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Detailed Reference Information
Maynard et al. 1981
Maynard, N.C., Croskey, C.L., Mitchell, J.D. and Hale, L.C. (1981). Measurement of volt/meter vertical electric fields in the middle atmosphere. Geophysical Research Letters 8: doi: 10.1029/GL008i008p00923. issn: 0094-8276.

A test flight for a series of middle atmosphere electrodynamics rockets was launched from Wallops Island, Virginia, at 7:18 EST on July 31, 1980. The mother-daughter configuration contained a three axis symmetric double probe electric field instrument and a blunt probe on the daughter payload, and a Gerdien condenser and a single axis (vertical) asymmetric double probe electric field instrument on the mother payload. The payloads reached an apogee of 111 km, and data were gathered from all instruments on the downleg. A downward vertical electric field with a maximum amplitude of about 4V/m was observed in a layer between 57 and 67 km. The intergrated potential across this layer was approximately 20 kV. Conductivity measurements indicated that free electrons were absent from the region of large electric fields; however, the decrease in conductivity was insufficient to maintain vertical current continuity through the layer. These reults establish the existence of large mesospheric electric fields, supporting previous results from single axis measurements.

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Geophysical Research Letters
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