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Aviation History
1985
1985 - 0119.PDF
INTERNATIONAL SATELLITE DIRECTORY Science Ampte The active magnetospheric particle tracer explorer (Ampte) is a three-nation, three- satellite, $75-million mission to investigate the interaction between the solar wind and the Earth's magneto- sphere. By injecting rare ions into the solar wind, Ampte is able to trace their path into and through the magnetosphere. Ampte comprises three satellites: Germany's ion release module (IRM), Britian's UK subsatellite (UKS), and Nasa's charge composition explorer (CCE). Mission After launch by Delta in August 1984, the IRM and UKS were placed in the same highly elliptical orbit with the apogee outside the Earth's magneto- sphere, in the solar wind. CCE was placed in a lower, equatorial orbit inside the magnetosphere. After separation UKS was positioned about 100km from the IRM to help distinguish temporal from spatial variations once the experiment began. The first ion release took place in September 1984, into the solar wind. The second, "artificial comet" release took place in December, close to the magneto- pause, the solar-wind/magnetosphere boundary. The third release is scheduled for the spring of 1985 inside the magneto- tail. Once the active experiments are complete, Ampte will continue to conduct passive observations for the remainder of its seven-month life. The three Ampte satellites are: IRM Pay load 16 ion release canisters: 8 5-8kg lithium (LiCuO) 8 13-5kg barium (BaCuO) ion detection equipment Owner DFVLR Manufacturer Max Plank Institute Orbit Eliptical, perigee 300km, apogee 140,000km, inclined 28° Stabilisation spin Weight 693kg UKS Payload charged-particle and magnetic- field instruments Owner SERC Manufacturer Rutherford Appleton Laboratory/Mullard Space Science Laboratory Orbit as IRM, UKS positioned 100km from IRM Stabilisation spin Weight 74kg CCE Payload ion magnetometer, trometer Owner Nasa Manufacturer Johns Hopkins Univer sity Orbit elliptical, 300km perigee, 50,000km FLIGHT International, 12 January 1985 detection equipment, and plasma-wave spec- apogee, equatorial Stabilisation spin Weight 230kg ERBE Nasa's Earth radiation budget experiment (ERBE) is a three-satellite project to measure the balance between the amount of solar energy absorbed by different regions of the Earth and the amount of thermal energy radiated back into space. The programme comprises the Earth radiation budget satellite (ERBS) plus ERBE equipment packages on two NOAA weather satellites in polar orbit. Payload The TRW ERBE equipment package comprises a non-scanner and a scanner. The ERBE non-scanner comprises five radiometers—four Earth viewing, one solar viewing. The ERBE scanner comprises three radiometric thermistor bolometers providing rapid cross-track scanning. ERBS also carries the Ball Aerospace Sage II stratospheric aerosol and gas experiment. Owner Nasa Manufacturer ERBS Ball Aerospace Orbit ERBS 610km high, 57° inclined NOAA 870km high, 99° inclined Launch ERBS Oct 1984 Shuttle NOAA-9 Dec 1984 Atlas NOAA-G Aug 1985 Atlas Stabilisation ERBS 3-axis Nasa's Earth radiation budget satellite (ERBS) was deployed by Shuttle manipulator arm in October 1984 ^
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