Electron collection by a charged satellite in the ionospheric plasma

The space charge region surrounding a highly charged, electron collecting, spacecraft moving in the ionospheric plasma, can be divided into an inner z one (close to the spacecraft), where electron collection is isotropic with respect to the magnetic-field direction, and an outer zone where the electr ons are mainly collected along magnetic field lines. In this paper we outli ne a theory to obtain the current voltage characteristic of such a positive satellite. It is shown that the theoretical results compare very favorably with the experimental data obtained by the TSS-1R mission.