HR: 14:04h
AN: AE53A-03    [Abstracts]
TI: Differential charging of electrodes on moving balloon gondolas and DC electric field estimation by the Huygens Probe in Titan's atmosphere.
AU: * Hamelin, M
EM: michel.hamelin@cetp.ipsl.fr
AF: Centre d'Etude des Environnements Environnements Terrestre et Planetaires (CETP), 4, avenue de Neptune, Saint Maur, 94107 France
AU: Berthelier, J
EM: jean-jacques.berthelier@cetp.ipsl.fr
AF: Centre d'Etude des Environnements Environnements Terrestre et Planetaires (CETP), 4, avenue de Neptune, Saint Maur, 94107 France
AU: Brown, V
EM: brown@iaa.es
AF: Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia (IAA), P.O. Box 3004, Granada, 18080 Spain
AU: Colombatti, G
EM: giacomo.colombatti@unipd.it
AF: CentroInterdipartimentale Studi ed Attivita Spaziali (CISAS), Via Venezia 15, Padova, 35131 Italy
AU: Godefroy, M
EM: michel.godefroy@cetp.ipsl.fr
AF: Centre d'Etude des Environnements Environnements Terrestre et Planetaires (CETP), 4, avenue de Neptune, Saint Maur, 94107 France
AU: Jernej, I
EM: jernej@iwf.tu-graz.ac.at
AF: Institut fur Weltraumforshung (IWF), Schmiedlstrasse, 6, Graz, 8042 Austria
AU: Lopez-Moreno, J
EM: lopez@iaa.es
AF: Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia (IAA), P.O. Box 3004, Granada, 18080 Spain
AU: Molina-Cuberos, G
EM: gregomc@um.es
AF: Universidad de Murcia - Dpto. de Fisica, Avda. Teneiente Flomesta 5, Murcia, 30001 Spain
AU: Scwingenschuh, K
EM: schwingen@iwf.tu-graz.ac.at
AF: Institut fur Weltraumforshung (IWF), Schmiedlstrasse, 6, Graz, 8042 Austria
AU: Trautner, R
EM: rtrautne@rssd.esa.int
AF: Research and Scientific Support Department - European Space Agency (RSSD-ESA), P.O. Box 299, Noordwijk, 2200 Netherlands
AB: In January 2005 the HUYGENS probe will explore the atmosphere of Titan. In particular the on board HASI-PWA instrument is dedicated to the atmospheric electricity. The conductive probe body will move down under parachute from ~160 km to the ground with boom held electrodes to measure the ionic polar conductivities and DC electric field. From 1995 to now, several balloon tests with 1:1 probe mockups were performed in the terrestrial atmosphere that showed correct measurements for the ionic conductivities but non-expected behavior for the electric field measurement. Obviously differential charging between the conductive body and the electrodes occurred, with a maximum near the tropopause. The charging effects are clearly related to the probe velocity and to the ambient DC electric field. The pending question is to deduce precisely the DC field from the electric potential measurements. We present, compare and discuss the experimental results of these balloon experiments with regards to the current theoretical investigations and in view of the forthcoming entry of HUYGENS in the atmosphere of Titan.
DE: 7855 Spacecraft sheaths, wakes, charging
DE: 5719 Interactions with particles and fields
DE: 5794 Instruments and techniques
DE: 6280 Saturnian satellites
DE: 2194 Instruments and techniques
SC: Atmospheric and Space Electricity [AE]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting