A powerful tracking detector for cosmic rays: the magnetic spectrometer of the PAMELA satellite experiment

The WiZaxd-PAMELA detector will be ready within some months to be installed on board of the Russian satellite Resurs-DK1. The satellite will follow, for at least 3 years, a quasi polar orbit with an inclination of 70.4° with respect to the equatorial plane. The experiment will allow the measurement of the antiproton and positron spectra within a wide momentum range and the search for light anti-nuclei in cosmic rays. The detector subsystems have been tested and the final assembly phase is in progress. In this paper we describe the structure of the PAMELA magnetic spectrometer, its current status and some precautions taken to satisfy the requirements of the mission. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]