Charge and mass spectrometer for energetic charged particles.

A description is given of the TP-2 instrument used in the Prognoz 6 and Intercosmos 17 satellites in Soviet-Czechoslovak experiments devoted to studies of the isotopic and charge compositions of solar cosmic rays and of charged particles of the terrestrial radiation belts. The instrument, designed for the energy range 1-20 MeV/nucleon, uses dual delta E-E analysis, a system of priorities with a particle identifier, automatic range selection of the linear sections, and an effective multichannel digital intensimeter. These systems are described in detail. Results obtained in testing the instrument in a charged-particle accelerator are presented, as are selected flight data.