The Medium Energy Cosmic Ray Experiment for ISEE-C

A description is provided of the medium energy cosmic ray experiment on board the ISEE-C spacecraft. This experiment is designed to measure the charge composition of nuclear energetic particles over wide ranges in energy (~1-500 MeV/nucleon) and in charge (Z = 1-28). Individual isotopes are resolvable for Z = 1-7 over a restricted energy range. Electrons of ~2-10 MeV are measured as well. These measurements are accomplished using all solid-state detector telescopes with detectors ranging in thickness from 15-3000 μm. The scientific goals of the experiment are also described. These include study of the composition of energetic particles from the sun and from the galaxy, the acceleration and flow of particles in the interplanetary medium, and electrons from Jupiter. Heliospheric gradients and other characteristics of solar modulation will be measured in conjunction with identical telescopes flown on the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft and similar telescopes on Pioneer 10 and 11.