A Novel probe for in-situ Electron density and Neutral Wind (ENWi) measurements in the near Earth space

A novel method for the in-situ measurement of thermospheric and ionospheric parameters has successfully been tried out by means of a new probe ENWi. The probe has been designed for neutral wind and electron density measurements up to ∼115 km. ENWi was successfully flight tested on sounding rockets from Thumba, India during the recent annular solar eclipse (January 2010) that passed right over the rocket range. The present paper deals with the basic concept that has been successfully put to test for neutral wind measurements in a critical height region, thus highlighting its potential to fill up a void in the Aeronomic studies.

► Novel neutral wind and plasma parameter probe for lower thermosphere. ► Feasibility of higher altitude ion drift measurements for estimating electric fields. ► Potential as vital tool for future studies on lower thermospheric neutral dynamics.