Space Environment

JONAS
Ionospheric Ambience Simulator for the Study of Spacecraft/Plasmas Interactions

Objectives

Study of:

• Wakes
• Charge/discharge by auroral elections
• Discharges on biased equipments
• Qualification for flight equipment
• Ionic propulsion (contamination-wear-charge)

Characteristics

• Plasma produced: Ions [Ar⁺], [Xe⁺] = 10⁴/10⁶ cm^-3
• SPT-50 plasma
• Surface changing electrons: energy: from 5 to 35 keV current from 10 pA to 4nA/cm²
• Basic pressure: 2 10^-8 hPa, plasma: 2 10^-6hPa, SPT- 50=4 10^-5hPa
• Pumping: cryogenic + liquid nitrogen shroud
• Dimensions: diameter 1.8m, length 3 m,~10 m³
• Non magnetic stainless steel, possible compensation of earth magnetic field
• Working volume ~1.5 m³
• Clean room, restricted area

Instrumentation

• Langmuir probes
• Surface potential probes
• Mass Spectrometry
• Rapid data acquisition of electrostatic discharges characteristics

Funding

• Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES)
• Centre National d'Etudes et de Recherches Aérospatiales (ONERA)
• Direction des Missiles et de l’Espace (DGA/DME)

Last Update:April 25, 2003 - © ONERA 2009 - Terms of use