Radiofrequency Mass Spectrometer for Upper Air Research

Abstract

Electronic circuits have been designed for the Bennett type of radiofrequency mass spectrometer so that it may be used in an experiment devised to obtain the composition of the upper atmosphere. The rocket-borne spectrometer samples the spectrum between mass numbers 48 and 5 once per second with a resolution of one part in twenty-five. Data may be obtained between pressure limits of 8×10−4 mm Hg and 2×10−6 mm Hg, corresponding to ambient pressures between 100 km and 160 km, respectively. The entire instrumentation weighs less than 50 pounds and occupies a total of 1.4 cubic feet.