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AGU: Journal of Geophysical Research, Space Physics

 
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JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 85, NO. A11, PP. 5841-5852, 1980
doi:10.1029/JA085iA11p05841

Results of Pioneer 10 and 11 Meteoroid Experiments: Interplanetary and Near-Saturn

D. H. Humes

NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia 23665

The meteoroid penetration detectors on Pioneer 10 (channel 0) recorded 95 penetrations through the 25-µm stainless steel test material while the spacecraft was between 1 and 18 AU. The spatial density of 10−9g meteoroids is found to be essentially constant between 1 and 18 AU. The meteoroid penetration detectors on Pioneer 11 recorded 87 penetrations (55 on channel 0 and 32 on channel 1) through the 50-µm stainless steel test material while the spacecraft was between 1 and 9 AU. It is found that the meteoroids between 4 and 5 AU are not in direct circular or near-circular orbits near the ecliptic plane. The Pioneer 11 data obtained between 4 and 5 AU are best explained by the meteoroids being in randomly inclined orbits of high eccentricity. If meteoroids are in these cometlike orbits, the great increase in penetration flux previously measured near Jupiter with the Pioneer 10 experiment cannot be attributed to gravitational focusing unless the size distribution of meteoroids changes substantially between 1 and 5 AU. At Saturn encounter, the penetration flux increased by about three orders of magnitude, probably as the result of impacts from ring particles. Saturn’s ring E is estimated to be 1800 km thick with an optical thickness greater than 10−8.

Received 2 May 1980; accepted 23 June 1980; .

Citation: Humes, D. H. (1980), Results of Pioneer 10 and 11 Meteoroid Experiments: Interplanetary and Near-Saturn, J. Geophys. Res., 85(A11), 5841–5852, doi:10.1029/JA085iA11p05841.

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