An Ionospheric Total Electron Content Disturbance Associated with the Launch of NASA's Skylab.

Abstract

By monitoring the amount of Faraday rotation a plane polarized satellite signal experiences in traversing the ionosphere, it is possible to measure the total number of electrons in a column of unit cross section through the Earth's ionosphere. Report discusses: Ground-based total electron count observations and the Skylab launch; electron loss mechanisms in the F-region; diffusion of the Saturn V S-II plume in the ionosphere; ionosonde observations; and estimates of photochemical and aeronomic processes capable of depleting the expanding plume.

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 29, 1974
Accession Number
ADA000018

Entities

People

  • Gerald S. Hawkins
  • John A. Klobuchar
  • Michael Mendillo

Organizations

  • Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Artificial Satellites
  • Diffusion
  • Electrons
  • Ground Based
  • Instrumentation
  • Ionograms
  • Ionosondes
  • Ionosphere
  • Measuring Instruments
  • Monitoring
  • Observation
  • Rotation

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science
  • Physics

Readers

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics.
  • Groundwater Contamination Remediation.
  • Molecular Photonics/Laser Physics

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster