Accelerometer
Image ID: 162
Three Axis Piezoelectric Accelerometer – Falling Sphere
We have developed the three axis piezoelectric accelerometer instrument to provide measurements with very high accuracy and high spatial resolution. The sensitivity of the instrument is on the order of 10-8 g. The accelerometer is housed in a 25 cm diameter sphere, which uses balanced moments of inertia for spin stabilization of the sphere released from a rochet payload near 70 km at a spin rate of 6 Hz. Measurements are analyzed to provide the profiles of atmospheric density, temperature, and wind velocity up to the flight apogee, about 160 km, and on descent to an altitude of about 45 km.
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