Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
FOR RELEASE:
December 10, 1973
contents
S GENERAL RELEASE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
LAENCH OPERATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
25
FOR RELEASE:
Nick Panagakos December 10, 1973
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
(Phone: 202/755-368n)
Joseph McRoberts
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
(Phone: 301/982-5566)
RELEASE NO: 73-269
-more-
*1. -3-
51 after
Atmosphere Explorer, to be called Explorer
of 4300 km
launch, will be placed in an initial polar orbit
(2580 miles) by 156 km (93 miles). Every few weeks, through
be changed
use of an onboard propulsion system,. its orbit will
of 120 km
by lowering perigee (lowest point) to the neighborhood
of data
(72 milesl It will be maintained there for several days
the onboard
gathering, and then boosted back to a higher orbit by
propulsion system.
a circular orbit
At the 120 km altitude, a spacecraft in
eventually destroyed
would be pulled down by atmospheric drag and
by atmospheric friction. AE-C's elliptical orbit circumvents
aerodynamic drag.
-more-
There has been no way for such real-time exchange of
scientific information in the past. Generally, data have been
collected by the NASA field center involved and transmitted
on tape or via documents to individual scientists for study
over weeks, months or years. This rapid data exchange among
the participating scientists will allow them to use the AE-C
Alternate Data
Perigee Height Acquisition
Adjustment
-Passage Oriented or
Spinning Data
Acquisition
Data Retrieval O
and Missiona
Programming -
It.
IN, -5-
MISSION DESCRIPTION
:4L
-more-
U -6-
A-
-more-
-7-
Structural Subsystem
The spacecraft structure consists of reinforced platforms
for equipment mounting, an adapter section for launch vehicle
compatibility, a suitable number of reinforced handling and
lifting pads, and the outer covers.
The equipment platforms will provide the structural mounting
surfaces-for the outer shell, scientific instruments, electronic
packages, attitude control systems, hydrazine thruster sub-
system, and launch vehicle adapter. The top of the outer
shell will provide a mounting surface for the solar cells and
telemetry antennas as well as viewing ports for the solar
oriented spectrometers, and the solar cells will also
be mounted on the sides of the outer shell to supply the
necessary power. Instrument viewing ports will be provided
in various locations on the outer shell.
Thermal Subsystem
-more-
-9
-more-
The main thruster is a 1.8 kilogram (4 pounds) flight-
qualified unit. Spacecraft dynamics and alignment errors will
be small enough to allow velocity increments of 2.5 meters
(8.2 feet) per second without exceeding the spacecraft atti-
tude errors. The spacecraft tankage system is capable of
carrying 170 kilograms (37n pounds) of propellant to produce
a total change in velocity of approximately 600 meters
(1980 feet) per second.
Power Subsystem
The spacecraft power will be supplied by a subsystem
consisting of a negative N-on-P solar array, redundant nickel
cadmium (NiCd) batteries and the associated power.distribution
unit, chargers, power regulators, and converters.
The solar array will cover the top and sides of the
spacecraft. The spacecraft bus voltage is -24.5 volts.
The power available for science operation at the beginning
of life (BOL) is 100 watts at a 30 percent duty cycle per orbit.
At least once a day the experiment power will be 100 watts contin-
uous for 120 minutes in lieu of the 60 minute period.
The power supplied to the scientific instruments after
one year in orbit will be 100 watts at approximately 15 percent
duty cycle.
-more-
The PCM telemetry summary is as follows:
* Telemetry: PCM 16,384 bps real time and
tape record
PCM 131, 072 bps playback
* Transmitter: VHF, 137.23 MHz PCM/PM
S-Band, 2289.50 MHz PCM/PM
* Znooder: Main frame channels at 16 eight-bit
samples per second; subcom channels
at one eight-bit sample per four
seconds and one eight-bit sample
per eight seconds.
Simultaneous real time and playback using the VHF and
S-Band links.
LAUNCH VEHICLE
For AE-C, the two stage Delta 1900 launch vehicle will be 2
used. The vehicle, has an overall length of approximately 35
meters (116 feet) and a maximum body diameter of 2.48 meters
(8 feet). The nominal launch weight is 131,460 kilograms (292,130
pounds), including the nine booster thrust-augmentation solid motors.
W-
-12-
-more-
-13-
-more-
-14-
SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS
-more-
-16-
Photoelectron Spectrometer
The photoelectron spectrometer (PES) will measure the
intensity and energy distribution of the photoelectron flux
in the thermosphere in the 2 to 100 electron volt (ev) range,
and primary electrons from 50 ev to 500 ev. It will provide
high resolution data on the photoelectron energy spectrum
and will monitor the energetic particle flux to above 100 kev.
The photoelectron spectrometer uses a 1800 hemispherical
electrostatic deflector coupled to an electron multiplier
detector. Apertures in the input and output focal plane
of the deflector serve as field stops for the analyzer,
and establish the resolution of the device which is typically
5 percent. An additional larger aperture placed in front
of the first analyzer aperture serves to define the entrance
pupil of the system. The first two apertures thus establish
the ge metiic factor for the analyzer, which is on the order
of 10- cm ster-,independent of electron energy, provided
the effects of stray magnetic fields can be neglected. A
trap is placed behind the entrance aperture to catch high
energy particles and reduce the background from photoelectrons
generated within the analyzer.
Investigator: J. Doering, Joh:ns Hopkins University
-more-
-17-
-more-
._ _ _ _
-18-
-more-
-19-
-20-
comprised
The instrument consists of 19 detectors, each
channel electron multiplier,
of an electrostatic analyzer and
and will have two modes of operation.
The monitor mode will provide good energy resolution,
angle measure-
moderate temporal resolution, and reduced pitch primary
data acquisition simultaneous with the
ments, with the satellite is
aeronomical and ionospheric experiments when
either in the spinning or despun modes.
pitch and
The data mode will provide sufficient energy, the
angle and temporal resolution to completely characterize
in the auroral and
important electron radiation encountered
transauroral regions.
Center
Investigator: R. A. Hoffman, Goddard Space Flight
- more -
-21-
more-
-23-
- more -
-24-
-more-
LAUNCH OPERATIONS
-more-
-26-
$mo. -more-
1
-27-
PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
NASA Headquarters
-more-
-28-
Contractors
AF.-C Spacecraft RCA Corp., Astro Electronics Div.,
Hiahtstown, N.J.
-end-