SAGE

 1979-013A

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Applications Explorer Mission B (AEM-B) was the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment. The satellite carried a single experiment, the 4-channel SAGE radiometer which measured the intensity of the sun seen through the Earth's atmosphere on the horizon, studying aerosols and the ozone layer.

Launch was at 1618 on 1979 Feb 18 by Scout D-1 from Wallops Island. Orbit insertion was at 1629 and the fourth stage separated at 1633. SAGE was in a 96.7 min, 549 x 661 km x 54.9 deg orbit. It operated until 1981 Nov and on 1989 Apr 11 reentered from a 87.51 min, 146 x 157 km x 54.9 deg orbit.

SAGE
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1979 Feb 18	1618	Launch by Scout D-1	WI
		T+1:23 St 1 cutoff
		T+1:28 St 1 sep
		T+1:35 st 2 burn
		T+2:14 St 2 burnout
		T+2:35 Fairing
		T+2:37? St 2 sep
		T+2:37 Antares burn
		T+3:10 Antares burnout
		T+10:06 Antares sep
	1628	T+10:52 Stage 4 burn 33s
	1629	T+11:25 Stage 4 cutoff
	1630?	Yo-yo weights deployed
	1634	Stage 4 sep	96.79 548 x 660 x 54.9
1981 Nov 18		end of ops
1989 Apr 11		reentered