Basic study of electron collection by a bare-tether satellite

Bare-tether systems are one of the greatest-efficiency electrodynamic tethered systems. The system with an uninsulated portion of the metallic tether itself to collect electrons from the space plasma is operated as a thruster or a power generator on a satellite. Ground experiments were carried out t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Vacuum 2004-04, Vol.73 (3), p.455-460
Main Authors: Tahara, Hirokazu, Nishio, Hideki, Onishi, Tatsuo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bare tether
Electrodynamic tether
Electron collection
Magnetic field
Orbital-motion-limited current
Plasma velocity
Space plasma environment
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Summary:Bare-tether systems are one of the greatest-efficiency electrodynamic tethered systems. The system with an uninsulated portion of the metallic tether itself to collect electrons from the space plasma is operated as a thruster or a power generator on a satellite. Ground experiments were carried out to understand the phenomenon of electron collection by a bare tether in space. Metallic tether samples were exposed to a simulating low-Earth-Orbit plasma flow as varying tether sample diameter and length, and plasma velocity. A magnetic field was also applied. The normalized collection current increased with plasma velocity. The existence of magnetic field increased the normalized collection current because of the edge effect of a tether sample or the three-dimensional effect. A high collection current above the orbital-motion-limited current could be achieved with a magnetic field. The current characteristics of a bare tether strongly depended on the plasma velocity and surrounding magnetic field.
ISSN:0042-207X
1879-2715
DOI:10.1016/j.vacuum.2003.12.102