1966-031A
The OAO A1 satellite was launched at 1935 on 1966 Apr 8 by an Atlas Agena D. At 2035 it entered a 100.7 min, 792 x 806 km x 35.0 deg orbit, becoming Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 1. OAO I successfully demonstrated the use of star trackers for accurate attitude control, but on Apr 10 its battery failed and the satellite fell silent.
The spacecraft had a hinged optics cover; it's not clear if this was opened prior to failure. One piece of debris with RCS 2.6 sq m separated at the time of failure; possibly there was a minor explosion in the battery, or a structural failure after loss of attitude control.
| OAO 1 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 Apr 8 | 1935:00 | Launch by Atlas Agena D | CKAFS LC12 |
| 1937:16 | T+2:16 BECO | ||
| 1939:25 | T+4:25 SECO | ||
| 1939:30 | T+4:30 Fairing sep | ||
| 1939:45 | T+4:45 VECO | ||
| 1939:47 | T+4:47 Atlas sep | ||
| 1940:38 | T+5:38 Agena 6703 MES-1 | ||
| 1944:33 | T+9:33 Agena MECO-1 | 94.07 159 x 802 x 35.0 | |
| 2034:06 | T+0:59:06 Agena MES-2 6s | ||
| 2034:12 | T+0:59:12 Agena MECO-2 | 100.8 791 x 804 x 35.0 | |
| 2034:40 | T+0:59:40 Solar arrays | ||
| 2035:05 | T+1:00:05 Solar booms deploy | ||
| 2035:45 | T+1:00:45 Agena sep | ||
| 2302 | Battery temp high | ||
| 1966 Apr 10 | 0014 | Command tumble to cool battery | |
| 1996 Apr 10 | 0207 | Battery 1 depleted | |
| 0552 | Battery 2 and 3 depleted, spacecraft failed | ||
Payload:
- WEP Wisconsin Experiment Package with 1100-3000A UV telescopes:
- 20-cm stellar telescopes (4)
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