An equipment for geomagnetic measurements in a rocket vehicle

• Main Author: Burrows, Keith
• Published: Imperial College London 1963
• Subjects: 551
• Online Access: https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.602269

The geophysical reasons for requiring magnetic measurements in the upper atmosphere are outlined and the scientific, technical and administrative problems involved in using a Skylark rocket for the purpose are described. The principles and advantages of a measuring technique utilising the free precession of protons in a hydrogenous liquid are discussed and this technique is applied to the design and construction of a portable magnetometer, which was used for general magnetic measurements. A series of experiments, designed to investigate the effect of a rocket's rotational motions on the proton magnetometer data, is described and the results presented. The application of the preliminary work to the design, construction and testing of an early valve/transistor magnetometer and of a later, completely transistorized, version is described, together with their associated equipment for pre-flight testing and post-flight data processing. The results of the first, partially successful, instrument-proving flight of a single coil transistorized proton precession magnetometer are presented and discussed. The evaluation of the flight data involved carrying out a ground survey, at the Woomera rocket range, and also an investigation into the effect of magnetic field gradients on the rocket-borne magnetometer. Where possible the various stages of the project are described in chronological order.