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Soviet investigation of the ionosphere with the aid of rockets and artificial earth satellites
82
ABSIl2ACTS
*V. I. ~ASOVSKU: Soviet investigation of the ionosphere with the aid of rockets and artificial earth satellites (PP. 3-91. A review is given of the picture of the ionosphere which is gradually emerging from Soviet inv~ti~tions on four main lines, namely radio-sounding by radar techniques from ground stations, study of reception from extraterrestrial sources (the sun and radio-stars, lunar radar), reception from rockets and satellites and finally direct measurements from instruments carried on rockets and satellites. No experimental details are given, except of the oositive ion trao carried on Soutnik III. The constitution of the ionosphere, from present information, is as follows. There is one main maximum ionization level, corresponding to the F2 layer, roughly about 300 km in altitude, i.e. from 50 to 150 km lower than its apparent altitude from radio-sounding experiments. Below this maximum, the ion concentration increases steadily, with subsidiary peaks and has no sharply defined layers. Above the maximum, the concentration falls off much more slowly, and extends to very considerable altitudes (e.g., a value is quoted of 1.9~ 105 positive ions per cm3 at 795 km). There is no thermodynamic equilibrium between the electrons, ions and other particles in the ionosphere, and the effective electron temperature is much higher than that of the particles. *S. Sa DOLGINOV,L. N. Z~uzoovand N. V. PUSHKOV: A Preliminary report on geomagnetic measurements carried out on the third Soviet artificial earth satellite (pp. 5&53). For the geomagnetic measurements required as part of the IGY programme, Sputnik III carried a magnetometer with magnetically saturated detector units, which set themselves automati~lly in the direction of the field vector. Due to the rotation of the satellite, this resulted in periodic variation of the interference due to other equipment on the satellite; thus the magnetometer also provided information on the rotational motion. Very little of the data transmitted back from the satellite has yet been processed, but preliminary indications are that the intensity curves agree well with those for the wrresponding great circles on the earth’s surface. Major variations, of a brief and sudden nature, were experienced as the satellite passed through the ionosphere, but as yet no interpretation is offered for this observation.
set, giving a resolution of 12-17 impacts per second. The impulse could be measured over a linear range from 0.1 to 1000 gcm/sec. According to preliminary data, the average mi~ometeorite density encountered by Sputnik III was I.7 x 10-3 impacts/m2 set, corresponding to 4*4x10--12 g/ma set, but at one stage the satellite passed through a dense stream, in which the counting speeds rose to 22 impacts/m2 set at an altitude of 17001880 km, 10 at 1300-1500 and 9 at 500600. Assuming that the impulse recorded is proportional to the energy of the incident particle, the average energy is about 104 ergs. *V. I. KRASOVSKII,iv. M. KUSHN~, G. A. BORDOVSKII, G. F. ZAKHAROVand E. M. SVEMLIII’SKII:The detection of corpuscles with the aid of the third Soviet artiticial Earth satellite (pp. 59-60). A brief preliminary note on the intense stream of corpuscular radiation encountered by Sputnik III on May 15, 1958 and recorded on two ZnS(Ag) fluorescent screens, shielded with aluminium foil of two different thicknesses. Of the three possible sources, namely ions (protons), X-rays or electrons, the latter is considered most likely, since the associated energy flux would then be the least. In this case, their energy was probably around 104 eV. The intensity was so great that the needle went off the scale, indicating at least 4x 103 erg/set cm2 steradian. The possible origins of this radiation are considered; the risk to living beings from the X-rays excited from the satellite by such radiation is pointed out.
S. N. VERNOV, P. V. VAKULOV, E. V. GORCHAKOV, Iu. I, L~GACHEVand A. E. CHUDAKOV: A study of the soft components of cosmic rays beyond the atmosphere (pp. 61-69). Sputnik III carried a high efficiency photon counter, consisting of a cylindrical NaI(T1) crystal, 40 mm in diameter by 39 mm long, and a photo-multiplier with a 40 mm diameter photocathode. The values recorded and transmitted by means of a duration-modulated transmitter were the counting rate for units of 35 keV liberated in the crystal, the photom~tiplier anode current and the intermediate dynode current. From the last two recordings, it is possible to determine the total ionization in the crystal and its quantum composition. After describing the equipment in some detail, the paper deals with the problems of data processing, involving identification of 0. D. KOMISSAROV, T. N. NAZAROVA,L. N. NEUGODOV, the sources of excitation and particularly with the fact S. M. POLOSKOVand L. Z. RUSAKOV: The investigation that the crystal continues to fluoresce some time after the of microme~rites by rockets and satellites (pp. 54-58). energy source has been cut off, i.e. it exhibits memory A high-intensity electron stream (f 03-104 A detailed description is given of the micrometeorite effects. impact gauges carried on Sputnik III, their design and particles/cm2 set steradian) occurs in the N polar region, calibration and the method of processing the data for but is not symmetrical with respect to the magnetic pole. radio transmission. The gauge consists of an impact The high intensities recorded in the equatorial region by plate about 850 cm2 in area, carried on an annular flat van Allen et al. at altitudes around 1000 km, are conspring which on flexing distorts a number of piezofirmed, but little data is yet available from the records, elements made from ammonium phosphate. since these were obtained from out-stations in the The damped oscillations are passed into a sorting circuit, Southern hemisphere (the satellite reached apogee near which is then automatically closed for a period of 0.6-Q ’ 8 the S pole). The equipment was not sufficiently sensitive
