Magnetometers for space measurements

Abstract

Introduction. — The field is defined by the magnitude and direction. Many geophysical problems, for the sake of which, measurements were carried out, need the knowledge of both the magnitude and the direction of the field. As is generally known, a great progress was made in prospecting owing to elaborated methods of the field measurements from mobile platforms [1]. The accuracy of the measurements increased when instead of components, scalar values began to measure [2]. With proton magnetometers [3] the scalar values measurements became more attractive and exact. At great distances from the Earth where the field is sufficiently decreased, an acceptable (at the absolute value) accuracy of the field component measurements might be achieved by much less accuracy of the mobile platform orientation. At great distances from the Earth it is possible to measure the field components of the orientation of the spacecraft is known with the accuracy at least 3°-5°. While choosing the optimal measurements ways it is essential to take into account the fact that the magnetometers sensors may find themselves in the influence sphere of the and electromagnetic fields of the spacecrafts. The magnetic sanitary requirements might be fulfiled not always, especially in the earlier years, when the spacecraft technical problems formed the conditions of experiments. The elimination of the deviation from the readings of the spacecraft magnetometers might be reached by utilizing special design in the spacecrafts and by using definite methods. This paper is dealt with a brief review of the magnetometers for space measurement elaborated in the Soviet Union and a short description of the methods for ensuring their normal functioning on the spacecrafts. By the magnetometers descriptions we shall follow the next classification :