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GEOS-3
1975-027A
The Geos 3 satellite was a follow on to the Geodetic Explorers, Geos 1 and 2. However, its acronym was given a different expansion (Geodynamics Experimental Ocean Satellite) and at the time of launch it was not identified as part of the Explorer series, so programmatically it is somewhat anomalous. It bridged the National Geodetic Satellite Program and NASA's later Earth Science efforts, under the EODAP (Earth and Ocean Dynamics Applications Program).
The Geodynamics Experimental Ocean Satellite, Geos C before launch and Geos 3 after launch, was the first mission to carry out a global altimetry survey of the oceans, and the Geos 3 database was a key tool for geophysicists for over a decade. The altimetry was championed by NOAA's John Apel, who later helped design the Seasat mission. Later missions which expanded on the Geos 3 results were NASA's Seasat and the US Navy's Geosat. Geos 3 was built by the Applied Physics Lab and was similar in structure to Geos 1 and 2. The program was managed by NASA's Wallops Center.
Geos 3 has a 6m gravity boom. 340 kg mass.
Geos 3 was launched at 2358 on 1975 Apr 9 by a two stage Delta 1410 (some sources incorrectly give 2410) rocket into a 101.8 min, 839 x 853 km x 115.0 deg retrograde orbit. The altimeter system operated until 1978 Dec, and the satellite transmitted until May 1981.
| Geos 3 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 Apr 9 | 2358:02 | Launch by Delta 1410 | V |
| T+0:38? SRM 1-4 burnout | |||
| 1975 Apr 10 | 0000 | T+2:00 SRM 1-4 sep, 26 km | |
| 0002 | T+4:29 MECO 96 km | ||
| 0002 | T+4:40 St 1 sep | ||
| T+4:45 SES-1 | |||
| 0003 | T+5:05 Fairing sep | ||
| 0007 | T+9:36 SECO-1 185 km 7.854 km/s | ||
| 0055:01 | T+56:59 SES-2 842 km 7.140 km/s | ||
| 0055:08 | T+57:06 SECO-2 7.314km/s | ||
| 0056:23 | T+58:21 St 2 sep | 101.8 839 x 853 x 115.0 | |
| 1975 Apr 10 | 0457 | Boom extended 0.8m | |
| 1975 Apr 12 | 0242 | Boom extended to 6.5m | |
| 1975 Apr 16 | First ATS-6 tracking pass | ||
| 1978 Dec | Altimeter end of ops | ||
| 1981 May | end of tx | ||
Payload:
- Radar altimeter system (5 m ocean surface heights)
- S-band tracking system (also used with ATS6 for sat-sat tracking expt)
- C-band system (for radar calibration)
- Laser reflectors (MIT-LL)
- USN Doppler geodetic system
Kosmos 1607
1984-112A
| Kosmos-1607 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 Oct 31 | 1229 | Launch by Tsiklon-2 | Baikonur |
| 1231 | Stage 1 sep | ||
| 1233 | Stage 2 sep | -800? x 265 x 65 | |
| 1243? | DU burn | ||
| 1253? | Stage 2 reentry | ||
| 1984 Oct 31 | 247x270x65 | ||
| 1984 Nov 1 | 252x265x65.0 | ||
| 1985 Feb 1 | 1132? | orbit raised | 261 x 913 |
| 1218? | Orbit circ | ||
| 1985 Feb 1 | 910 x 996 x 65.0 | ||
Solwind
1979-017A
Space Test Program satellite P78-1 was launched on 1979 Feb 24 by Atlas F from Vandenberg and inserted into a 600 km polar orbit using a Fairchild OIS (Orbit Insertion System) upper stage. The satellite was often known by the name of one of its primary experiments, SOLWIND, which was a Naval Research Lab solar coronagraph. The SOLWIND coronagraph, in addition to studying the Sun, serendipitously discovered several comets.
P78-1 was built from the OSO-7 backup spacecraft. Size was 2.75m long 1.83m dia. According to a prelaunch Fairchild paper on the OIS, launch mass of the satellite was 925 kg; other sources give 875 kg.
The OIS had a Stage 0 adpater cylinder similar to the PTS/SVS, with a mass of 57 kg; a small Star 27 motor in a truncated conical shell 0.98m long 0.4 to 1.3m dia carrying the spin system. The motor was 363 kg and the shell was 140 kg. Nominal OIS delta-V was 787 m/s from a -1705 x 592 km x 97.7 deg transfer orbit.
On 1985 Sep 13, the satellite, which was still operating well, was destroyed by a US Air Force antisatellite weapon as a test.
| P78-1 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 Feb 24 | 0820 | Launch by Atlas F/OIS | V |
| T+2m? Booster sep | |||
| T+5m? Atlas SECO | |||
| 256 km, 7.190 km/s, 8.14 deg | -1727 x 590 x 97.7 | ||
| 0826 | T+6m? Atlas sep from OIS | -1705 x 592 x 97.7 | |
| -1900 x 600 x 97.7 | |||
| 1979 Feb 24 | 0830? | Star 27 burn | |
| 0831? | Star 27 burnout | 96.4 563 x 602 x 97.7 | |
| 0834? | Star 27 sep | ||
| 0835? | Despin weights sep | ||
| 1985 Sep 13 | Destroyed by USAF ASAT, end of tx | ||
| 1986 Jul 2 | 1979-17JD cataloged | ||
| 1986 Jul 25 | 1979-17JF-JH cataloged | ||
| 1986 Nov | 1979-17JJ-JS cataloged | ||
| 1987 Nov | 1979-17 LG-LJ cataloged | ||
| 1988 Aug | 1979-17LZ cataloged | ||
| 1992 Jul 20 | 1979-17A reentered | ||
Payload:
- DARPA-301 Gamma ray spectrometer (trapped radiation, solar and atmospheric gamma)
- SOLWIND NRL-401 EUV and white light coronagraph/heliograph
- CRLS-229 Solar X-ray spectrometer/spectroheliograph 3-25A, 20 arcsec res. (Aerospace/NRL/Landecker)
- SOLEX A,B NRL/Aerospace solar flare XR Bragg spectrometer, NRL-128 3-25A
- MONEX NRL/Aerospace all sky X-ray monitor; auroral X-rays; NRL-601
- NRL-126 X-ray Spectroheliograph
- ECOM-721 UCB EUV airglow spectrometer 350-1400A, US Army sponsor
- ONR-601 Preliminary aerosol monitor
- CRL-251 High latitude particle spectrometer