The Space Power Experiment Aboard Rockets I (SPEAR I) biased two 10-cm radius spheres as high as 46,000 V positive with respect to an aluminum rocket body. The experiment measured the steady state current to the spheres and the floating potential of the rocket body. Three-dimensional calculations performed using NASCAP/LEO and POLAR 2.0 show that both ion-collecting and electron-collecting sheaths were formed. The rocket body potential with respect to the ionospheric plasma adjusted to achieve a balance between the electron current collected by the spheres and the secondary electron-enhanced ion current to the rocket body. This current balance was obtained with a large ion-collecting sheath that enveloped most of the electron-collecting sheath and reduced the area for collection of ionospheric electrons. The calculated current is in agreement with the flight measurement of a steady state current of less than 1/10 A. The calculations show that the rocket body was driven thousands of volts negative with respect to the ionospheric plasma. The calculated rocket potential is within the uncertainty of that inferred from ion spectrometer data. The current flowed through the space plasma. There was almost no direct charge transport between the spheres and the rocket body. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1989