Abstract
This paper presents a large vacuum facility (6-ft-diameter, 10-ft-long chamber) equipped with a magnetic filter-type low Earth orbit plasma source. A recommended operating envelope for the plasma source was established through single-point measurements by varying the discharge currents of the plasma source and the gas flow rates. A three-axis translation stage was fabricated and tested with 2D and 3D scans of the simulated plasma environment. The measured plasma density during this study was between 1:63 x 1012 − 3:1 x 1012 m−3 for the electrons and 7:54 x 1012 − 1:82 x 1013 m−3 for the ions, whereas the electron and ion temperatures ranged from 0.55 to 2.06 eV and 1 to 3 eV, respectively. The simulated plasma environment compares well with orbital equivalents, specifically the F layers of the ionosphere.
Recommended Citation
E. K. Wie-Addo et al., "Ground Vacuum Facility to Simulate Low Earth Orbit Plasma Environment," Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, vol. 61, no. 5, pp. 1350 - 1361, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Sep 2024.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.2514/1.A36013
Department(s)
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Publication Status
Full Access
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
1533-6794; 0022-4650
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2024 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Sep 2024
Comments
National Science Foundation, Grant DMS-2111039