The Atmosphere Explorer (AE) data are reexamined in the light of new laboratory measurements of the N2+ recombination rate coefficient &agr;. The new measurements support earlier measurements which yielded values of &agr; significantly lower than the AE values. It is found that the values for &agr; determined from the satellite data can be reconciled with the laboratory measurements, if the charge exchange rate coefficient for 0+(2D) with N2 is less than one-quarter of that derived in the laboratory by Rutherford and Vroom [1971>. Atomic oxygen quenching of 0+(2D) must be less than 3¿10-11 cm3s-1.