Alouette 1 was Canada's first satellite, and the first satellite operated by a country other than the USSR or the United States. Occasionally, Alouette I is misrepresented as the third satellite successfully put in orbit, rather than being from the third country ever to do so, but numerous Sputnik and Explorer program missions preceded it. The name "Alouette" came from the French "skylark" and from the title of a popular French-Canadian folk song, Alouette. Sputnik 1 The Sputnik program was a series of unmanned space missions launched by the Soviet Union in the late 1950s to demonstrate the viability of artificial satellites. ... The Explorer program was the United Statess first successful attempt to launch an artificial satellite . ... For other uses, see Lark (disambiguation). ... Canadiens redirects here. ... Image:Alouette (french song). ...

History

Satellite launch and mission progress

Alouette 1 was launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from the Pacific Missile Range from Vandenberg AFB, California at 06:05 UTC on September 29, 1962, into orbit around the earth. Alouette was used to study the ionosphere, an area of the upper atmosphere where many future satellites would be placed in orbit. Alouette's mission lasted for 10 years before the unit was deliberately switched off. The mission's Canadian director, John Herbert Chapman and Chief Electrical Engineer, Colin A. Franklin both achieved a modicum of success.As of January 2006, Alouette-1 remains in orbit and some of those pioneers suggest there is a slim chance it might turn on if the right signals were transmitted. NASA Logo Listen to this article · (info) This audio file was created from the revision dated 2005-09-01, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ... The Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) at Barking Sands, Kauai, is the worlds largest instrumented, multi-dimensional testing and training range. ... Vandenberg Air Force Base is a base with a spaceport, located in Santa Barbara County, California. ... “UTC” redirects here. ... is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Relationship of the atmosphere and ionosphere The ionosphere is the uppermost part of the atmosphere, distinguished because it is ionized by solar radiation. ... For other uses, please see Satellite (disambiguation) A satellite is an object that orbits another object (known as its primary). ... John Herbert Chapman John Herbert Chapman (August 8, 1921 - September 28, 1979) from London, Ontario, son of Lt. ... Colin A. Franklin, C.M., Ph. ... 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Duplicate construction

Two satellites were built for redundancy in case of a malfunction; if the first unit failed, the second could be launched with only a couple of months delay. It took 3½ years after Alouette's proposal to have it developed and built. The mechanical frame was made in Downsview (de Havilland Canada), that building is now the Toronto Aerospace Museum. The satellite S27-2 (Prototype) S27-3 (Which became the flight bird) and S27-4 (which became the backup), was assembled by Defense Telecommunications Establishment Electronics Lab in Ottawa. The batteries used for Alouette were developed by another branch of DRB and responsible for the long lifetime of the satellite. The antennas used were the first of the STEM antennas used in space and at launch were the longest (125 foot tip to tip). (Al Bingham S27-3 Electronics Technologist) When completed Alouette weighed 145 kg (320 lb) and was launched from a Thor Agena-B two-stage rocket. Alouette 1's backup was later launched as Alouette 2 in 1965 to 'replace' the older Alouette 1. The de Havilland Canada company was an innovative aircraft manufacturer with facilities based in what is now the Downsview area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ... A Thor Agena, ready to launch the SERT-2 (Space Electric Rocket Test-2) spacecraft, February 4, 1970 Thor-Agena was a series of orbital launch vehicles. ... This article is about vehicles powered by rocket engines. ... Alouette 2 was launched on November 29, 1965. ...

Legacy

• The Alouette 1 is featured on the Amory Adventure Award.

The Amory Adventure Award is the highest award in the Canadian Venturer program. ...

External links

• 1962-049A also known as 1962-Beta-Alpha-1 entry at NSSDC
• CSA Allouette Site
• Canada's Digital Collections government website - About Alouette
• CBC Digital Archives - Launching the Digital Age: Canadian Satellites
• Article on satellite development based on interviews with original research engineers.