Sounding rocket data from the 1990 CRRES/EQUIS equatorial spread F cam
paign on Kwajalein Atoll are presented. Two Terrier Malamute sounding
rockets were launched into active spread F conditions on July 30 and A
ugust 2, respectively, and achieved apogee slightly below 500 km, just
above the F peak. Plasma frequency probes aboard both rockets showed
that the unstable nighttime F region is characterized by propagating s
teepened structures. Power density spectra for the structures typicall
y exhibit two regions that obey k-n scaling, where n is approximately
equal to 2 at wavelengths greater than 80-100 m and approximately equa
l to 5 at shorter wavelengths. These spectral indices are quite variab
le, and the long-wavelength spectral index in particular seems to decr
ease with increasing amplitude of density fluctuations. The rocket pay
loads also measured vector electric fields in the plane perpendicular
to B over wavelengths ranging from over 60 km to less than 6 m. Both v
ector components of the perpendicular electric field are proportional
to deltan/n at wavelengths longer than 300 m but assume a Boltzmann re
lationship (with ]deltaE\2 is similar to k2\deltan/n\2) at smaller sca
les. The perturbed zonal electric field, deltaE(x), dominates the vert
ical field, deltaE(z), at long wavelengths, but the situation is rever
sed at smaller scales.