NSSDCA ID: 1971-045A-01
Mission Name: Mars 2The Energetic Particles Experiment was designed as an instrument for measuring charged particles of medium energy travelling in interplanetary space. The instrument was designated KS-18-4M. There were reportedly eleven sensors: a gas-discharge counter D1 of the STS-5 series, a Cherenkov counter D2 (30x30 mm plexiglas), four SSD (Si) detectors: D3, D4, D6, D7 of ~30 micron thickness, two detectors D5, D8 of ~400 micron thickness, and there were thought to be three windowed gas-discharge counters: one sunward directed and two antisunward. Pairs of 30 micron SSD sensors have different view angles: +-45 and +-5 degrees. Data on electrons is given only for Mars vicinity. Spacecraft memory is used for data storage; time resolution is about four hours. All sensors measured the flux intensity continuously.
This experiment was one of several provided by the Theoretical and Applied Space Physics Division of the Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics of Moscow State University. The experiments flew on the Soviet Zond, Luna, Mars, Venera, Vega, and Phobos interplanetary/planetary missions and measured energetic (MeV) particles in the interplanetary medium. The earliest missions (Zond 1 and 3) measured protons above 30 MeV. Later missions measured lower energy protons and some also measured fluxes toward and away from the Sun. Many further details are available at:
https://spdf.gsfc.nasa.gov/pub/data/russian_msu/mars-2/
and https://spdf.gsfc.nasa.gov/pub/data/russian_msu/common_info.txt.
Data from all these experiments, unknown to NSSDC before 1999, were prepared at MSU and provided to NSSDC in 1999 in common ASCII formats and organizations.
Questions and comments about this experiment can be directed to: Coordinated Request and User Support Office
Name | Role | Original Affiliation | |
---|---|---|---|
Dr. Peter P. Ignatiev | Principal Investigator | Moscow State University |