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Planar ion trap (retarding potential analyzer) experiment for atmosphere explorerThe retarding potential analyzer and drift meter were carried aboard all three Atmosphere Explorer spacecraft. These instruments measure the total thermal ion concentration and temperature, the bulk thermal ion velocity vector and some limited properties of the relative abundance of H(+), He(+), O(+) and molecular ions. These instruments functioned with no internal failures on all the spacecraft. On AE-E there existed some evidence for external surface contamination that damaged the integrity of the RPA sweep grids. This led to some difficulties in data reduction and interpretation that did not prove to be a disastrous problem. The AE-D spacecraft functioned for only a few months before it re-entered. During this time the satellite suffered from a nutation about the spin axis of about + or - 2 deg. This 2 deg modulation was superimposed upon the ion drift meter horizontal ion arrival angle output requiring the employment of filtering techniques to retrieve the real data.
Document ID
19830028298
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Contractor Report (CR)
Authors
Hanson, W. B. (Texas Univ. Dallas, TX, United States)
Sanatani, S. (Texas Univ. Dallas, TX, United States)
Lippincott, C. R. (Texas Univ. Dallas, TX, United States)
Zuccaro, D. R. (Texas Univ. Dallas, TX, United States)
Date Acquired
September 4, 2013
Publication Date
December 1, 1982
Subject Category
Geophysics
Report/Patent Number
NAS 1.26:170589
NASA-CR-170589
Accession Number
83N36569
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAS5-11407
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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