SATELLITE PLASMA FREQUENCY PROBE FOR HIGH SPATIAL RESOLUTION ELECTRON DENSITY MEASUREMENTS.
Abstract
The report presents details of the instrumentation for a satellite experiment called a plasma frequency probe designed to provide high resolution measurements of electron density for investigation of F-region irregularities. The plasma frequency probe technique involved determination of electron density and electron temperature by measuring the resonance frequencies of an antenna immersed in the plasma. A low level RF voltage, swept from 19 to 0.1 MHz, is applied to a short whip antenna, and the resonances are determined by the use of a broadband phase detector. The resonance frequencies are measured eight times per second (approximately every kilometer), coded for PCM telemetry, and recorded on a 10-hour storage capacity tape recorder. With a playback-to-record speed ratio of 80 to 1, ten hours of recorded data can be replayed on a single satellite pass. The units described were flown on polar-orbiting satellites OV3-5 and OV3-6. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1968
- Accession Number
- AD0686114
Entities
People
- David A. Burt
- Earl F. Pound
Organizations
- University of Utah