The space shuttle as a platform for observations of ground-based transmitter signals and whistlers

Journal Article · Thu Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1987 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JA092iA10p11262· OSTI ID:5875371

Neubert, T; Bell, T F; Storey, L R.O. ^[1]; Gurnett, D A ^[2]

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1. Stanford Univ., CA (United States)
2. Univ. of Iowa, Iowa City (United States)

Recent experimental and theoretical studies indicate that coherent VLF waves, such as lightning-generated whistlers and signals from ground-based VLF transmitters, can often produce significant pitch angle scattering in energetic particles in the magnetosphere. However, the relative importance of these waves in controlling the lifetime of energetic particles is only partially understood due to limited knowledge of the global distribution of the coherent waves throughout the magnetosphere. The present paper presents a preliminary global study of VLF transmitter signals and low-latitude whistlers received at 245 km altitude on the space shuttle. The observations were made in a 5-day period during the STS 3 mission of the space shuttle in March 1982. The threshold sensitivity of the wave receiver when mounted in the shuttle bay was 0.3 whistler mode signals in large regions of the ionosphere. They authors find that the direct signals from a 10-kW transmitter located at 28{degrees}S magnetic latitude were received in a roughly circular region with a diameter of 6,000 km centered around the transmitter. The signals propagating through the magnetosphere form a 500-kW magnetically conjugate transmitter at 40{degrees}N magnetic latitude were received inside a region extending 5,000 km in longitude and 2,000 km in latitude. Finally, the direct signals from a 1 MW-transmitter at 31{degrees}S magnetic latitude were received in a region extending 22,000 km in longitude, while the latitudinal extent (5,000 km) was limited by the shuttle orbit and the day/night terminator.

• OSTI ID: 5875371
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States) Vol. 92:A10; ISSN 0148-0227; ISSN JGREA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

661320* -- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magnetospheric Phenomena-- (1992-)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
AIRCRAFT
CHARGED PARTICLES
COHERENT RADIATION
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
GLOBAL ASPECTS
IONOSPHERE
LEPTONS
LIFETIME
LIGHTNING
NOISE
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
RADIATIONS
RADIO NOISE
RADIOWAVE RADIATION
SCATTERING
SENSITIVITY
SIGNALS
SPACE SHUTTLES
SPACE VEHICLES
VEHICLES
WAVE PROPAGATION
WHISTLERS