Satellite probe electric field measurements and the effects of space charge

Summary form only given. Current bias probes on satellites can in some situations photoemit much more current than they collect from nearby plasmas. Laboratory experiments were conducted to better understand the effects of electric charge accumulation, or space charge, on electric field measurements made by satellite probes in these situations. The probable magnitude of space-charge-induced errors in electric field measurements, the effects of magnetic field and plasma on space charge, and methods of interpreting satellite data to determine the extent of space charge effects were investigated