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Encyclopedia > Explorer 6

Explorer VI
Explorer 1
Organization:
Major Contractors:
Mission Type: Earth Science
Satellite of: Earth
Launch: August 7, 1959 at 14:23:00 UTC
Launch Vehicle: Thor-Able
Decay:
Mission Duration: 60 days
Mass: 64.4 kg
NSSDC ID: 1959-004A
Webpage: [1] (http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/database/MasterCatalog?sc=1959-004A)
Orbital elements
Semimajor Axis:
Eccentricity: .758847
Inclination: 47°
Orbital Period: 754 minutes
Apogee: 41,900 km
Perigee: 237 km
Orbits:
Instruments


Explorer 6 was a US satellite launched on August 7, 1959.


Explorer 6 was a small, spheroidal satellite designed to study trapped radiation of various energies, galactic cosmic rays, geomagnetism, radio propagation in the upper atmosphere, and the flux of micrometeorites. It also tested a scanning device designed for photographing the earth's cloud cover. The satellite was launched into a highly elliptical orbit with an initial local time of apogee of 2100 h. The satellite was spin stabilized at 2.8 rps, with the direction of the spin axis having a right ascension of 217 deg and a declination of 23 deg. Four solar cell paddles mounted near its equator recharged the storage batteries while in orbit. Each experiment except the television scanner had two outputs, digital and analog. A UHF transmitter was used for the digital telemetry and the TV signal. Two VHF transmitters were used to transmit the analog signal. The VHF transmitters were operated continuously. The UHF transmitter was operated for only a few hours each day. Only three of the solar cell paddles fully erected, and this occurred during spin up rather than prior to spin up as planned. Consequently, initial operation of the payload power supply was 63% nominal, and this decreased with time. The decreased power caused a lower signal-to-noise ratio affecting most of the data, especially near apogee. One VHF transmitter failed on September 11, 1959, and the last contact with the payload was made on October 6, 1959, at which time the solar cell charging current had fallen below that required to maintain the satellite equipment. A total of 827 h of analog and 23 h of digital data was obtained.


See also

External links




Previous Mission:
Explorer 5
Explorer program Next Mission:
Explorer 7

  Results from FactBites:
 
Explorer 6 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (298 words)
Explorer 6 was a US satellite launched on August 7, 1959.
Explorer 6 was a small, spheroidal satellite designed to study trapped radiation of various energies, galactic cosmic rays, geomagnetism, radio propagation in the upper atmosphere, and the flux of micrometeorites.
One VHF transmitter failed on September 11, 1959, and the last contact with the payload was made on October 6, 1959, at which time the solar cell charging current had fallen below that required to maintain the satellite equipment.
Internet Explorer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (2148 words)
Internet Explorer is the most widely used web browser today, although since 2004 it has lost some usage share to other browsers.
Internet Explorer 3 was the first major browser with CSS support, and it could handle the PICS system for content metadata.
The new version of Internet Explorer is intended to defend users from phishing as well as deceptive or malicious software, and will include important bug fixes and some enhancements to better support the web standards.
  More results at FactBites »

 

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