V. S. Dokukin

The general conception of the microsatellite compass to be launched from submarine to study of the earthquakes forerunners

Abstract The system of the small satellites can be especially important for revealing and research of global and regional net of geological faults in an effort to plan searches of mineral resources and to forecast destructive earthquakes (volcanic eruptions). The first microsatellite COMPASS, weighting about 80 kg, is planned to launch to the circular orbit with height 400 km and inclination 79 degrees for development of the methods of monitoring and forecasting of natural disasters on the base of coordinated monitoring at the Earth and from space the preearthquake phenomena. The details of the measurements, instruments and general conception of the microsatellite system based on the COMPASS mission are presented.

The dynamics of the object potential during electron beam injection and the possibility to control it

Abstract This review of the rocket and satellite experiments on electron beam injection in the height range of the ionosphere-magnetosphere shows a variety of manifestations of the positive charge potential on the body of the injector unit or in the space charge zone. The possibilities of compensation are considered on the basis of theoretical models taking into account the beam-plasma collective interactions. The examples of numerical modeling of the charge-discharge dynamics are provided for the APEX conditions. It is shown that changing the pulse form and rise rate (dI/dt) one can change the structure of the space charge zone i.e. try to create the strong disturbance or resonance conditions in the time interval of πω p ≤ t ≤ t ion . From these positions, we consider the APEX facilities used to control the inflow current, the spectrum of energetic particles, the high-frequency oscillations and the spatial distribution of optical emissions in the injector vicinity with high time resolution.

Orbital monitoring of the ionosphere and abnormal phenomena by the small Vulkan-Compass-2 satellite

Natural disasters, the processes of their origin and large-scale technogenic catastrophes are accompanied by anomalous physical phenomena in near-Earth space (NES). In order to reveal such phenomena, record and investigate them, complex NES monitoring is required with the use of specially designed research equipment onboard a low-orbiting spacecraft. This work presents the results of flight tests of the small Vulkan-Compass-2 satellite with research equipment specially designed for orbital monitoring of the ionosphere and search for abnormal phenomena caused by large-scale catastrophes of different nature.

Dynamics of quasineutral plasma beams and the structure of the beam-induced disturbances in ionospheric plasma

Phenomena accompanying the injection of a dense plasma beam from the payload of a rocket into ionospheric plasma are analyzed. The dynamics of both the quasineutral plasma beam and the beam-induced disturbances in the ionospheric plasma are investigated. It is shown that the electric field in the beam has a complicated structure, which leads to the generation of currents in both the beam and the ambient ionospheric plasma. The transverse size of the disturbance zone in the ionospheric plasma is found to greatly exceed the beam diameter. The proposed model of the current closing in the ionospheric plasma agrees well with the experimental data. The xenon beam temperature at moderate distances from the injector is determined by using the plasma shadow theory. It is found that the ion beam temperature is at least four times lower than the plasma temperature in the injection zone. This unexpected result is explained by the adiabatic cooling of the current system. The critical radius beyond which a constant temperature in the beam is established is found to be less than 11 m.

Active experiments in space for the investigation of beam-plasma interactions. Results of the APEX project

Beam-plasma instabilities in the ionosphere caused by charged particle beams and Xe-neutral gas release are investigated. Special attention is paid to the injection into background plasma of an unmodulated electron beam with a current Ibe ≅ 0.1 A and energy ebe = mv22 ≅ 10 keV. Complex analysis of this problem is carried out with special data processing and with an approach similar to a laboratory-style experiment. The processes of ionospheric plasma heating, longitudinal plasma wave excitation and the analysis of thermal plasma ion disturbances during 1-s pulsed direct current (dc) injections are considered.

The stratosphere active experiments program with artificial electron beam injection

Abstract Active experiments with artificial electron beam injection from balloons within the stratosphere altitude range of 30–45 km are proposed to explore this atmospheric region. For a wide spectrum of science interests a pulse injector was developed and tested with main parameters: energy of beam electron ≥50 keV; pulse beam power ≤1 MW; pulse duration −10÷15 μs; average power −1 kW; frequency of pulse beam repetition — up to 200 Hz.

Modification natural and manmade EM environment due to ionospheric plasma barrier transparency for groundbased transmitter emission

Abstract On investigation of natural and manmade electromagnetic (EM) environment in the near Earth space, it is important to examine the sources of EM and ways of transportation of wave energy. One of the possible candidate for observing the waves above plasma barrier is the mechanism of ballistic penetration which was originally proposed by Oraevsky and Lisitchenko (1971) to understand the results of laboratory experiments. To check that idea in space plasma, we have carried out above Dushanbe heating facility three in situ experiments on the appropriate Active Plasma Experiment(APEX) satellites orbits.The results of that experiments are discussed below.