ABSTRACT
The main goal of this chapter is the description of the results of experimental investigations into possible perturbations in the lower and middle ionosphere that are caused by the start, launch, and flight of the Space Shuttle on May 15, 1997. The main peculiarity of this experiment is that it took place at the beginning of the main phase of the magnetic storm. Thus, in Ref. [11], it was suggested that natural perturbations in the ionospheremagnetosphere system are the cause of its destability, yielding of its artificial source of energy, and even its weak intensity; this can cause significant perturbations in the ionospheric plasma. In other words, a triggering mechanism can occur from this supply of energy. Before delving into the description of the results of observations and its corresponding technique, let us introduce the reader to the two main aspects that should be understood: (1) What is meant by “magnetic storm”? (2) How can a moving SV disturb the ambient geomagnetic field?
