The Bennett ion-mass spectrometer on Atmosphere Explorer-C and -E.

Abstract

The Bennett spectrometer to be flown on Atmosphere Explorer-C and -E (AE-C and AE-E) is designed to measure, throughout the 120 to 4000-km orbit, the concentrations of all thermal positive ions in the mass range 1 to 72 amu and number density range 5 to 5,000,000 ions per cu cm. To reduce the buildup of ram pressure and facilitate measurements at low altitude, the analyzer is vented, and a multigrid ion-current collector is employed. An extensive command capability permits optimization of instrument parameters for particular measurement objectives; commandable functions include mass-scan range and period, the sensitivity-resolution characteristic of the analyzer, orifice potential, and in-flight calibration.