ABSIl2ACTS
*V. I. ~ASOVSKU: Soviet investigation of the ionosphere with the aid of rockets and artificial earth satellites (PP. 3-91. A review is given of the picture of the ionosphere which is gradually emerging from Soviet inv~ti~tions on four main lines, namely radio-sounding by radar techniques from ground stations, study of reception from extraterrestrial sources (the sun and radio-stars, lunar radar), reception from rockets and satellites and finally direct measurements from instruments carried on rockets and satellites. No experimental details are given, except of the oositive ion trao carried on Soutnik III. The constitution of the ionosphere, from present information, is as follows. There is one main maximum ionization level, corresponding to the F2 layer, roughly about 300 km in altitude, i.e. from 50 to 150 km lower than its apparent altitude from radio-sounding experiments. Below this maximum, the ion concentration increases steadily, with subsidiary peaks and has no sharply defined layers. Above the maximum, the concentration falls off much more slowly, and extends to very considerable altitudes (e.g., a value is quoted of 1.9~ 105 positive ions per cm3 at 795 km). There is no thermodynamic equilibrium between the electrons, ions and other particles in the ionosphere, and the effective electron temperature is much higher than that of the particles. *S. Sa DOLGINOV,L. N. Z~uzoovand N. V. PUSHKOV: A Preliminary report on geomagnetic measurements carried out on the third Soviet artificial earth satellite (pp. 5&53). For the geomagnetic measurements required as part of the IGY programme, Sputnik III carried a magnetometer with magnetically saturated detector units, which set themselves automati~lly in the direction of the field vector. Due to the rotation of the satellite, this resulted in periodic variation of the interference due to other equipment on the satellite; thus the magnetometer also provided information on the rotational motion. Very little of the data transmitted back from the satellite has yet been processed, but preliminary indications are that the intensity curves agree well with those for the wrresponding great circles on the earth’s surface. Major variations, of a brief and sudden nature, were experienced as the satellite passed through the ionosphere, but as yet no interpretation is offered for this observation.
set, giving a resolution of 12-17 impacts per second. The impulse could be measured over a linear range from 0.1 to 1000 gcm/sec. According to preliminary data, the average mi~ometeorite density encountered by Sputnik III was I.7 x 10-3 impacts/m2 set, corresponding to 4*4x10--12 g/ma set, but at one stage the satellite passed through a dense stream, in which the counting speeds rose to 22 impacts/m2 set at an altitude of 17001880 km, 10 at 1300-1500 and 9 at 500600. Assuming that the impulse recorded is proportional to the energy of the incident particle, the average energy is about 104 ergs. *V. I. KRASOVSKII,iv. M. KUSHN~, G. A. BORDOVSKII, G. F. ZAKHAROVand E. M. SVEMLIII’SKII:The detection of corpuscles with the aid of the third Soviet artiticial Earth satellite (pp. 59-60). A brief preliminary note on the intense stream of corpuscular radiation encountered by Sputnik III on May 15, 1958 and recorded on two ZnS(Ag) fluorescent screens, shielded with aluminium foil of two different thicknesses. Of the three possible sources, namely ions (protons), X-rays or electrons, the latter is considered most likely, since the associated energy flux would then be the least. In this case, their energy was probably around 104 eV. The intensity was so great that the needle went off the scale, indicating at least 4x 103 erg/set cm2 steradian. The possible origins of this radiation are considered; the risk to living beings from the X-rays excited from the satellite by such radiation is pointed out.
S. N. VERNOV, P. V. VAKULOV, E. V. GORCHAKOV, Iu. I, L~GACHEVand A. E. CHUDAKOV: A study of the soft components of cosmic rays beyond the atmosphere (pp. 61-69). Sputnik III carried a high efficiency photon counter, consisting of a cylindrical NaI(T1) crystal, 40 mm in diameter by 39 mm long, and a photo-multiplier with a 40 mm diameter photocathode. The values recorded and transmitted by means of a duration-modulated transmitter were the counting rate for units of 35 keV liberated in the crystal, the photom~tiplier anode current and the intermediate dynode current. From the last two recordings, it is possible to determine the total ionization in the crystal and its quantum composition. After describing the equipment in some detail, the paper deals with the problems of data processing, involving identification of 0. D. KOMISSAROV, T. N. NAZAROVA,L. N. NEUGODOV, the sources of excitation and particularly with the fact S. M. POLOSKOVand L. Z. RUSAKOV: The investigation that the crystal continues to fluoresce some time after the of microme~rites by rockets and satellites (pp. 54-58). energy source has been cut off, i.e. it exhibits memory A high-intensity electron stream (f 03-104 A detailed description is given of the micrometeorite effects. impact gauges carried on Sputnik III, their design and particles/cm2 set steradian) occurs in the N polar region, calibration and the method of processing the data for but is not symmetrical with respect to the magnetic pole. radio transmission. The gauge consists of an impact The high intensities recorded in the equatorial region by plate about 850 cm2 in area, carried on an annular flat van Allen et al. at altitudes around 1000 km, are conspring which on flexing distorts a number of piezofirmed, but little data is yet available from the records, elements made from ammonium phosphate. since these were obtained from out-stations in the The damped oscillations are passed into a sorting circuit, Southern hemisphere (the satellite reached apogee near which is then automatically closed for a period of 0.6-Q ’ 8 the S pole). The equipment was not sufficiently sensitive