Cosmic ray investigation for the Voyager missions; energetic particle studies in the outer heliosphere?And beyond

• Published in: Space science reviews Vol. 21; no. 3; pp. 355 - 376
• Main Authors: Stone, E.C., Vogt, R.E., McDonald, F.B., Teegarden, B.J., Trainor, J.H., Jokipii, J.R., Webber, W.R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01-12-1977
• ISSN: 0038-6308; 1572-9672
• DOI: 10.1007/BF00211546

The Voyager mission cosmic ray detector system, consisting entirely of solid-state charged-particle detectors, is designed to measure the energy spectrum of electrons in the range 3 to 110 MeV and the energy spectra and elemental composition of cosmic ray nuclei from hydrogen through iron in the range 1 to 500 MeV/nuc; for isotopes of hydrogen through sulfur the range is approximately 2 to 75 MeV/nuc. The cosmic ray investigation deals with the energy content, origin and acceleration process, and dynamics of cosmic rays in the galaxy, with particular attention given to low-energy phenomena in interstellar space and the outer solar system. The precise measurement of three-dimensional stream patterns of nuclei from H to Fe, as well as electrons over a wide energy range, is the data acquisition program emphasized.