Preliminary report on the HEAO hole in the ionosphere

Abstract

The launch of NASA's third High‐Energy Astrophysical Observatory (HEAO‐C) at 0528 UT on September 20, 1979, by an Atlas‐Centaur rocket produced an extraordinary opportunity to monitor a large‐scale, artificially induced depletion of the earth's ionosphere [Mendillo et al., 1979]. The resultant plasma hole, an effect caused by rapid chemical processes between the rocket's exhaust plume of H2O and H2 and the ionospheric constituents (O+ and e−), was detected by an extensive network of temporary observatories set up specifically for the event. The purpose of this report is to provide a brief summary of the initial results obtained, as described at the recent workshop/symposium ‘Preliminary Evaluation of the Ionospheric Disturbances Associated with the HEAO‐C Launch, With Applications to the SPS Environmental Assessment’ held at Boston University's Osgood Hill Conference Center, November 11–13, 1979.