ISEE-2


The International Sun-Earth Explorer 2 was a space probe used to study magnetic fields near the Earth. ISEE-1 and ISEE-2 were launched on October 22, 1977, and they re-entered on September 26, 1987. The instruments on board ISEE-2 were designed to measure electric and magnetic field properties.
ISEE-2 had a thruster to adjust the spacing between the two spacecraft, depending on desired goal. Early results from duo stated that by having two spacecraft, the "spatial and temporal variations in the magnetosphere and solar wind" could be detected.

Mission

The space probe was part of a program consisting of three spacecraft: a mother/daughter pair and the ISEE-3 spacecraft. The program was a cooperative mission between NASA and ESRO designed to study the interaction between the Earth's magnetic field and the solar wind. At least 32 institutions were involved, and the focus was on understanding magnetic fields. ISEE-1 and ISEE-3 were built by NASA, while ISEE-2 was built by ESA. All three had complementary instruments supported by the same group of over 100 scientists.
ISEE-3 was launched the following year, later renamed ICE, and was noted for being contacted in the 2010s from Earth

Technical