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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 0032.PDF
30 FLIGHT International, 3 January 1963 Prior to its launch from Wallops Island on Decem ber 16, the Explorer 16 mi- crometeoroid satellite was subjected to temperature extremes in this vacuum chamber. The satellite is built around the Scout vehicle's Altair fourth-stage motor case Missiles and Spaceflight COSMOS 12 IN ORBIT A Tass statement on December 22 stated that the successful launch ing of an artificial Earth satellite, Cosmos 12, was carried out in the Soviet Union on that day. The announcement continued: "The satellite has been placed into orbit with the following para meters: initial period of revolution, 90.45min; maximum distance from the Earth's surface (apogee), 450km (280 miles); minimum distance (perigee), 211km (131 miles). Its equatorial inclination is 65s. The satellite carries scientific equipment intended for the con tinuation of the investigation of cosmic space in accordance with the programme announced by Tass on March 16, 1962. "This includes a radio transmitter functioning on a frequency of 19.995 Mc/s, a radio system for the precise measurement of elements of the orbit and a radio-telemetry system for the transmission to Earth of data on the work of the instruments and scientific equip ment. The equipment installed on the satellite is functioning nor mally. A co-ordination computing centre is processing the informa tion received." RECENT ORBITS The following list of satellite launchings follows on from that which appeared in our November 22 issue. November 24. 1962 beta rho. USAF satellite launched by Thor Agena B from Vandenberg Air Force Base into orbit at 65.14°, 127-206 miles; estimated lifetime, one month. December 4. 1962 beta sigma. USAF satellite launched by Thor Agena from Vandenberg into orbit at 65.08°, 81-190 miles; re entered on December 8. December 13. 1962 beta tau. USAF satellite carrying "piggyback" Injun 3 radiation satellite launched by Thor Agena from Vanden berg into orbit at 70.33°, approximately 145-1,735 miles; estimated lifetime, several years. December 13. 1962 beta upsilon. Relay 1 launched by Delta from Cape Canaveral into orbit at 47.47°, approximately 822-4,622 miles, period 185min. December 14. 1962 beta phi. USAF satellite launched by Dior Agena from Vandenberg into orbit at 70.97°, approximately 127-245 miles; period 90.48min; estimated lifetime, 2 weeks. December 16. 1962 beta chi. Explorer 16, launched by Scout from Wallops Island into orbit at 52.01°, 466-733 miles; period 104.3min. December 18. 1962 beta psi. Transit 5A launched by Blue Scout from Point Arguello into orbit at 90.62°, 438-461 miles; period 99.15min. December 22. 1962 beta omega. Cosmos 12 launched into orbit at 65°, 131-280 miles; period 90.45min (news item on this page). Preliminary Results from Mariner 2 Magnetometer readings taken by the US spacecraft Mariner 2, which passed the planet Venus at a distance of 21,594 miles on December 14, have indicated no evidence of a Venusian magnetic field. This was reported to the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Phila delphia on December 26 by P. J. Coleman of the University of California at Los Angeles; Prof Leverett Davis Jr of California Institute of Technology; Dr Edward J. Smith of Jet Propulsion Laboratory; and Dr C. P. Sonett of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Ames Research Center. No rise in the average value of the magnetic field above the interplanetary value was observed, and the observed fluctuations in the field were if anything smaller in the vicinity of Venus than in the neighbouring parts of interplanetary space. Hope for Relay? An increase in the power-supply voltage aboard the Relay 1 experimental communication satellite was reported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on December 27. Launched from Cape Canaveral on December 13, the satellite had experienced a drop in voltage, as a result of which NASA announced on December 15 that all transmissions from the satellite would be switched off for "an extended period." On December 27 the Space Administration stated: "The Goddard Space Flight Center ran a test on Relay today which indicated that the voltage had recovered somewhat. As a result, additional tests are being made to determine to what extent communications can be con ducted, if at all." Sick Transit 5A The US Navy's Transit 5A satellite, launched into orbit from Point Arguello on December 18, has been un successful in its primary navigational role because of a defect in its command receiver. Dr Richard Kershner of the Applied Physics Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University stated on December 19 that signals had been received from the satellite's transmitter but that attempts to transmit data to the satellite had failed. Black Brants Launched Two Black Brant 3^ sounding rockets were launched from Wallops Island on December 13 in joint US- Canadian experiments by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in co-operation with the Canadian Government. These experiments were part of a series of tests to determine vehicle flight-performance characteristics and to obtain engineering data on effectiveness of instrumentation. In each flight the 1001b pay- load carried a cosmic-ray sensor, a roll-rate magnetometer, and a new telemetry transmitter and related aerials. Non-launch from Arguello An attempt by the USAF to launch an unidentified satellite into orbit by Atlas Agena B from Point Arguel lo, California on December 17 was unsuccessful following a mal function shortly after lift-off. No details were disclosed. No Hurry According to a parliamentary reply on December 17, the Government expects to ratify the Convention establishing the f963°^ean ^^ ReSekrch Organization "about the middle of
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