Magsat (Magnetic Field Satellite, Explorer 61, Applications Explorer Mission-3 or AEM-3) spacecraft was launched on October 30, 1979. [1] The mission was to map the magnetic field close to the Earth, the satellite has two magnetometers. The scalar (a Cesium vapor) and vector (fluxgate) magnetometers gave Magsat a capability beyond that of any previous spacecraft. Extended by a telescoping boom, the magnetometers device were distanced from the magnetic field created by the satellite and its instruments. The satellite carried two magnetometers, a three-axis fluxgate magnetometer for determining the strength and direction of magnetic fields, and a ion-vapor/vector magnetometer for determining the magnetic field caused by the vector magnetometer itself. [2]
Magnetic_Field_Earth.png After launch the payload was brought to an orbit of 96.8 facing the sun as the earth rotated underneath. It was kept in a close earth orbit, with vector magnetometers capable of sensing magnetic fields closer to earths surface. The data collected by this satellite allowed a 3D-mapping of the earths magnetic interior as never seen before. In combination with a later satellite is has been an essential component for explaining the current declining state of the Earth's magnetic field. [3]
References
- ^ Langel R, Ousley G, Berbert J, Murphy J, and Settle M. The MAGSAT Mission. GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 9, NO. 4, PAGES 243–245, 1982
- ^ http://www-ssc.igpp.ucla.edu/personnel/russell/ESS265/History.html History of Vector Magnetometers in Space]
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^ Goel SC, Jurand A (October 1975). "Electron microscopic studies on chick limb cartilage differentiated in tissue culture". J Embryol Exp Morphol. 34 (2): 327–37.
PMID
1194834.
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