The Charge and Mass of Meteoritic Smoke Particles (CHAMPS) Rocket Campaign

Statistics – Computation

Scientific paper

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[0305] Atmospheric Composition And Structure / Aerosols And Particles, [0394] Atmospheric Composition And Structure / Instruments And Techniques

Scientific paper

The CHAMPS rocket campaign is a pair of sounding rockets designed to investigate the charge and mass distribution of meteoritic smoke particles (MSPs). It has been suggested that MSPs are a possible condensation nuclei for Noctilucent Clouds (NLC), often called Polar Mesospheric Clouds (PMCs). To date there are no in-situ measurements of the size distribution of MSPs. The charge state of MSPs affects the critical radius at which they become condensation nuclei. Previous rocket campaigns have found positive charge layers, which may be explained by photo-charging of MSPs. The CHAMPS rocket campaign will be launched from the Andoya Rocket Range, Norway in the Fall of 2011. The CHAMPS data is intended to 1) determine whether or not photoemission and photodetachment are mechanisms determining the charge state of MSPs 2) determine the role of MSPs in the overall charge balance of the mesosphere, and 3) determine the mass distribution of the charged fraction of MSPs as a function of altitude. The mass distribution will be directly comparable to recent computational models and remote sensing observations. The data will be taken outside of the NLC season in order to avoid ice particles that would complicate analysis. The data will include measurements of the electron and ion density as well as UV irradiance so that the charging process of MSPs and thus the potential role of MSPs as condensation nuclei can be addressed. The CHAMPS payload is based upon the successful MASS (Mesospheric Aerosol Sampling Spectrometer) payload. The payload includes the MASS instrument, four Colorado Dust Detectors, a pair of Langmuir probes, a pair of positive ion probes, a pair of Faraday rotation antennas, UV detectors, photoemission detectors, and a vacuum Pirani gauge. The MASS instrument returned data on the size distribution of NLC particles in 2007 and will give the size distribution of MSPs during the CHAMPS campaign. Each instrument will be discussed and its relationship to the CHAMPS science objectives. Acknowledgements: this project is supported by NASA.

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