FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1967
1967 - 0038.PDF
The first complete photomosaic to show the world's weather was composed of 450 photographs taken by Tiros 9 during 12 orbits on February I 1965. Prominent is the appearance of a depression in mid-Atlantic Spaceflight NEW LEASE FOR PEGASUS The three Pegasus meteoroid technology satellites have operated so successfully that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has decided to extend their operational life- times to include further experiments. Pegasus 1, the first, was launched* on February 16, 1965, by the eighth in a series of ten successful Saturn I vehicles. Pegasus 2 followed on May 27 of that year, and Pegasus 3 on July 30. The orbits range in altitude from 310 n.m. to 450 n.m. All were scheduled to operate for 18 months, and now a programme has been developed to use them for a further 12 months. They will continue to provide data on meteoroids, thermal measurements and radiation detection, but the main purpose of the extension is to gather information which will permit a study of the behaviour and reliability of spacecraft systems and components over long periods in an actual space environment. Extensive tests of Pegasus materials and systems were con- ducted before the three satellites were launched, and the results of these tests, together with data from orbit, will allow very accurate life and deterioration information to be established. Two other aspects of research will be pursued as secondary objectives during the next 12 months. The first will be an attempt to get a better definition of meteor showers by search- ing for fluctuations in the count rate on a yearly basis. Also, since the satellite's tumbling rates have decreased, some information on the directional distribution of meteoroids may be available (the initially large tumbling rates made it difficult to establish the direction of incidence of meteoroids). Secondly, it will be possible to acquire better measurements of the Earth's heat balance and to examine in greater detail the fine structure of the radiation belt around the Earth. Data reception by Marshall Space Flight Center from all three satellites adds up to a total period of more than four years. Each satellite has a rectangular system of meteoroid detec- tion panels having an overall span of about 96ft with 208 panels which are actually two-sided capacitors recording meteoroid penetrations from both sides. Each capacitor is a sheet of aluminium alloy bonded to a trilaminate Mylar sheet, the back of which is coated with vapour-deposited copper, and each pair of panels is separated by a foam plastic core. The panels expose about 2,000 sq ft of meteoroid detection surface on each satellite. The gauge of the aluminium sheets varies, the thinnest being 1.5 mils, the next being 8 mils and the heaviest being 16 mils. (1 mil=0.001in.) A voltage difference is maintained between the aluminium sheet and copper coating of each panel. When a particle pene- trates the panel the impact creates a plasma, or cloud of ionised gas, between the two surfaces. The plasma, before it dissipates, discharges the capacitor panel for a fraction of a second and the momentary discharge is recorded as a "blip" which is translated into digital information and then trans- mitted to Earth upon command. The capacitor is recharge almost immediately by the spacecraft power supply. Although some detector panels became inoperative afts receiving several hits, a total of 1,427 events were counted i the telemetry that had been reduced by October 25. Of thes counts, 312 took place in the 16 mil panels, 61 in the 8 mi panels, and 1,054 in 1.5 mil panels. It is estimated that ther are 1,302 holes in the 16 mil panels, 526 holes in the 8 mi panels, and 2,221 holes in the 1.5 mil panels, or a total o 4,049 holes. The findings have eliminated many of the uncertainties ii meteoroid environment and penetration estimates and ha« provided a basis for realistically estimating the amount a meteoroid protection needed for future missions. APOLLO CREWS NAMED The names of the crew members for the second and thinl manned Apollo flights have been announced by NASA. Both flights are scheduled for 1967, but NASA has not yet specified dates. The crew for the second flight, Apollo-Saturn 205/208, will be James McDivitt, commander; David Scott, command module pilot; and Russell Schweickart, lunar module pilot. Two uprated Saturn Is will be used for this test, the first to launcl the crew and Apollo spacecraft into Earth orbit and the second to inject the LEM (lunar excursion module) into the same orbit. The spacecraft will rendezvous and dock with the module, after which McDivitt and Schweickart will transfer to the latter through an airlock tunnel. After a series of tests. and manoeuvres they will return to the command module for re-entry and landing. This will be the first manned space test for the lunar excursion module. Apart from the double launch- ing (necessary because of the lower performance of Saturn I) the manoeuvres will be identical with those planned for the lunar landing flight. The third flight, AS 503, will employ Saturn V for the first time in a manned test to launch the entire Apollo spacecraft- including command and service modules and lunar module- into a low Earth orbit. The crew will be Frank Borman, com mander; Michael Collins, command module pilot; and William Anders, lunar module pilot. The flight will be a simulation (in Earth orbit with a 4,000 mile apogee) of the lunar landing mission, and events will be conducted in the same sequence and at the same relative times. Launch dates will depend on the success of other Apollo trials, including the first manned flight AS 204, which wilt take place in February and could last up to 14 days. Cosmos 137 Launched On December 21 the Soviet news agency Tass reported the launching of Cosmos 137, but date was given. The spacecraft carries scientific equipment f°r research, a telemetry system for data transmission and a radio system for the precise measurement of orbit. The initial orbital elements are: period, 104.3min; apogee, 1,720km. perigee, 230km; and inclination, 48.8°.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
