Little Joe: Mercury’s Test Vehicle

 https://content.blubrry.com/spacerockethistory/SRH-2013-07-04-019.mp3

TDRS-9

 2002-011A

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BSS-601 TDRS I by Atlas IIA AC-143 from CC 2002 Mar. 3190 kg. BOL mass is 1781 kg. Size is 3.4 x 3.4 x 8.4m with 21m span, 13m antenna span.

Date	Time	Event	Orbit
2002 Mar 8	2259	Launch by Atlas IIA AC-143	CC SLC36A
		T+2:45 BECO
		T+2:48 Booster sep
		T+3:38 Fairing
		T+4:35 SECO
		T+4:37 Atlas sep
		T+4:54 MES-1
	2308	T+9:52 MECO-1	167 x 578 x 28?
		T+24:29 MES-2
		T+25:50 MECO-2
	2328	T+29:37 Centaur sep	507.28 247 x 29135 x 27.1
2002 Mar 11		LAM-1 31m/s 32 kg?	510.85 433 x 29146 x 26.4
2002 Mar 13		LAM-2 perigee 132m/s 132 kg?	635.80 429 x 35800 x 26.31
2002 Mar 19	0010?	LAM-3 313 m/s 291 kg?	696.73 3521 x 35789 x 21.4
2002 Mar 20			697.07 3521 x 35806 x 21.4
2002 Mar 26		LAM-4	797.02 8383 x 35811 x 17.4
2002 Mar 29			797.05 8384 x 35811 x 17.4
2002 Apr 27		LAM-5	796.89 8391 x 35797 x 17.3
2002 Jun 12	1600?	LAM-6	818.34 9392 x 35813 x 16.6
2002 Jun 16	1530?	LAM-7	829.56 9918 x 35815 x 16.3
2002 Jul 13	1100?	LAM-8	859.03 11286 x 35824 x 15.7
2002 Aug 5		LAM-9	870.48 11819 x 35823 x 14.9
2002 Aug 15		LAM-10	903.04 13323 x 35815 x 14.8
2002 Sep 10		6min burn
2002 Sep 13			976.74 16667 x 35795 x 13.8
2002 Sep 24			1279.88 29507 x 35833 x 10.0
2002 Sep 30		Reaches GEO
2002 Oct 6	0615?		1436.56 35778 x 35813 x 8.5
2002 Oct 28			1436.21 35769 x 35807 x 8.4 GEO 149.8W+0.03W
2003 Jan 4			1436.11 35752 x 35821 x 8.2 GEO 149.5W
2003 Oct		Drift off course
2003 Dec 19		Move out of GEO from 152W
2004 Jan 24		Move into GEO at 171W
2004 Apr 10			1436.01 35766 x 35803 x 7.1 GEO 170.8W
2004 Sep 19			1436.00 35765 x 35803 x 6.7 GEO 170.9W
2004 Oct		Relocate out of GEO
2005 Jan 22			1433.20 35711 x 35748 x 6.3
2005 Feb 23		Move into GEO at 62.5W
2005 Mar 13			1436.06 35767 x 35804 x 6.2 GEO 62.2W
2006 Aug 8			1436.26 35772 x 35807 x 4.9 GEO 62.6W
2011 May 31			1436.17 35699 x 35877 x 1.4 GEO 62.4W
2011 Aug 4		move out
2011 Sep 9		Move in at 41W	1435.99 35722 x 35847 x 1.4 GEO 41.0W
2013 Apr 29			1435.99 35718 x 35850 x 2.2 GEO 41.0W

Aqua

 2002-022A

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EOS PM-1 Earth Observing System: TRW T330 (AB1200) Odyssey class graphite-epoxy bus. Launch is Apr 2002 by Delta 7920. orbit 690 x 705 x 98.2. Launch to A-Train constellation at 1:30pm position.

Launch mass 2934 kg (web page and press kit; but AWST said 3078 kg) incl 102 kg hydrazine.

Size 2.7 x 2.5 x 6.7m with 14m solar panel. 16.7m total span.

Mission is climate studies, with cloud, snow and ice cover measurements.

Aqua
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
2002 May 4	0954:58	Launch by Delta 7920-10L
		T+1:26 SRM 1-6 sep
		T+2:11 SRM 7-9 sep
		T+4:23 MECO
		T+4:31 St 1 sep
		T+4:37 SES-1
		T+4:43 Fairing sep	-4200? x 150? x 98.1
	1006:09	T+11:11 SECO-1	185 x 707 x 98.14
	1047:39	T+53:41 SES-2
	1048:58	T+54:00 SECO-2	676 x 687 x 98.17
	1054:28	T+59:30 St 2 sep
		T+1:21:30 SES-3
	1116	T+1:21:54 SECO-3
	1140	Solar arrays deployed
2002 May 10			98.32 673 x 682 x 98.18
2002 Jun 1			98.35 673 x 686 x 98.17
2002 Jun 9		orbit raise	98.55 681 x 697 x 98.18
2002 Jun 15		orbit raise	98.75 693 x 703 x 98.17
2002 Jun 22		orbit raise	98.82 698 x 705 x 98.17
2002 Jul 13			98.83 698 x 706 x 98.17
2002 Aug 4			98.82 699 x 704 x 98.19
2002 Nov 30			98.83 701 x 703 x 98.19
2003 Feb		HSB failed
2011 Oct		AMSR failed

Payload:

• 8 x 4.4N hydrazine thrusters

• CERES Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System

• MODIS-N Moderate Res Imaging Spectrometer

• AIRS/E Atmospheric IR Sounder/EOS

• AMSU-A Adv Microwave Sounding Units (2)

• AMSR-E Multifreq Imaging Microwave radiometer (Japan)

• HSB Microwave Humidity Sounder (Brazil)