Faraday rotation measurements of ionospheric electron contents using the SIRIO VHF radio beacon have provided the first complete morphological description of a large-scale ionospheric hole. The effect was caused by rapid chemical reactions between the ambient ionospheric (F-region) plasma and the molecular exhaust cloud of the Atlas/Centaur rocket used to launch NASA's HEAO-C satellite on 20 September 1979. This 'experiment of opportunity' was made possible by the fortuitous circumstance of having SIRIO far to the east of Cape Canaveral so that a rare high altitude injection burn could be monitored by a special network of temporary observatories located in the southeast United States. The depleted region was found to extent over an area exceeding one million square kilometers.


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    Title :

    Use of the Italian satellite program (SIRIO) for ionospheric modification studies


    Additional title:

    Nutzung des italienischen Satellitenprogramms (SIRIO) zum Studium von Ionosphaerenaenderungen


    Contributors:

    Published in:

    Publication date :

    1980


    Size :

    4 Seiten, 5 Bilder, 17 Quellen


    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Print


    Language :

    English




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