BackForwardInstrument:  CEPPAD 

Instrument details
Acronym CEPPAD
Full name Comprehensive Energetic-Particle Pitch Angle Distribution
Purpose To investigate quantitative information on the sources, energization, transport, and losses of energetic particles in the magnetosphere; and to measure the rate of particle precipitation into the Earth's upper atmosphere
Short description Set of sensors to measure energy and directionality of electrons (flux: 0.35-10 MeV, spectrum: 25-400 keV), protons (flux: 2.15-80 MeV, spectrum: 0.14-1.5 MeV), and light ions (Z from 2 to 8, energy/mass spectrum 100-1000 keV/n)
Background Part of a package of instruments to explore the magnetosphere
Scanning Technique Travelling across the magnetosphere in a highly-elliptical orbit
Resolution N/A
Coverage / Cycle Nearly full magnetospheric volume
Mass Power Data Rate

 

Providing Agency NASA
Instrument Maturity Flown on an R&D satellite
Utilization Period: 1996 to 2008
Last update: 2017-06-04
Detailed characteristics
Satellites this instrument is flying on

Note: a red tag indicates satellites no longer operational, a green tag indicates operational satellites, a blue tag indicates future satellites

Instrument classification
  • Solar and space environment monitors
  • Energetic particle spectrometer
WIGOS Subcomponents
  • Subcomponent 2
  • Magnetospheric energetic particles and magnetometers
  • Electron sensor [cross magnetosphere]
  • Proton sensor [cross magnetosphere]
  • Heavy ion sensor [cross magnetosphere]
Mission objectives
Primary mission objectives
  • Alpha particles differential directional flux
  • Electron differential directional flux
  • Heavy ion angular flux energy and mass spectrum
  • Heavy ion flux energy and mass spectrum
  • Proton differential directional flux
Evaluation of Measurements

The following list indicates which measurements can typically be retrieved from this category of instrument. To see a full Gap Analysis by Variable, click on the respective variable.

Note: table can be sorted by clicking on the column headers
Note: * Primary mission objective.
VariableRelevance for measuring this variableOperational limitationsExplanation
Electron integral directional flux2 - very highNo specific limitation.Magnetosphere, low, medium and high energy (up to over 400 keV)
Electron differential directional flux*2 - very highNo specific limitation.Magnetosphere, low, medium and high energy (up to over 400 keV)
Proton integral directional flux2 - very highNo specific limitation.Magnetosphere, medium and high energy (over 40 to over 1000 keV)
Proton differential directional flux*2 - very highNo specific limitation.Magnetosphere, medium and high energy (over 40 to over 1000 keV)
Alpha particles differential directional flux*4 - fairNo specific limitation.Cross-magnetosphere. Low-medium energy range (<10 up to 100 MeV/n)
Heavy ion flux energy and mass spectrum*2 - very highNo specific limitation.Cross-magnetosphere. Low-medium energy range (<10 up to 100 MeV/n)
Heavy ion angular flux energy and mass spectrum*2 - very highNo specific limitation.Cross-magnetosphere. Low-medium energy range (<10 up to 100 MeV/n)