Wave-particle interactions on the FAST satelliteNASA's Fast Auroral Snapshot, or 'FAST' satellite, scheduled for launch in 1993, will investigate the plasma physics of the low altitude auroral zone from a 3500-km apogee polar orbit. FAST will give attention to wave, double-layer, and soliton production processes due to electrons and ions, as well as to wave-wave interactions, and the acceleration of electrons and ions by waves and electric fields. FAST will employ an intelligent data-handling system capacle of data acquisition at rates of up to 1 Mb/sec, in addition to a 1-Gbit solid-state memory. The data need be gathered for only a few minutes during passes through the auroral zone, since the most interesting auroral phenomena occur in such narrow regions as auroral arcs, electrostatic shocks, and superthermal electron bursts.
Document ID
19910048402
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Authors
Temerin, M. A. (California Univ. Berkeley, CA, United States)
Carlson, C. W. (California Univ. Berkeley, CA, United States)
Cattell, C. A. (California Univ. Berkeley, CA, United States)
Ergun, R. E. (California Univ. Berkeley, CA, United States)
Mcfadden, J. P. (California, University Berkeley, United States)