--------------------------------------------------------- NSSDC Master Catalog Display Experiment --------------------------------------------------------- Solar Wind Plasma Analyzer (OPA) NSSDC ID: 78-051A-18 Mission Name: Pioneer Venus Orbiter Principal Investigator: Barnes ------------------- Experiment mass: 3.90 kg Average experiment power: 5.00 W ------------------- Description The instrument for this experiment was a quadrispherical electrostatic analyzer (similar to the plasma instrument on Pioneers 10 and 11), with five current collectors and electrometers. The energy/charge range was 50-8000 (ions) in 32 steps and 1-500 (electrons) in 16 steps. The angular range covered was plus or minus 85 deg elevation by 360 deg azimuth, and the detector field of view was 15 deg by 25 deg or 15 deg by 45 deg, depending on position. The logic design was essentially that used on Pioneers 8 and 9. The objectives were to measure solar wind conditions outside the Venusian bow shock, inside the magnetosheath flow field, and to study the ionopausal structure. Solar-wind measurements were made during the transit to Venus, particularly to study macroscale problems and to determine average gradients. The near-planet wake region was also available for study. ------------------- Discipline(s) Planetary Science/Fields and Particles Space Physics/Heliospheric Studies --------------------------------------------------------- NSSDC Master Catalog Display Experiment Personnel --------------------------------------------------------- Solar Wind Plasma Analyzer (OPA) NSSDC ID: 78-051A-18 Principal Investigator Dr. Aaron Barnes Mail Stop 245-3 NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA 94035 Electronic Mail GAL::BARNES (NSI/DECNET) ----- Co-Investigator Prof. Devrie S. Intriligator Carmel Research Center PO Box 1732 Santa Monica, CA 90406 ----- Mr. Harold R. Collard Mail Stop 245-6 NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA 94035 ----- Mr. Darrell D. McKibbin Mail Stop 245-6 NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA 94035 ----- Mr. John D. Mihalov Code 245-3 NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000 Electronic Mail MIHALOV@WINDEE.ARC.NASA.GOV (INTERNET) WINDEE::MIHALOV (NSI/DECNET) ----- Dr. Ferdinand V. Coroniti Department of Astronomy University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 90095 Electronic Mail UCLASP::FCORONITI (NSI/DECNET) ----- Dr. Robert C. Whitten, Jr. ----- NSSDC Contact Dr. Edwin V. Bell, II Hughes STX Corporation Suite 400 7701 Greenbelt Road Greenbelt, MD 20770 Electronic Mail BELL@NSSDC (BITNET) BELL@NSSDC.GSFC.NASA.GOV (INTERNET) NSSDCA::BELL (NSI/DECNET) ----- General Contact Dr. Aaron Barnes Mail Stop 245-3 NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA 94035 Electronic Mail GAL::BARNES (NSI/DECNET) ----- --------------------------------------------------------- NSSDC Master Catalog Display Experiment Selected References --------------------------------------------------------- Solar Wind Plasma Analyzer (OPA) NSSDC ID: 78-051A-18 1. Intriligator, D. S., Electron observations and ion flows from the Pioneer Venus Orbiter plasma analyzer experiment, Science, 205, No. 4401, 116-118, July 1979. 2. Intriligator, D. S., Wolfe, J. H., and Mihalov, J. D., The Pioneer Venus Orbiter plasma analyzer experiment, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Rem. Sens., GE-18, No. 1, 39-43, Jan. 1980. 3. Wolfe, J., Initial observations of the Pioneer Venus Orbiter solar wind plasma experiment, Science, 203, No. 4382, 750-751, Feb. 1979. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- For questions about this experiment, please contact: Dr. Edwin V. Bell, II, bell@nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov, (301)441-4209 Hughes STX Corporation Suite 400 7701 Greenbelt Road Greenbelt, MD 20770 For questions about the NSSDC's information systems, please contact: Dr. James Thieman, thieman@nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov, (301)286-9790 National Space Science Data Center, Code 633.2 NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- NASA Official: J. H. King, king@nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov Last Updated: 1995-07-20 Output Generated: 1996-09-25 Programming by: E. V. Bell, II