A rocket photometer experiment to study optical emissions from artificial electron beams in the ionosphere

A rocket photometer experiment to study the optical emissions generated by intense electron beams introduced into the ionosphere is described. An electron accelerator will eject 8 keV electrons in bursts of different fluxes into the ambient, and four photometers will measure the intensities of the N 2 2P(3805 A), the N 2+ 1N(4278A), and the Hβ(4861A) emissions generated in the near surroundings of the accelerator together with the rotational temperatures of the N 2+ ions. Both the accelerator and the photometers will be located in a small ''daughter'' payload which will be separated from the main vehicle on the upleg, and is expected to obtain an altitude of some 380 kilometers. (This experiment was successfully flown from Andoeya Rocket Range, Norway, on 10 November 1985)