High-level spacecraft charging in the low-altitude polar auroral environment

Technical Report · Fri Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:5893194

Gussenhoven, M S; Hardy, D A; Rich, F; Burke, W J; Yeh, H C

Regions of intense keV-electron precipitation, such as inverted-V structures, at times colocate with ionospheric-plasma depletion regions in the high-latitude polar ionosphere. When Defense Meterological Satellite Program (DMSP) F6 and F7 satellites, at 840 km, enter these regions in darkness, ion signatures of high spacecraft-to-ambient plasma potential differences(several hundred volts negative) are observed with the new SSJ/4 ion detectors. A systematic survey of charging events and the environment in which they occur was made using the DMSP F 6 and 7 precipitating ion and electron detectors, the SSIE thermal plasma probes, and the SSM(F7 only) vector magnetometer. The charging events of November 26, 1983, are analyzed in detail since they occurred on both satellites. Critical levels of number flux and average energy for the precipitating electrons, and the threshold density of the thermal ionospheric ions are defined for different levels of spacecraft charging.

• Research Organization: Air Force Geophysics Lab., Hanscom AFB, MA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5893194
• Report Number(s): AD-A-162145/7/XAB; AFGL-TR-85-0291
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
AURORAE
CHARGED PARTICLES
IONOSPHERE
ELECTRON PRECIPITATION
POLAR REGIONS
SATELLITES
ELECTRIC CHARGES
ELECTRON PROBES
IONS
MAGNETOMETERS
SURVEYS
CHARGED-PARTICLE PRECIPITATION
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
PROBES
640201* - Atmospheric Physics- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena