- Article
- Published:
Electron temperature probe onboard Japan’s Mars orbiter
Earth, Planets and Space volume 51, pages 1309–1317 (1999)
Abstract
Japan’ s first Mars spacecraft PLANET-B was successfully launched on 4th of July, 1998 and was named “NO-ZOMI” after the launch. One of the scientific instruments is a unique electron temperature probe which was developed in Japan and has been used for more than 20 years on sounding rockets as well as on scientific satellites (Oyama, 1991). The electron temperature probe dubbed PET (Probe for Electron Temperature measurements) consists of two planar electrodes, 150 mm in diameter, placed at the edges of the two solar cell panels of the “NOZOMI” spacecraft. Electron temperatures can be measured in plasmas with densities exceeding 1000 cm−3 with sufficient accuracy. The maximum sampling rate of 8 data points per satellite spin for each probe allows high resolution measurements (i.e., an angular resolution around the spin axis of 23 degrees). Additionally, the probe can measure the anisotropy of the electron temperature, if it exists. It is also possible to infer the existence of nonthermal electrons.
References
Choi, Y. W., J. Kim, K. W. Min, A. F. Nagy, and K.-I. Oyama, Effect of the magnetic field on the energetics of Mars ionosphere, Geophys. Res. Lett., 25, 2753–2756, 1998.
Cole, K., Origin of flux ropes in the Venus ionosphere, J. Geophys. Res., 99, 14951–14958, 1994.
Cravens, T. E., T. I. Gombosi, J. Kozyra, A. F. Nagy, L. H. Brace, and W. C. Knudsen, Model calculations of the dayside ionosphere of Venus: Energetics, J. Geophys. Res., 85, 7778–7786, 1980.
Hanson, W. B. and G. P. Mantas, Viking electron temperature measurements; evidence for a magnetic field in the martian ionosphere, J. Geophys. Res., 93, 7538–7544, 1988.
Hanson, W. B., S. Sanatani, and D. R. Zuccaro, The martian ionosphere as observed by the Viking retarding potential analyzers, J. Geophys. Res., 82, 4351–4363, 1988.
Hoegy, W. R., L. H. Brace, and W. T. Kasprzak, Small scale plasma, magnetic, and neutral density fluctuations in the nightside Venus ionosphere, J. Geophys. Res., 95, 4085–4102, 1990.
Oyama, K.-I., Electron temperature measurements carried out by Japanese scientific satellites, Adv. Space Res., 11(10), 109–158, 1991.
Verigin, M. I., K. I. Gringauz, N. M. Shutte, S. A. Haider, K. Szego, P. Kiraly, A. F. Nagy, and T. I. Gombosi, On the possible source of the ionization in the nighttime martian ionosphere 1. Phobos 2 HARP electron spectrometer measurements, J. Geophys. Res., 96, 19307–19313, 1991.
Zhang, M. H. G., J. G. Luhmann, A. J. Kliore, and J. Kim, A post-pioneer Venus reassement of the Martian dayside ionosphere as observed by radio occultation methods, J. Geophys. Res., 95, 14829–14839, 1990a.
Zhang, M. H. G., J. G. Luhmann, and A. J. Kliore, An observational study of the nightside ionospheres of Mars and Venus with radio occultation methods, J. Geophys. Res., 95, 17095–17102, 1990b.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Oyama, Ki., Abe, T., Schlegel, K. et al. Electron temperature probe onboard Japan’s Mars orbiter. Earth Planet Sp 51, 1309–1317 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03351604
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03351604