Variations of Thermosphere Density Based on Joint Analysis of In-Situ Measurement Data From Shenzhou Spacecrafts

Based on the measurements made by Atmospheric Density Detectors(ADDs) onboard Chinese spacecraft Shenzhou 2-4,the variations of thermosphere density are revealed.During the quiet period,the density at spacecraft altitude of 330~410 km exhibited a dominant diurnal variation,with high value on dayside and low value on nightside.The ratio of the diurnal maximum density to the minimum ranged from 1.7 to 2.0.The ratio shows a positive correlation with the level of solar activity and a negative correlation with the level of geomagnetic activity.When a geomagnetic disturbance comes,the atmospheric density at the altitude of 330～410 km displayed a global enhancement.For a strong geomagnetic disturbance,the atmospheric density increased by about 56%,and reached its maximum about 6～7 hours after the geomagnetic disturbance peak. The density asymmetry was also observed both in the southern and northern hemisphere during the geomagnetic disturbance peak.