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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 0718.PDF
FLIGHT International, 9 May 1963 SPACECRAFT LOG 14 February 1963 SYNCOM 1 1963-4 US National Aeronautics and Space Administration CAPE CANAVERAL Major objectives Place satellite in 24hr synchronous orbit; test new satellite attitude and period control concept, Syncom communications performance, and transportable ground facilities. Major results Near-synchronous orbit achieved. Communications tests not conducted due to failure to establish contact with satellite. Flight programme LAUNCH TIME 05.35 a.m. GMT. LAUNCH VEHICLE Delta 16. Stages: (1) Thor DM-21 booster of 172,0001b thrust; (2) Aerojet-General AJ10-118A liquid- propellant rocket with BTL radio guidance, 7,5001b thrust; (3) spin-stabilized Allegany Ballistics Laboratory X-248 solid-propellant rocket, 2,6701b thrust. LIFT-OFF WEIGHT 114,0001b. DIMENSIONS 87ft high, 8ft base diameter. PROGRAMME Place satellite in highly elliptical Earth orbit (perigee about 150 miles, apogee about 22,300 miles). At apogee fire additional rocket within spacecraft to achieve near-circular orbit. PROGRAMME RESULTS Objectives achieved. ORBITAL DATA perigee 21,375 miles inclination 33.2° apogee 22,823 miles period 23hr 45min velocity 6,898 m.p.h. (average) Payload and instrumentation DIMENSIONS 28in diameter, 15iin high. WEIGHT 1501b at separation from third stage; 861b after firing of apogee motor. SHAPE Cylindrical. INSTRUMENTATION TWO transponders, two command decoders. telemetry, attitude and orbit control systems. TRANSMITTERS TWO communications transmitters on 1,815 Mc/s; tracking beacon on 136Mc/s. POWER SUPPLY 3,840 solar cells, nickel cadmium batteries. Additional data Radio contact with satellite lost about 20sec after command given (10.42 a.m., February 14) to fire apogee motor; until this time all mission events had occurred normally. Satellite designed to transmit one two-way telephone conversation or about 16 one-way teletype circuits. Syncom communication experiments were to be conducted for NASA by ground stations of the US Army Satellite Communi cations Agency. Development and operational phases of the pro ject directed by Goddard Space Flight Center; design and con struction of spacecraft by Hughes Aircraft Co under NASA contract; ground communications equipment by Bendix under Department of Defense contract. Information source: NASA
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