High-Voltage Satellite Tethers for Active Experiments in Space

Details High-Voltage Satellite Tethers for Active Experiments in Space High-Voltage Satellite Tethers for Active Experiments in Space

Dec 1996

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1996esasp.392..115d&link_type=abstract

Environment Modelling for Space-based Applications, Symposium Proceedings (ESA SP-392). ESTEC Noordwijk, 18-20 September 1996. E

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New applications of space tethers are discussed in relation with the idea [1, 2] of an active experiment, in the Earth's radiation belts. Two long (about 10 km long each) well conducting strings are supposed to be tethered in opposite directions between the main satellite and two small subsatellites, flying through the ERB in equatorial plane. High potential difference p0 ~ 1 MV is applied between the tethers, by means of a high voltage generator carried by the main satellite. The tethers can effectively scatter the high energy particles into loss cone, providing a control of particle life time in ERB. The high energy particles are scattered due to the sheath layer formed around the tethers by relatively cold plasma (n ~ 102 cm-3, T ~ 100 eV) existing in ERB. The rigorous theory of the layer is developed, yielding the electric current collected by the tether and a potential profile which is then used for treatment of the scattering and diagnostics problems. The scattering cross-section is found to reach s ~ 2LsRc, where Ls is the length of the tether, Rc ~ 1 km is the radius of sheath. Consequently the high energy component life time can be estimated as t ~ V/sv ~ 107 s, where V ~ 2.5 x 1012 km3 is a characteristic volume, occupied by the high energy particles in ERB, v ~ 1.5 x 107 m/s is the average particle velocity. This life time proves to be much shorter than the proton life time (109 - 1010 s) inside the ERB. The above high-voltage satellite system can be used for precipitation of charged particles from man-made radiation belts, affecting the ozone layer depletion and active experiments in space such as ARAKS, CRRES, etc. Since potential difference can be varied in a wide range both cold plasma parameters and high energy particles characteristics can be measured with the same space tethers used as a diagnostic probe. New possibilities related to the case of applied AC voltage in a frequency range wpi << w << wpe are discussed [3].
V.V. Danilov, and Yu.V. Vasilyev "Active experiment in space: man-made control of particle precipitation from the Earth's radiation belts using high-voltage string system",
V.V. Danilov "High-voltage string satellite system for active experiments in the Earth magnetosphere", NATO ASI'95 on Defense Conversion Strategies, Pitlochry, July 2-14, 1995.
V.V. Danilov, V.V. Mirnov, and DUc cer "High-voltage space tether for diagnostics and enhanced particle scattering in the Earth's radiation belts", ICOPS'96, Boston, June 3-5, 1996.

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