1958-F11
The last US Army Explorer, a joint ABMA/ARPA project, was launched by Jupiter C (Juno I) from Cape Canaveral on 1958 Aug 24. A few minutes after launch, the booster collided with the JPL Cluster upper stages and the payload failed to reach orbit. The cluster was pitched 23 deg down instead of 8 deg at stage 2 ignition, and yawed 40 deg in the wrong direction. Explorer V transmitted successfully during its 10 minute flight. It had been intended to study natural and Argus-induced radiation. The planned orbit had been 282 x 2936 km x 50.8 deg.
| Explorer 5 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 Aug 24 | 0617:22 | Launch by Juno I | CC LC5 |
| T+2:34 MECO | |||
| T+2:40? Redstone sep | |||
| T+2:52 Booster collided with cluster aft unit | |||
| T+2:53 Second collision | |||
| T+3:12 End of contact with booster | |||
| T+5:59 Stage 2 burn | |||
| T+6:07 Stage 2 cutoff | |||
| T+6:07 Stage 3 burn | |||
| 0623:38 | T+6:16 Stage 3 cutoff | -3074 x 282 | |
| T+6:16 Stage 4 burn | |||
| 0623:45 | T+6:23 Stage 4 cutoff, apogee 284 km | -713 x 1125 x 75? | |
| 0630? | Stage 4 impact at 50.1N 65.1W, Quebec | ||
| T+10:53 Redstone impact 1459 km | |||
| T+11:31 Stage 2 impact 2064 km | |||
| T+13:28 Stage 3 impact 3276 km | |||
