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The Polar Summer MLT Plasma Environment as Seen by the DROPPS Sounding RocketsDuring early July, 1999, the DROPPS (Distribution and Role of Particles in the Polar Summer Mesosphere) campaign launched two rocket payloads whose purpose was to study the polar summer MLT (mesosphere and lower thermosphere), particularly PMSEs (polar mesospheric summer echoes) and PMCs (polar mesospheric clouds). The rockets were launched from the Anderya Rocket Range in Norway the nights of the 5th and 14th of July. Both payloads included a front-mounted PID (Particle Impact Detector) consisting of charge and mass telescopes to measure aerosol and dust mass distributions. Ice particles of nanometer size are believed to be responsible for PMSEs through the process of electron scavenging. Evidence for this process is suggested, for example, by the presence of an electron "biteout" simultaneously measured by several instruments at an altitude of approx. 82 - 87km during the first DROPPS launch. This presentation will characterize similarities and differences between both flights as seen by the charge and mass telescopes, starting at launch until the loss of data on the downleg of each flight. Various stages of the flights will be considered in detail, such as the PMSE layer and the apogee at 117 km, as well as the calibration of the data before launch.
Document ID
20080039143
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Assis, Michael P.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Goldberg, Richard A.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Webb, Phillip A.
(Maryland Univ. Baltimore County Baltimore, MD, United States)
Pesnell, William D.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Voss, H. D.
(Taylor Univ. Upland, IN, United States)
Date Acquired
August 24, 2013
Publication Date
December 10, 2006
Subject Category
Meteorology And Climatology
Meeting Information
Meeting: Fall 2006 American Geophysical Union (AGU) Meeting
Location: San Francisco, CA
Country: United States
Start Date: December 10, 2006
End Date: December 16, 2006
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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