The SC2 experiment has both science and engineering applications. The electrostatic analyzers measure ions and electrons with energies from a few 10's of eV to ~20 keV, perpendicular to the spin axis. SC2 also measures 20 keV ions with a temporal resolution of 250 msec for He and the CNO group (>150keV/AMU) and one sec for protons.

  The plasma sensors consisted of three miniature electrostatic analyzers that measured the fluxes of electrons and ions over a limited range of energies. Two of the analyzers were enclosed within boom-mounted spherical probes, and the third was mounted behind the center band on the spacecraft. The booms were 180 degrees apart and were mounted near the centerline of the vehicle. The fields of view of the analyzers were parallel to each other and to the fields of view of the energetic ion sensors. The angular response of the units (FW at 10% maximum response) were approximately 9° by 7° for the electrons and 16° by 9° for the ions in planes parallel and perpendicular, respectively, to the spacecraft spin axis. They had geometric factors of ~1.7e-4 cm^2 sr for electrons and 6.7e-4 cm^2 sr for ions. The energy resolutions were dE/E = 0.14 for ions, and dE/E = 0.09 for electrons.

  The proton telescope (SC2-6) consisted of a front and a rear solid-state detector behind a collimator-magnet assembly. The particles entering the collimator passed through a uniform magnetic field that kept electrons from being detected and contaminating the proton measurement. The protons and heavy ion trajectories were unaffected by the magnetic field. The front detector was energy analyzed while the rear detector eliminated penetrating particles from the analysis and provided necessary background information. The proton analysis produced differential flux measurements in six energy windows and two integral flux channels. The instrument had a geometric factor of 2e-3 cm^2 sr.

  The heavy-ion detection system SC2-3B was similar to the SC2-6 proton detector. The instrument was a two-element, solid-state telescope that was highly collimated, and the detectors were heavily shielded in all directions except the field of view .The electron rejection magnet was well separated from the detectors and deflected out of the incident beam all electrons with energies < 1.7 MeV. The energetic ions were not affected by this "broom magnet." The SC2-3B heavy-ion telescope had a geometric factor of 3.6e-4 cm^2 sr.

  The SC2-3B ion telescope had a very thin (2.3 μm, 10 mm^2) front detector and a thicker (42.1 μm, 25 mm^2) rear detector. The output from the front detector was energy-analyzed while the rear detector was used to reject penetrating particles. The ions were differentiated by the energy required for them to penetrate the front detector. Ions with energies >90 keV/nucleon were detected. A high threshold was also used on the rear detector to measure particles that penetrated the brass shield or front detector and still deposit large amounts of energy. The shielding stopped <45 MeV protons and <5 MeV electrons.