Spacecraft Charging on ATS-5.

Abstract

The distribution of plasma electron and proton temperature at the time of spacecraft charging events during eclipse are obtained from ATS-5 data for 1969 to 1971. The mean RMS electron temperature is 3 keV and the highest value measure is 6.5 keV. The mean RMS ion temperature is 9 keV; the highest value is 12 keV. The current-voltage characteristic curve shows that a threshold current for charging exists which is 0.000001 A/sq m. The charging current has a narrow distribution around 0.0000015 A/sq m. The spacecraft ground potential varies approximately linearly with RMS plasma electron temperature consistent with the behavior of a dielectric probe in a plasma. (Author)

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 14, 1980
Accession Number
ADA090508

Entities

People

  • A. G. Rubin
  • A. H. Wendel
  • H. B. Garrett

Organizations

  • Air Force Research Laboratory

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Artificial Satellites
  • Databases
  • Dielectrics
  • Electron Beams
  • Electron Emission
  • Electron Flux
  • Electrons
  • Electrostatic Analyzers
  • Energy
  • Geophysics
  • Geosynchronous Orbits
  • High Energy
  • Materials
  • Orbits
  • Spacecraft
  • Spacecraft Charging

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Plasma Physics.
  • Solar Physics

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster