SAMPEX

"Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer "

The four SAMPEX instruments were a complementary set of high resolution, high sensitivity, particle detectors used to conduct studies of solar, anomalous, galactic, and magnetospheric energetic particles.
SAMPEX measured energetic electrons as well as the ion composition of the particle populations from ~0.4 MeV/nucleon to hundreds of MeV/nucleon as a zenith-oriented satellite in a near polar orbit (altitude 520 by 670 Km and 82 degrees inclination). A key part of SAMPEX was to use the magnetic field of the earth as an essential component of the measurement strategy. The Earth's field was used as a giant magnetic spectrometer to separate different energies and charge states of particles as SAMPEX executed its near polar orbit.

Satellite
Launch	July 3, 1992
End of Mission	November 13, 2012

MPE Participation:

• Heavy Ion Large Area Proportional Counter (HILT)