Plasma diagnostics package. Volume 1: OSS-1 section

Abstract

This volume (1) of the Plasma Diagnostics Package (PDP) final science report contains a summary of all of the data reduction and scientific analyses which were performed using PDP data obtained on STS-3 as a part of the Office of Space Science first payload (OSS-1). This work was performed during the period of launch, March 22, l982, through June 30, l983. During this period the primary data reduction effort consisted of processing summary plots of the data received by the 14 instruments located on the PDP and submitting these data to the National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC). The scientific analyses during the performance period consisted of general studies which incorporated the results of several of the PDP's instruments, detailed studies which concentrated on data from only one or two of the instruments, and joint studies of beam-plasma interactions with the OSS-1 Fast Pulse Electron Generator (FPEG) of the Vehicle Charging and Potential Investigation (VCAP). Internal reports, published papers and oral presentations which involve PDP/OSS-1 data are listed in Sections 3 and 4. A PDP/OSS-1 scientific results meeting was held at the University of Iowa on April 19-20, 1983. This meeting was attended by most of the PDP and VCAP investigators and provided a forum for discussing and comparing the various results, particularly with regard to the shuttle orbiter environment. One of the most important functional objectives of the PDP on OSS-1 was to characterize the orbiter environment