NSSDCA ID: 1978-071A-09
Mission Name: ESA-GEOS 2A triaxial fluxgate magnetometer was employed for simultaneous measurements of the three components of the magnetic field. The frequency range covered by the instrument extended from dc up to 5 Hz. In the normal orientation of the satellite, the main component of the field coincided with the Z axis of the instrument, which was aligned with the spin axis of the satellite. The experiment had been designed with two sensitivity ranges for the X and Y components, for which the magnetic field component was only a fraction of the total field and was modulated by the rotation of the spacecraft. This last feature made the range switch technique preferable to a bias offset technique. The two selected sensitivity ranges were plus or minus 60 nT and plus or minus 180 nT. Along the Z axis, where the field was higher and not modulated by the satellite rotation, a single sensitivity range of plus or minus 60 nT was used. The signal was kept within range by superimposing positive and negative bias levels of 60 nT each, such that a range plus or minus 480 nT with a constant quantization error of plus or minus 0.125 nT, using 9-bit digits, was obtained. The noise level of the sensors was comparable to this quantization error.
Questions and comments about this experiment can be directed to: Dr. H. Kent Hills
Name | Role | Original Affiliation | |
---|---|---|---|
Dr. Donald H. Fairfield | Other Investigator | NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | u2dhf@lepdhf.gsfc.nasa.gov |
Dr. Maurizio Candidi | Other Investigator | CNR, Space Plasma Laboratory | maurizio.candidi@ifsi.rm.cnr.it |
Dr. Ermanno Amata | Other Investigator | CNR, Space Plasma Laboratory | ermanno.amata@ifsi.rm.cnr.it |
Prof. Franco Mariani | Principal Investigator | Universita degli Studi di Roma | mariani@roma2.infn.it |