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Detailed Reference Information
Gurnett et al. 1988
Gurnett, D.A., Kurth, W.S., Steinberg, J.T. and Shawhan, S.D. (1988). Plasma wave turbulence around the shuttle: Results from the Spacelab-2 flight. Geophysical Research Letters 15. doi: 10.1029/88GL00402. issn: 0094-8276.

During the Spacelab-2 flight, which occurred from July 29, to August 6, 1985, a spacecraft called the Plasma Diagnostics Package (PDP) was released from the shuttle to explore the plasma environment around the shuttle. The plasma wave instrument on the PDP detected a region of intense broadband turbulence around the shuttle at frequencies extending from a few Hz to about 10 kHz. The noise has broadband intensities ranging from 1 to 5 mV/m and was observed at distances of up to 400 m from the shuttle. The highest intensities occurred in the region downstream of the shuttle and along magnetic field lines passing near the shuttle. The intensities also tended to increase during periods of high thruster activity, which provides strong evidence that the noise is caused by an interaction of the ionosphere with gaseous emissions from the shuttle, similar in many respects to the interaction of a comet with the solar wind. Antenna interference patterns observed in the wideband data show that the wavelength of the turbulence is very short, a few meters or less. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1988

BACKGROUND DATA FILES

Abstract

Keywords
Space Plasma Physics, Waves and instabilities, Space Plasma Physics, Active perturbation experiments, Space Plasma Physics, Turbulence, Space Plasma Physics, Spacecraft sheaths, wakes, charging
Journal
Geophysical Research Letters
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Publisher
American Geophysical Union
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