A three-dimensional plasma and energetic particle investigation for the wind spacecraft

The objectives of the experiment for the WIND spacecraft reported here were to explore the suprathermal particle population between the solar wind and low energy cosmic rays, to study particle acceleration and transport and wave-particle interactions, and to monitor particle input to and output from the Earth's magnetosphere. The basic instrument used in the experiment consists of three detector systems: semiconductor detector telescopes, electron electrostatic analyzers, and ion electrostatic analyzers, linked together and to the spacecraft command and data handling system by the data processing unit. The measurement parameters, instrument characteristics, and capabilities are described. (AIAA)