SS-520-2 Observation Results Report

On December 4, 2000, on the 10th day after entering
the awaited attidude, the solar wind conditions were the best so far.
The news came in from (STE Professor) Fujii conducting radar observations
at Longyearbin that the ionic flow was active. However, it was snowing
at both Longyearbin and Ny Olsen. Although optical observation is impossible
from the ground, according to the POLAR satellite’s photographs of the
Aurora (which can be viewed on the webpage with a 30-minute timelag),
the cusp has come to a suitable position. Professor Moen of Oslo University,
who had rushed to the actual site for the rocket experiment, and Prof.
Fujii finally came to a decision.



The rocket was launched at an angle of elevation of 86°, as seen from
the telemeter and QL data monitoring room. The flight was normal, and
the telemetry reception conditions were good. The observation-sensor spread,
antenna, high-voltage power, etc., were all normal. However, the entrance
of cusp-specific ions is delicate. Post-launch analysis revealed that
the rocket seemed to stray slightly west and graze the cusp. On the other
hand, descent-grain and plasma-surge data showed unexpected results, and
these are being analyzed at present. For this rocket experiment, the world’s
latest observation technology has been developed, such as long-term resolution
grain observation, digital-type plasma surge reception, extreme ultraviolet
optical observation of oxygen ions, etc.



Since the AKEBONO satellite passed through the south side at the same
time, simultaneous observation of both the rocket and the satellite was
performed, bringing the experiment to a successful completion.