EXCEDE III
Excitation via Controlled Energy Deposition Experiment
SDL designed EXCEDE III to determine reactions and measure infrared radiance
produced in the upper atmosphere by controlled dosing. SDL built the electron
accelerator package, optical photometers for the mother payload, a nitrogen-cooled
IR interferometer, an image intensified star sensor for attitude measurement,
and an intensified television camera system. The electron energy density deposition
rate was designed to be orders of magnitude greater than any natural process
such as an aurora and to be comparable to those in a nuclear environment in
order to understand the non-linear excitation processes.
This research was intended to conduct studies, develop
instruments, develop payload packages, participate in field and laboratory experiments,
reduce and analyze data, and investigate new instruments for the Applied Infrared
Research and Instrumentation Technology program (AIRIT).
EXCEDE III successfully launched in April 1990 and yielded
excellent data.
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