Change in ion distribution function while crossing the space shuttle wake

Ion temperature enhancement in the wakes of ionospheric spacecraft

“…The main issue of this paper is to emphasize the existence of an ion temperature enhancement in the wakes of ionospheric satellites. To date, the measurements presented here and by Sorensen et al [1997] because of the limited spatial range of measurements presently available in the wake region. As noted above, the maximum enhancements found in the two cases are similar in magnitude (-2).…”

“…To date, the measurements presented here and by Sorensen et al [1997] Although there was a significant difference in the size and shape of the TSS satellite compared to the space shuttle Orbiter, they both were in low Earth orbit and subject to similar ionospheric conditions. This suggests that ambient, environmental plasma conditions may be more important to this effect than the characteristics of the wake-generating body.…”

A new basic effect in retarding potential analyzers

“…Whipple's law is actually used with instruments other than, though derived from, the RPA. 9 Early discrepancies between data from planar RPAs and other measurements led to careful criticism of Whipple's ideal law for the characteristic I(V P ). It was found that several effects inside the instrument ͑nonuniformity of potential in grid planes, energy-dependent grid transparencies, space charge between grids, limited grid width͒ could affect the characteristic.…”

“…The Retarding Potential Analyzer ͑RPA͒ has been used on board satellites since the beginning of the space age, having been kept as the standard in situ probe for determining T i in the ionosphere; 5 a RPA will soon be flown on the Chinese ROCSAT-1 spacecraft. 6 RPA instruments have been also used on board rockets at the bottom of the ionosphere; 7 on the Shuttle for measuring the plasma perturbations produced by the Shuttle itself; 8,9 in the Venus 4,10 and Mars 11,12 ionospheres; and on the TSS-1R electron collector. 1 A RPA is a multigrid electrostatic probe.…”

Electron current to a probe in a magnetized, collisional plasma

“…11 Recent ionospheric experiments suggest that spacecraft velocity, though highly subsonic as regards electrons, may have a substantial effect on electron collection, [12][13][14] and that electrons in the plasma beyond the sheath get hotter in the collection process. [15][16][17] Collisional theories usually consider negative or slightly positive bias, as appropriate for bounded, hotter and denser laboratory plasmas. 18 New types of Langmuir probes use the ion branch of the probe characteristic at the edge of strongly ionized fusion plasmas ͑Mach and flush mounted probes to measure ion flow 5,19 and density, 20,21 respectively͒ but the need to determine the electron temperature T eϱ remains.…”