Magnetic field measurements on board Venera 13, Venera 14 and Venera Halley

The technical specifications and experimental objectives of Spacelab and Venera magnetometers are outlined. The spacelab magnetometer has a sensitivity range of + or - 150,000 gamma, providing data on the size and orientation of magnetic field vectors throughout the mission. The Venera 13 and 14 instruments sensitivity range is + or - 100 nT, with 0.2 nt resolution. They will map the interplanetary field macrostructure, give shock wave information, and indicate changes in the interplanetary magnetic field near Earth and Venus. One Halley probe will cross the shock front produced by the comet, the other may traverse the tail. As the spacecraft approach the comet the periods between data transfer will be reduced, but the internal data sampling rate will not change. After recognition of a shock by a detection algorithm, data transfer to the memory is stopped, allowing the memory to represent the turbulent magnetic field.