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Preliminary Langmuir probe analysis from ESPRIT

Document ID: 274

Escobar, Adam C.¹
Bilén, Sven G.¹
Philbrick, C. Russell¹

¹ The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Electrical Engineering, University Park, PA, U.S.A.
 

Presented: 18th ESA Symposium on 'European Rocket and Balloon Programmes and Related Research'
Visby, Sweden, June 3-7, 2007

Abstract

On 1 July 2006, the ESPRIT sounding rocket launched several student-built scientific instruments from Andøya Rocket Range in Norway. Two of the instruments had the objective of characterizing the plasma environment: Langmuir probes and a plasma frequency probe. This paper presents a brief overview of the ESPRIT mission, but focuses mostly on the analysis of the Langmuir probes experiment. The Langmuir probes experiment included one swept-bias probe and one fixed-bias probe, both radial to the payload axis. Comparisons between datasets from the Langmuir probes and the ground-based instruments are emphasized. A preliminary investigation of die Langmuir probe data shows several interesting features. The scientific measurements include the presence of a noctilucent cloud (NLC), polar mesospheric summer echo (PMSE), and a sporadic-E layer.

 

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Keywords: Langmuir probes, electrostatic probes, probe, E-region, noctilucent clouds, sporadic E layer, sounding rockets, plasmas, Norway, plasma frequencies, payloads, students, summer, polar mesosphere summer echo, echoes, polar mesospheric cloud

Citation:

"Preliminary Langmuir probe analysis from ESPRIT", Escobar, A. C., S. G. Bilén, C. R. Philbrick, European Space Agency, (Special Publication) ESA SP, European Space Agency (ESA), 2007, pp. 263 - 268, ISSN: 03796566, Issue 647