The Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer (SAMPEX) satellite

Satellite

In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....

 was launched in July 1992 into a low earth orbit

Low Earth orbit

A low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km...

 at an altitude of 520 by 670 km and 82 degrees inclination

Inclination

Inclination in general is the angle between a reference plane and another plane or axis of direction.-Orbits:The inclination is one of the six orbital parameters describing the shape and orientation of a celestial orbit...

. The satellite, which has far exceeded its expected three-year lifetime, has primarily operated in a three-axis stabilized mode but has also been spun for limited periods. The satellite carries four instruments

Measuring instrument

In the physical sciences, quality assurance, and engineering, measurement is the activity of obtaining and comparing physical quantities of real-world objects and events. Established standard objects and events are used as units, and the process of measurement gives a number relating the item...

 designed to measure the radiation

Radiation

In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...

 environment of the Earth's magnetosphere

Magnetosphere

A magnetosphere is formed when a stream of charged particles, such as the solar wind, interacts with and is deflected by the intrinsic magnetic field of a planet or similar body. Earth is surrounded by a magnetosphere, as are the other planets with intrinsic magnetic fields: Mercury, Jupiter,...

.

SAMPEX science mission ended on June 30, 2004.

Instruments

• Heavy Ion
  Ion
  An ion is an atom or molecule in which the total number of electrons is not equal to the total number of protons, giving it a net positive or negative electrical charge. The name was given by physicist Michael Faraday for the substances that allow a current to pass between electrodes in a...
  
   Large Area Proportional Counter Telescope (HILT)
• Low Energy Ion Composition Analyzer (LICA)
• Mass Spectrometer Telescope (MAST) measures the isotopic
  Isotopic
  The word isotopic has a number of different meanings, including:* In the physical sciences, to do with chemical isotopes;* In mathematics, to do with a relation called isotopy.* In geometry, isotopic refers to facet-transitivity....
  
   composition of elements from Li(Z=3) to Ni(Z=283) with energy from 10 to several hundred MeV
  Electronvolt
  In physics, the electron volt is a unit of energy equal to approximately joule . By definition, it is equal to the amount of kinetic energy gained by a single unbound electron when it accelerates through an electric potential difference of one volt...
  
  /nucleon
  Nucleon
  In physics, a nucleon is a collective name for two particles: the neutron and the proton. These are the two constituents of the atomic nucleus. Until the 1960s, the nucleons were thought to be elementary particles...
  
  .
• Proton
  Proton
  The proton is a subatomic particle with the symbol or and a positive electric charge of 1 elementary charge. One or more protons are present in the nucleus of each atom, along with neutrons. The number of protons in each atom is its atomic number....
  
  /Electron
  Electron
  The electron is a subatomic particle with a negative elementary electric charge. It has no known components or substructure; in other words, it is generally thought to be an elementary particle. An electron has a mass that is approximately 1/1836 that of the proton...
  
   Telescope (PET)

Collaborators

SAMPEX collaborators included:

• Aerospace Corporation
  • J. B. Blake, M. Looper, K. L. Lorentzen, D. Mabry, J. Mazur, R. Selesnick
• California Institute of Technology
  California Institute of Technology
  The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
  
   (Caltech)
  • A. Cummings, R. Leske, R. Mewaldt, E. Stone
• LASP, University of Colorado
  University of Colorado
  The University of Colorado system is a system of public universities in Colorado consisting of three universities in four campuses: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, and University of Colorado Denver in downtown Denver and at the Anschutz Medical Campus in...
  
  
  • D. N. Baker, S. G. Kanekal, Xinlin Li
• Max Planck Institute, Garching
  • D. Hovestadt, B. Klecker, M. Scholer
• NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
  Goddard Space Flight Center
  The Goddard Space Flight Center is a major NASA space research laboratory established on May 1, 1959 as NASA's first space flight center. GSFC employs approximately 10,000 civil servants and contractors, and is located approximately northeast of Washington, D.C. in Greenbelt, Maryland, USA. GSFC,...
  
  
  • T. Von Rosenvinge
• NASA Langley Research Center
  Langley Research Center
  Langley Research Center is the oldest of NASA's field centers, located in Hampton, Virginia, United States. It directly borders Poquoson, Virginia and Langley Air Force Base...
  
  
  • L. B. Callis, J. Lambeth
• University of Maryland
  University of Maryland
  When the term "University of Maryland" is used without any qualification, it generally refers to the University of Maryland, College Park.University of Maryland may refer to the following:...
  
  
  • G. M. Mason
• Washington University
  • J. Cummings

External links

• SAMPEX website
• SAMPEX Data Center
• SMEX website (archival)