Circling around magnetic field lines. ... The ring current . Because positive ions and negative electrons drift in opposite directions (see drawing), that motion will create an electric current that circulates clockwise around the Earth when viewed from north. ... How then can the radiation belt and ring current arise? ... Electric fields are able to push trapped particles earthward, and unlike the purely magnetic motion described earlier, an electric field can also energize them. ...
... Listed below are questions submitted by users of "The Exploration of the Earth's Magnetosphere" and the answers given to them. ... The ones included below are either of the sort that keeps coming up again and again--the danger of solar eruptions, the reversal of the Earth's magnetic field, etc.-- or else the answers make a special point, going into extra details which might interest other users. ... Radiation Belts and Manned Space Flight . ... Capturing the Energy of the Solar Wind . ...
Mariner 10 . ... Mariner 10 was the seventh successful launch in the Mariner spacecraft series, and the first to use the gravitational pull of one planet ( Venus ) to reach another ( Mercury ). ... It measured 1.39 meters (4.56 feet) diagonally and 0.457 meters (1.5 feet) in depth. ... Views of Mariner 10 . ... Venus/Mercury Mission . ... Launched in November 1973, this mission provided new information about Mercury and Venus in the Mariner program's first dual-planet mission. ...