Prognoz 7

Description

This spacecraft was a member of a continuing series measuring charged particles, plasma, magnetic fields, and solar electromagnetic radiation. This mission was part of the socialist countries' contribution to the International Magnetospheric Study. The specific scientific goals of this mission were: (1) to study solar UV, X-ray, and gamma-ray emissions; (2) to monitor electrons and protons in interplanetary space and the magnetosphere; (3) to investigate the nuclear composition of solar and galactic cosmic rays; (4) to measure magnetic fields; (5) to search for discrete gamma-ray lines from the sun and space; (6) to analyze UV radiation for possible excess in the galactic plane; and (7) to analyze heavy high-energy ions in the magnetosphere. The spacecraft was spin-stabilized, with the spin axis along the spacecraft Z axis and pointed toward the sun (to within 10 deg). The spin period was approximately 120 s. The spacecraft orbit inclination was approximately 80 deg, the apogee was 203,000 km, and the period was approximately 98 h.