PIX 1, 2

PIX 1 [NASA]

PIX 1 (Plasma Interaction Experiment) was an add-on eyperiment mounted on an Delta second stage to investigate high voltage discharge and arcing on spacecraft components. A 96 cm by 81 cm experiment plate was mounted  on one side of the stage while an electronics box was on an other side. PIX 1 was conceived to gain some data, which the failed SPHINX space craft should have provided, until the more sophisticated DoD/NASA P78-2 SCATHA satellite was flown. The payload consisted of a sample solar cell and some insulation experiments.

PIX 2 was a similar experiment flown some years later, featuring sample solar cells and a Langmuir probe.