A device for determination of the electrical potential of a rocket carrying an electron gun
Abstract
A device designed to determine the electrical potential, relative to the environment, of a sounding rocket carrying electron accelerators (guns) is described. This device consists of two flat retarding-potential electron analyzers and an electronic unit that supplies the necessary voltages to the analyzers (up to about 300 and 3000 V, resp.) and transmits data to the telemetry system input. The device's principle of operation is discussed, along with characteristics of the retarding-potential analyzers and the electronics system. It is noted that the device operated successfully during an Eridan sounding-rocket flight in the ARAKS experiment and allowed the rocket's electrical potential to be determined during electron injection by the onboard accelerator. Examples of recorded telemetry information for different periods of electron-injector operation during the rocket flight are provided.
- Publication:
-
Space Science Instrumentation
- Pub Date:
- November 1978
- Bibcode:
- 1978SSI.....4..205G
- Keywords:
-
- Electric Potential;
- Electrical Measurement;
- Electron Guns;
- Rocket-Borne Instruments;
- Spacecraft Charging;
- Electronic Equipment;
- Rocket Flight;
- Telemetry;
- Traps;
- Voltage Regulators;
- Spacecraft Instrumentation