FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1964
1964 - 2348.PDF
355/CHT International, 3 September 1964 oth upper stages have a diameter of 2m (78Jin). The German third stage (left) is assembled by electron-beam welding, as is the corrugated-wafer Vear skin at the base of the French second stage seen in the right-hand photograph First ELDO Programme June 5, 1964: success but premacure cutoff October 19, 1964: modified autopilot March 1965: last firing of Blue Streak alone August I96S: first Europa I, dummy upper stages Later 1965: dummy upper stages probably to separate 1965-66: upper stages definitely separate 1966: live upper stages, satellite into fow orbit 1966: satellite into low orbit • 1966: fully active test satellite Second ELOO Programme FIO" 1967: first operational satellite Other firings yet to be programmed rate-gyros of the guidance system for all three stages to be accurately located. Ultimately the control loop will be completed by linking up the feed-back from the guidance system to the thrust-chamber gimbal system. The European Launcher Development Organization is currently examining the second phase of its activities, which will begin with the first launch of an operational satellite in 1967. ELDO expresses complete confidence in requirements for production Europa 1 vehicles, and it is worth noting that, in addition to the requirements likely to be stated by the European Space Research Organization, Europa vehicles should also be needed to enable the European nations who will own 30.5 per cent of the eventual International communications-satellite organization to provide hardware for the same percentage of the firings. There is no reason to doubt that the Europa will be able to tender competitively for this work. EXPLORER 20 IN ORBIT Explorer 20, fourth satellite designed to investigate the ionosphere by sounding the region from above, was successfully launched into orbit by a NASA Scout rocket from Point Arguello on August 25. Previous topside sounders had comprised Explorer 8, Ariel 1 and Alouette 1. Weighing 971b, the spacecraft is 26in in maximum diameter and 32.5in high. Mounted at the top (see diagram right) is a ball- shaped ion mass spectrometer provided by University College, London, for the US Central Radio Propagation Laboratory at Boulder, Colorado. Scheduled to be extended after the satellite |was jn orbit were three sets of dipole aerials, one set measuring |122ft from tip to tip and the other two 62ft across. The spacecraft is equipped with six radar sets, a two-way com- munication system, a tracking beacon and a solar power system. Its primary job is to take radio soundings of the upper ionosphere at six fixed frequencies. The ion mass spectrometer is scheduled to gather data on ion concentration and temperature in the immediate vicinity of the satellite's orbit, to be correlated with the sounding information. A secondary objective is to obtain measurements of cosmic noise, using the same frequencies (1.5, 2.0, 2.85, 3.72, 5.47 and 7.22 Mc/s) as those employed for the sounding experiment. Electron measurements taken over all geomagnetic latitudes and during the full daily cycle are expected to provide information on (1) ionization diffusion in the F-2 region, (2) horizontal movements or irregularities in electron distribution in this region, (3) fluctua- tions caused by tidal movement, and (4) the mechanism or mech- anisms which produce ionospheric storms. Explorer 20, NASA's fixed-frequency ionospheric topside sounder satellite, was successfully placed in near-polar orbit at 620 miles by Scout from Point Arguello on August 25. A, telemetry aerial; 6, port for sounder aerial; C, ion probe (University College, London); D, spin rockets; E, attitude sensor; F, solar cells; G, structure base (separation plane)
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
