INSTITUTET FÖR RYMDFYSIK	UPPSALA
Swedish Institute of Space Physics	(59°50.272′N, 17°38.786′E)

Viking

We provided the the V4L wave and plasma density instrument for the Viking mission, and analyzed the data it delivered. Viking was Sweden's first satellite, and it was also the first satellite our group built a complete instrument for. The instrument was operative during the lifetime of Viking (February 1986 - May 1987), and delivered time series of the wave electric field, plasma density variations, and background plasma density on a variety of phenomena, mostly relating to the auroral region.

The V4L instrument used four spherical probes (radius 5 cm), mounted on 40 meter wire booms in the satellite spin plane (rotation rate 3 r.p.m.). You can see the wire booms as thin lines extending radially out from the satellite body in the picture above.

More information

• A general description of Viking can be found at the Swedish Space Corporation.
• Viking pages at IRF Kiruna
• Viking electric field data