Geomagnetic effects caused by rocket exhaust jets

Abstract

In the space experiment Radar–Progress, we have made 33 series of measurements of geomagnetic variations during ignitions of engines of Progress cargo spacecraft in low Earth orbit. We used magneto-measuring complexes, installed at observatories of the Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics of Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and magnetotelluric equipment of a mobile complex. We assumed that engine running can cause geomagnetic disturbances in field tubes crossed by the spacecraft. When analyzing experimental data, we took into account the following space weather factors: solar wind parameters, total daily mid-latitude geomagnetic activity index Kр, geomagnetic auroral electrojet index AE, global geomagnetic activity. The empirical data we obtained indicate that 18 of the 33 series showed geomagnetic variations with various periods.

Keywords

• Active Radar–Progress space experiment
• geomagnetic pulsations
• geomagnetic field variations
• space weather