Modeling of the geosynchronous orbit plasma environment, part 1
Abstract
Although the role of the environment in generating spacecraft potential variations at geosynchronous orbit is well documented, variations in the ambient environment itself have not been well-defined. Similarly, no studies of the environment have attempted an analytic formulation of the various parameters needed to model the spacecraft charging phenomenon. This paper describes the parameters needed to formulate such a model and outlines a systematic procedure for constructing a simple analytic model that includes the effects of local time and geomagnetic activity. Observational data from the ATS-5 satellite are analyzed using this procedure to give a preliminary analytic description of the geosynchronous environment in the form of a FORTRAN program.
- Publication:
-
NASA STI/Recon Technical Report N
- Pub Date:
- December 1977
- Bibcode:
- 1977STIN...7825122G
- Keywords:
-
- Aerospace Environments;
- Geosynchronous Orbits;
- Space Charge;
- Synchronous Satellites;
- Atmospheric Temperature;
- Ats 5;
- Computerized Simulation;
- Fortran;
- Plasma Physics;
- Launch Vehicles and Space Vehicles