Evaluation of Space Plasma Data: Effects upon Spacecraft Materials and Predictions of Hazardous Conditions; Polar ARCS

Abstract

The Polar ARCS campaign consisted of a highly coordinated set of ground based, airborne, and in situ measurements of a polar cap aurora over Sondrestrom, Greenland, on February 26, 1987. Three charges of barium were injected into the F-region ionosphere immediately prior to the launch of a Black Brant IX rocket instrumented with AC and DC magnetometers, plasma wave and electric field probes, and ion/neutral and electron spectrometers. Simultaneous electron density and line-of-sight measurements were made by the Sondrestrom incoherent scatter radar, and all-sky imaging photography was performed by the AFGL Airborne Ionospheric Observatory (AIO). This report discusses the electron measurements and data analysis, Interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and DMSP satellite data are presented in an attempt to establish the global morphology of the polar cap during the campaign. The current status of the data from each of the other instruments is also assessed and recommendations for further data analysis are made. (jhd)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 28, 1990
Accession Number
ADA219509

Entities

People

  • J. D. Winningham
  • J. R. Sharber
  • L. A. Weiss

Organizations

  • Southwest Research Institute

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Sensors
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Altitude
  • Artificial Satellites
  • Data Analysis
  • Detectors
  • Electric Fields
  • Electron Density
  • Ionosphere
  • Line Of Sight
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Magnetometers
  • Measurement
  • Meteorological Satellites
  • Photography
  • Spacecraft
  • Spectrometers
  • Trajectories

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science
  • Physics

Readers

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics.
  • Space/Atmospheric Physics.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Space