Gambit-3 6

  1967-064A

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KH-8 no. 6 was GAMBIT program flight 44, following the final KH-7 flight. It flew a 10 day mission in a 127 x 325 km x 111 deg orbit after launch from Vandenberg on 1967 Jun 20. The Titan second stage had problems again, but in a much more minor key: part of the engine skirt blew off leading to a 27 m/s underspeed; orbit was 4 x 85 km lower than planned. The orbit was adjusted on rev 32 but the Agena engine suffered a chamber pressure loss. Another Agena burn on rev 98 tweaked the orbit when the mission was extended from 8 days to 10.

The mission orbit with a perigee at high northern latitudes and an early morning launch, allowing daytime imagery on ascending as well as descending passes over the northern hemisphere.

KH-8 6
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1967 Jun 20	1615	Launch by Titan IIIB Agena D	V SLC4W
	1620	Agena burn
	1625	Agena MECO
			89.0 127 x 325 x 111.4
1967 Jun 20	2312		89.19 129 x 339 x 111.4
1967 Jun 22	1518		88.99 128 x 320 x 111.4
1967 Jun 22	1700?	Rev 32 orbit raise
1967 Jun 26	0150		89.22 133 x 338 x 111.4
1967 Jun 28		Rev 98 orbit tweak
1967 Jun 30	2310?	SRV deorbit
	2350?	SRV recovered?
1967 Jun 30	2141?	SRV recovered rev 164
1967 Jun 30	2315?	Deboost rev 165
1967 Jun 30		Reentered after 10d