[4] The main objectives of SAMPEX experiments were to obtained data for several continuous years on the anomalous components of cosmic rays, on solar energetic particles emissions from the Sun, and on the precipitating magnetospheric relativistic electrons.
The science instruments generally point toward local zenith, especially over the terrestrial poles, for optimal sampling of galactic and solar cosmic ray flux.
In 1997, NASA Goddard transferred operation of SAMPEX to the Flight Dynamics and Control Laboratory (FDCL) housed within the Aerospace Engineering Department of the University of Maryland, College Park.
[4] The spacecraft carried four instruments designed to measure the anomalous components of cosmic rays, emissions from solar energetic particles, and electron counts in Earth's magnetosphere.
[8] The LICA experiment was designed to measure 0.5--5 MeV/nucleon solar and magnetospheric ions (He through Ni) arriving from the zenith in twelve energy bands.
Ions passing through the 0.75 micrometre nickel entrance foils emitted secondary electrons which a chevron microchannel plate assembly amplified to form a signal to begin timing.
A double entrance foil prevented single pinholes from allowing sunlight to enter the telescope and provided immunity to solar and geocoronal ultraviolet.
The velocity determined from the path length, the ToF, and the residual energy measured by the solid-state detectors were combined to yield the mass of the ion with a resolution of about 1%, adequate to provide complete isotope separation.
Appropriate magnetic field models enabled specification of the atomic charge state by means of rigidity cut-off calculations.
[10] PET consisted of an array of eight, lithium-drifted solid state detectors, together covering the energy range of 1--30 MeV for electrons, 18–85 MeV/nucleon for H and He, and 54–195 MeV/nucleon for the heavier elements.
The counting rate of P1 was recorded with a resolution of 0.1 seconds, enabling observation of rapid time variations in the flux of precipitating electrons above energies of 0.4 MeV.
The Earth's field is used as a giant magnetic spectrometer to separate different energies and charge states of particles as SAMPEX executes its near polar orbit.
Since almost all of the processes we are studying are driven or heavily influenced by the solar activity cycle, we have the opportunity to fully characterize the solar cycle dependence of a wide range of processes central to the goals of the NASA Office of Space Science's Sun-Earth Connections (SEC) theme.
[12] Over the next several years as the solar activity ramps up to its 11-year maximum, SAMPEX investigations will:[12] Built for a three-year primary mission, the spacecraft continued to return science data until its reentry on 13 November 2012.