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Instrument details
Acronym
PLASMA
Full name
3-D Plasma and Energetic Particles Experiment
Purpose
To measure ions and electrons of the solar wind and into the energy particle range
Short description
Assemblage of three basic elements, each designed to cover a different part of the suprathermal particle population: Semiconductor Telescopes (SST); Electron Electrostatic Analyzers (EESA); and Ion Electrostatic Analyzers (PESA). Energy range: 3 eV to 1 MeV (electrons) and 3 eV to 11 MeV (protons)
Background
Part of a package of instruments to observe the solar wind
Scanning Technique
Sun pointing from the L1 Lagrange libration point
Resolution
N/A (full disk)
Coverage / Cycle
Full Sun disk, nearly continuous from the L1 Lagrange point
Mass
Power
Data Rate
Providing Agency
NASA
Instrument Maturity
Flown on an R&D satellite
Utilization Period:
1995-02-15 to ≥2022
Last update:
2021-11-10
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 1 Solar wind at L1 - Electron sensor Solar wind at L1 - Proton sensor Solar wind at L1 - Plasma density sensor Solar wind at L1 - Plasma temperature sensor Solar wind at L1 - Plasma velocity sensor
Mission objectives
Primary mission objectives Electron differential directional flux Proton differential directional flux Secondary mission objectives Solar wind density Solar wind temperature Solar wind velocity Show all Show fewer
Tentative 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
Variable Relevance for measuring this variable Operational limitations Explanation
Electron differential directional flux 3 - high No specific limitation. Interplanetary space, low, medium and high energy (up to over 400 keV)
Proton differential directional flux 3 - high No specific limitation. Interplanetary space, low, medium and high energy (up to over 1000 keV)
Solar wind density 2 - very high No specific limitation. Interplanetary space. Inferred by Elecron and Proton spectroscopy
Solar wind temperature 2 - very high No specific limitation. Interplanetary space. Inferred by Elecron and Proton spectroscopy
Solar wind velocity 2 - very high No specific limitation. Interplanetary space. Inferred by Elecron and Proton spectroscopy
Instrument: PLASMA