 finally, the detector output may saturate delta phi 125 mV with the sunward sphere more negative again. Author
Descriptors:
Subject Categories:
- Atmospheric Physics
- Plasma Physics and Magnetohydrodynamics