User:Pdeitiker/Spacecraft magnetometers
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Magnetometers are one of the most widely used scientific instruments used in exploratory and observation satellites. The first spacecraft born magnetometer was placed on the Sputnik-3 spacecraft and the most detailed observations of the Earth have been done on Magsat.[1] and Ørsted. There are magnetometers on the Moon during the later Apollo missions. Many various instruments have been used to measure the strength, direction, of magnetic field lines that exist around Earth or the the solar system.
Spacecraft magnetometers basically fall into three categories fluxgate, search-coil and ionized gas magnetometers. The most accurate magnetometer complexes on spacecraft contain both, the helium magnetometer used to calibrate the fluxgate instrument for the most accurate readings. Many later magnetometers contain small ring-coils oriented 90° in two dimensions relative to each other forming a triaxial framework for indicating direction of magnetic field.