RE: Passive Balloon satellites

From: Jos Heyman (josheyman@hotmail.com)
Date: Tue May 10 2005 - 18:08:02 EDT

  • Next message: Jos Heyman: "RE: Passive Balloon satellites"

    Hi all
    
    This is what I got on 'inflatables':
    
    Name:		Explorer-9
    Country:	USA
    Launch date:	16 February 1961
    Re entry:	9 April 1964
    Launch site:	Wallops Island
    Launch vehicle:	Scout X 1
    Orbit:		634 x 2583 km, inclination: 38.9 degrees
    
    The objective of Explorer-9, also known as S-56A, was to determine the 
    density of the Earth's atmosphere by measuring the air drag on the 
    satellite. The satellite itself had a mass of 6.8 kg and consisted of a 3.66 
    m inflatable mylar polyester sphere with an aluminium coating. Attached to 
    this was a transmitter which broke down during the first orbit. The 
    satellite was tracked optically and by radar and from this data the 
    scientific measurements were made.
    
    Name:		Explorer-19
    Country:	USA
    Launch date:	19 December 1963
    Re entry:	10 May 1981
    Launch site:	Vandenberg
    Launch vehicle:	Scout X 4
    Orbit:		590 x 2394 km, inclination: 78.6 degrees
    
    The 8 kg satellite was a 3.50 m diameter balloon similar to Explorer-9. It 
    assisted in air density measurements in the polar regions and temperature 
    measurements at various latitudes. The satellite had no instrumentation and 
    was to be tracked. A tracking beacon failed to operate and all tracking was 
    done visually, providing long term atmospheric density data and data on 
    density changes caused by solar disturbances.
    
    Name:		Explorer-24
    Country:	USA
    Launch date:	21 November 1964
    Re entry:	18 October 1968
    Launch site:	Vandenberg
    Launch vehicle:	Scout X 4
    Orbit:		525 x 2498 km, inclination: 81.4 degrees
    
    The 9 kg Explorer-24 satellite was a 3.65 m diameter balloon with a tracking 
    transmitter used to study the density of the atmosphere.
    
    Name:		Explorer-39
    Country:	USA
    Launch date:	8 August 1968
    Re entry:	22 June 1981
    Launch site:	Vandenberg
    Launch vehicle:	Scout B
    Orbit:		670 x 2538 km, inclination: 80.7degrees
    
    Explorer-39 or the Air Density Explorer (AD E) investigated the density and 
    temperature of the atmosphere at intermediate latitudes. It also measured 
    the particle flux and energy and conducted observations in conjunction with 
    Explorer-40.
    The satellite was a 3.60 m mylar balloon inflated with nitrogen gas and 
    painted with a polka dot pattern. The balloon was tracked optically and was 
    also fitted with a radio beacon. It had a mass of 9.5 kg.
    
    Name:		Bluebell
    Country:	USA
    Launch date:	15 February 1966
    Re entry:	16 February 1966
    Launch site:	Vandenberg
    Launch vehicle:	Atlas Agena D
    Orbit:		115 x 253 km, inclination: 96.5 degrees
    
    The first Bluebell payload was a 2.44 m long and 0.30 m diameter inflatable 
    cylinder with a mass of 8.7 kg. The satellite was tracked to determine the 
    atmospheric density encountered in the orbit. Also known as Ops-3011.
    
    Name:		Bluebell
    Country:	USA
    Launch date:	15 February 1966
    Re entry:	22 February 1966
    Launch site:	Vandenberg
    Launch vehicle:	Atlas Agena D
    Orbit:		149 x 267 km, inclination: 96.5 degrees
    
    The second Bluebell payload was a 0.30 m diameter inflatable sphere with a 
    mass of 4.1 kg. The satellite was tracked to determine the atmospheric 
    density encountered in the orbit. Also known as Ops-3031.
    
    Name:		Pageos
    Country:	USA
    Launch date:	23 June 1966
    Re entry:	?
    Launch site:	Vandenberg
    Launch vehicle:	TAT Agena D
    Orbit:		4207 x 4271 km, inclination: 87.1 degrees
    
    
    The 57 kg Passive Geodetic Satellite (Pageos) consisted of a 30 m diameter 
    balloon of aluminised sun reflecting material which was photographed against 
    a cloudless night sky in geodetic experiments.
    The satellite carried no instruments and the balloon has since 
    disintegrated.
    
    Name:		Mylar Balloon
    Country:	USA
    Launch date:	7 August 1971
    Re entry:	11 June 1972
    Launch site:	Vandenberg
    Launch vehicle:	Atlas F
    Orbit:		777 x 914 km, inclination: 87.6 degrees
    
    Mylar Balloon was a 2.13 m balloon ejected by OV1 21 (1971 067B) and was 
    also known as AVL 802. It had a mass of 0.8 kg and was used in aerodynamic 
    studies to measure the ballistic coefficient of spheres and the change in 
    this coefficient with the changing altitude.
    
    Name:		Echo-1
    Country:	USA
    Launch date:	12 August 1960
    Re entry:	24 May 1968
    Launch site:	Cape Canaveral
    Launch vehicle:	Delta DM19
    Orbit:		1524 x 1684 km, inclination: 47.2 degrees
    
    Echo-1 was a 75.9 kg, 25 m diameter sphere made of 82 tapered segments of 
    mylar polyester film coated with a layer of aluminum. The sphere, once 
    deployed in orbit, provided a passive communications means by bouncing 
    radiowaves of the reflective surface.
    After initial taped messages from Goldstone (California) to Holmdel (New 
    Jersey), the first two way communication took place on 13 August 1960 
    between Cedar Rapids (Iowa) and Richardson (Texas). Also the first pictures 
    were transmitted between the same stations on 19 August 1960.
    
    Name:		Echo-2
    Country:	USA
    Launch date:	25 January 1964
    Re entry:	7 June 1969
    Launch site:	Vandenberg
    Launch vehicle:	Thor Agena B
    Orbit:		1029 x 1316 km, inclination: 81.5 degrees
    
    The 248 kg Echo 2 was a passive communications satellite consisting of a 46 
    m diameter reflective mylar balloon. The satellite was used for joint 
    experimental communications with the USSR proving that the use of passive 
    satellites was unsuitable for communications due to the lack of 
    amplification and the uncontrollable drift of the satellite. The upper stage 
    of the launch vehicle carried a television camera which recorded the 
    deployment of the balloon.
    
    
    This excludes launch failures and sub-orbitals.
    
    Jos Heyman
    
    
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