1961-010
The P-14 Magnetic Field Probe contained magnetometers to measure the strength of the Earth's magnetic field at large distances. It was launched on 1961 Mar 25 at 1517 by a Thor Delta from Cape Canaveral, and reached orbit at 1523. P-14 was given the name Explorer X and transmitted for 60 hr, until Mar 27, in its highly elliptical orbit. It is estimated to have reentered in 1968 Jun. P-14 was 36 kg 1.3m high 0.48m dia, with 2.2m span when antennas extended.
The RAE gave a 221 x 181100 km x 33 deg orbit, while early postflight data indicated a 228000 km apogee. Heppner et al (JGR 68,1) report that reanalysis of the tracking data gives an orbit with an apogee distance of 46.6Re, corresponding to an apogee height of 291000 km, and an inclination of 31 degrees.
The P-14 probe was built by GSFC. Explorer 10 returned the first direct evidence of the solar wind.
| Explorer 10 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 Mar 25 | 1517:04 | Launch by Delta 4 | CC LC17A |
| 1519:42 | T+2:38 MECO 74 km | ||
| 1519:45? | Delta S/N 2015 SES, 1:53 | ||
| 1520:25? | Fairing sep | ||
| 1521:37? | Delta SECO, coast 40s | ||
| 1522 | Fire spin rockets | ||
| 1522:17? | Delta sep | ||
| 1523 | Altair burn 40s | -1700? x 220 | |
| 1523 | Altair cutoff | 221 x 291000 x 31 | |
| 1525 | Altair sep | ||
| 1544? | First magnetometer data | ||
| 1961 Mar 26 | 0724 | Pass EL1:4 | |
| 1961 Mar 26 | 1400 | Height 178600 km | |
| 2000 | Height 203300 km | ||
| 1961 Mar 27 | 0400 | Height 229600 km | |
| 1100 | Height 248200 km | ||
| 1720 | Height 261500 km | ||
| 1961 Mar 28 | 0720 | End of ops | |
| 1961 Mar 29 | 0100? | Apogee 1 at 291000 km | |
| 1961 Apr 1 | 1100? | Perigee 2 | |
Payload:
- Rb vapor magnetometer (GSFC/Heppner)
- Flux gate magnetometers, 2 (GSFC/Heppner)
- Plasma probe, low energy electrons (MIT/Rossi)
