Project VARIANT: measuremets of electromagnetic fields and currents in the ionospheric plasmas aboard the «Sich-1M»satellite

Heading: 
Spacecrafts and Payloads
1Korepanov, V, 2Negoda, O, 3Lizunov, G, 4Alleyne, H, 4Balikhin, M, 5Blecky, J, 1Dudkin, F, Fedorov, A, 5Juchniewich, J, 6Klimov, S, 7Krasnoselskikh, V, 7Lefeuvre, F
1Lviv Centre of the Space Research Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and the State Space Agency of Ukraine, Lviv, Ukraine
2State Space Agency of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
3Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kyiv, Ukraine
4Sheffield University, Amy Johnson Building, Mappin Street, Sheffield, SI 3JD, United Kingdom
5Space Research Centre PAN, Warsaw, Poland
6Space Research Institute of the Russian AS, Moscow, Russia
7LPCE/CNRS, Orleans, France
Kosm. nauka tehnol. 1999, 5 ;(5):03–08
https://doi.org/10.15407/knit1999.05.003
Publication Language: Ukrainian
Abstract: 
VARIANT is a joint international space experiment on current density measurements in the ionosperic-magnetospheric plasmas. The experiment will be performed aboard the Ukrainian remote-sensing satellite Sich-lM which will be launched in 2002 into the polar circular orbit with an inclination of about 83° and altitude of 670±30 km. The scientific payload includes three instruments for the registration of space current density: split Langmuir probe, Rogovski coil, and Faraday cup. The first two instruments are specially designed to measure the current density variations, the last one allows the measurements of particle fluxes. The equipment includes also the sensors for measurements of the electric and magnetic field fluctuations in the frequency range from 0.1 Hz to 40 kHz. These measurements are complementary of the current density ones and they will be used to make comparison between direct and implicit estimates of the distribution and fine structure of currents. The next goal of the VARIANT experiment is the observation of the fine structure of currents in space with the simultaneous ground-based measurement of the ionospheric convection in the E and F layers by the SuperDARN system of radars. The scientific objectives of the VARIANT mission are discussed.
Keywords: ionosperic-magnetospheric plasmas, project VARIANT, Sich-lM
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