Electron beam observation opportunity

Abstract

Ionospheric researchers will have the opportunity to conduct coordinated radio, radar, and optical observations in conjunction with other space‐based electron beam experiments as part of the upcoming Cooperative High‐Altitude Rocket Gun Experiments (CHARGE) 3 rocket flight in November 1988 at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR, White Sands, N.Mex.). The flight will be particularly interesting because of the high power planned for the electron gun (3.5 kV at 5 A), which is based, in part, on technology developments planned for the successful Excede series of rockets.CHARGE 3 is the third in a series of U.S. flights made in collaboration with investigators from Utah State University (Logan), Stanford University (Stanford, Calif.), the Institute for Space and Astronautical Sciences (Sendai, Japan), and the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor). The general objectives for CHARGE 3 are fourfold: to study vehicle charging and diagnosecontributory effects at higher beam currents and energy, to study ELF/VLF wave generation and propagation from dc and modulated electron beams, to diagnose beam propagation remotely by studying E region ionization and optical excitation, and to investigate voltage and current distribution in an electrically tethered space vehicle system at higher beam currents.