PHAZE (PHysics of Auroral Zone Electrons) 2 Sounding Rocket

The PHAZE mission examines how energetic electrons and ions are produced in the aurora. The instrumentation is designed to study the acceleration of auroral electrons and the production of waves and instabilities by auroral electrons.

PHAZE 2 was launched 1997 Feb 05:17:15 UT fromPoker Flat Range, Alaska. Trajectory

Instrumentation:

University of New Hampshire:

HEEPS 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9: Eight fixed energy electron detectors, top energy 13Kev. Imaging -15 to 195 deg pitch angle in 15 bins.

HEEPS E: 0 to 15Kev swept energy electron detector. Imaging -15 to 195 deg pitch angle in 15 bins.

HEEPS 7: 10ev fixed energy ion detector. Sampling +90 and -90 deg pitch angles at 2Ks/s

HEEPS L: 0 to 20ev swept energy thermal ion detector. 350 deg imaging in 32 bins.

HEEPS H: 6ev to 800ev swept energy ion detector. 350 deg imaging in 32 bins.

BAGEL: Toroidal analyzer split into 6 segments all looking at 0 deg pitch angle

2 fixed energy ion channels

2 fixed energy electron channels

50ev to 3Kev swept energy electron channel

2 to 25Kev swept energy electron channel

Cornell University: (more information)

5.5 meter Weitzmann booms deployed perpendicular to the spin axis

VLF wave data system 0 to 20Khz

1.5 meter HF antenna along the spin axis

HF wave data system 20Khz to 4Mhz

Magnetometer data system (using data from the ACS magnetometer)

GPS data synchronization system (using data from GPS receiver)

Dartmouth:

PFT: 0.3 to 5Mhz Plasma frequency tracking receiver (using data from Cornell HF antenna)

Payload layout drawing
Instrument orientation drawing

Flight data plots

Principal Investigator:

Roger Arnoldy / UNH

Co-Investigators: