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APL 1963-038C
Credit - USAF

Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere. Destination: Medium Earth Orbit. Nation: USA. Agency: U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy. Manufacturer: APL.

Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory built several satellites for the Air Force in the 1960's.

The missions of Satellite 1963-038C were to measure omnidirectional flux of protons and electrons at various energy levels, radiation effects on transistors, and the effectiveness of thermal coatings. The satellite was launched together with a classified Department of Defense spacecraft on September 28, 1963. Its orbit was apogee 1120 kilometers, perigee 1070 kilometers, inclination 88.9 degrees. The satellite weighed 62 kg; its body was in the shape of an 0.46 m x 0.25 m octagonal prism. It was powered by four solar blades and transmitted on 136, 162, and 324 mcs. The spacecraft was built for the Bureau of Naval Weapons. In 1967 it was still sending usable data from all systems.

Typical orbit: 1041 km x 1099 km at 90 degrees inclination. Mass: 64 kg (141 lb).

Bibliography:

McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Home Page (launch records), Harvard University, 1997-present. Web Address when accessed: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.
JPL Mission and Spacecraft Library, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 1997. Web Address when accessed: http://msl.jpl.nasa.gov/home.html.
Aerospace Yearbook, 1966,

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© Mark Wade, 1997 - 2008 except where otherwise noted.

APL 1964-083C
Credit- USAF