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Airborne mass spectrometers: four decades of atmospheric and space research at the Air Force Research Laboratory
Author(s) -
Viggiano A. A.,
Hunton D. E.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of mass spectrometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.475
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9888
pISSN - 1076-5174
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1096-9888(199911)34:11<1107::aid-jms880>3.0.co;2-i
Subject(s) - aerospace engineering , sounding rocket , space research , propellant , mass spectrometry , quadrupole mass analyzer , instrumentation (computer programming) , rocket (weapon) , atmospheric chemistry , atmospheric sounding , air mass (solar energy) , space (punctuation) , chemistry , astrobiology , meteorology , physics , engineering , computer science , boundary layer , chromatography , ozone , operating system
Mass spectrometry is a versatile research tool that has proved to be extremely useful for exploring the fundamental nature of the earth's atmosphere and ionosphere and in helping to solve operational problems facing the Air Force and the Department of Defense. In the past 40 years, our research group at the Air Force Research Laboratory has flown quadrupole mass spectrometers of many designs on nearly 100 sounding rockets, nine satellites, three Space Shuttles and many missions of high‐altitude research aircraft and balloons. We have also used our instruments in ground‐based investigations of rocket and jet engine exhaust, combustion chemistry and microwave breakdown chemistry. This paper is a review of the instrumentation and techniques needed for space research, a summary of the results from many of the experiments, and an introduction to the broad field of atmospheric and space mass spectrometry in general. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.