Magsat

Magsat ( "Magnetic Field Satellite", as AEM -3 or Explorer 61 known ) was a scientific satellite of the Explorer program of NASA.

Payload and Mission

The satellite was specifically designed to investigate the near- Earth magnetic field. In addition, he was able to collect data on the geological structure and composition of the earth. Magsat was launched on 30 October 1979 with the launch vehicle Scout G from Vandenberg Air Force Base, and remained until the spring of 1980.

Magsat had a mass of 181 kilograms. Its orbit fluctuated 352-561 km altitude. Equipped he was with two magnetometers: a three -axis fluxgate magnetometer to detect the strength and direction of the magnetic field and a Ionen-Dampf/Vector-Magnetometer to measure the field generated by the magnetometer itself. In order to measure the magnetic field unaffected by the self-magnetic field of the satellite, the magnetometers were mounted on a long boom that was deployed in orbit.

After the start of the satellite was launched into orbit with 96.8 ° orbital inclination and oriented to the sun. He remained in a low Earth orbit, so that the magnetometer could detect the Earth's magnetic field better. The data collected allowed a never- before -seen three-dimensional representation of the magnetic field distribution of the earth. Together with his successor Ørsted he was an important component to explain the decreasing geomagnetic field.