Rocket-borne thermal plasma instrument "MIPEX" for the ionosphere D, E layer in-situ measurements
Abstract
In this presentation, the design concepts, performances and status of a thermal plasma particle instrument package "Mesosphere and Ionosphere Plasma Exploration complex (MIPEX)", which is going to be installed onboard a NSPO-funded hybrid rocket, to investigate the electrodynamic processes in ionosphere D, E layers above Taiwan are reported. MIPEX is capable of measuring plasma characteristics including ion temperature, ion composition, ion drift, electron temperature and plasma density at densities as low as 1-10 cm-1. This instrument package consists of an improved retarding potential analyzer with a channel electron multiplier (CEM), a simplified ion drift meter and a planar Langmuir probe. To achieve the working atmospheric pressure of CEM at the height of lower D layer ( 70km), a portable vacuum pump is also placed in the package. A prototype set of the MIPEX has been developed and tested in the Space Plasma Operation Chamber (SPOC) at NCKU, where in ionospheric plasma is generated by back-diffusion plasma sources. A plasma density of 10-106 cm-1, ion temperature of 300-1500 K and electron temperature of 1000-3000K is measured and verified. Limited by the flight platform and the performance of the instruments, the in-situ plasma measurements at the Mesosphere and lower Thermosphere is very challenging and rare. MIPEX is capable of extending the altitude of the effective plasma measurement down to 70 km height and this experiment can provide unique high-quality data of the plasma environment to explore the ion distribution and the electrodynamic processes in the Ionosphere D, E layers at dusk.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2017
- Bibcode:
- 2017AGUFMSH44A..04F
- Keywords:
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- 2194 Instruments and techniques;
- INTERPLANETARY PHYSICS;
- 2494 Instruments and techniques;
- IONOSPHERE;
- 2794 Instruments and techniques;
- MAGNETOSPHERIC PHYSICS;
- 6297 Instruments and techniques;
- PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS