Current collection by the tethered satellite

Summary form only given, as follows. Both measurements and models have revealed that the tethered satellite in the TSS-1R mission collected a large current, 2-3 times in excess of the current predicted by the theory of Parker and Murphy. Using 3-D particle-in-cell simulations the origin of the current enhancement is analyzed in detail. Flow of currents in the plasma contributing to the current collections is mapped around the satellite. The dependence of the current enhancement on the ambient plasma density is analyzed and compared with measurements from TSS-1R.