 | ATS-2
Credit - NASA
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Other Designations: Applications Technology Satellite. Class: Technology. Type: Communications. Destination: Geosynchronous Orbit. Nation: USA. Agency: NASA, NSF. Manufacturer: Hughes. ATS-2 was placed into an undesirable orbit due to a launch vehicle failure. Atmospheric torques in this orbit overcame the satellite's gravity gradient stabilization system, and caused a slow tumble. Although the satellite remained functional, the satellite was deactivated after six months due to the limited amount of data that could be received from the spacecraft. Spacecraft: Aluminum structure, drum solar array providing 125W BOL, 2 6 Ah NiCd batteries, gravity gradient stabilization. Payload: Meteorological experiments, C-band communications package
Design Life: 3 years. Typical orbit: Agena failure; 185 x 11177 km transfer orbit. Length: 1.80 m (5.90 ft). Maximum Diameter: 1.40 m (4.50 ft). Mass: 370 kg (810 lb).
ATS-2 Chronology - 1967 April 6 - ATS 2 - Program: ATS. Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: LC12. Launch Vehicle: Atlas. FAILURE: Partial Failure. Mass: 370 kg (810 lb). Perigee: 177 km (109 mi). Apogee: 11,119 km (6,909 mi). Inclination: 28.40 deg. Period: 218.80 min.
Launch vehicle failure left in useless orbit; communications tests.
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.
- Lockheed Martin Coporation, Atlas Family Fact Sheets, September 1998.. Web Address when accessed: http://www.lmco.com/ILS/txtmain/ils_lsysinfo.htm.
- McDowell, Jonathan, Launch Log, October 1998. Web Address when accessed: http://hea-www.harvard.edu/~jcm/space/log/launch.html.
- NASA Report,
- NASA Report, Satellite Auxiliary-Propulsion Selection Techniques. Applications of Selection Techniques To The Ats-H Satellite, Web Address when accessed: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19720026217_1972026217.pdf.
- NASA Report, Gravity Gradient Stabilization System For The Applications Technology Satellite Fourth Quarterly Progress Report, 1 Apr. - 30 Jun. 1965, Web Address when accessed: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19660015216_1966015216.pdf.
- NASA Report, Gravity Gradient Stabilization System For The Applications Technology Satellite Fifth Monthly Progress Report, 1-30 Nov. 1964, Web Address when accessed: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19660014219_1966014219.pdf.
- NASA Report, Gravity gradient stabilization system for the Applications Technology Satellite Eighth quarterly progress report, 1 Apr. - 30 Jun. 1966, Web Address when accessed: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19660027827_1966027827.pdf.
- NASA Report, Applications Technology Satellite Gravity Gradient Stabilization System Sixth Quarterly Progress Report, 1 Oct. - 31 Dec. 1965, Web Address when accessed: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19660010365_1966010365.pdf.
- NASA Report, Gravity Gradient Stabilization System For The Applications Technology Satellite Seventh Monthly Progress Report, 1-31 Jan. 1965, Web Address when accessed: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19660014218_1966014218.pdf.
- NASA Report, Gravity Gradient Stabilization System For The Applications Technology Satellite Eighth Monthly Progress Report, 1-28 Feb. 1965, Web Address when accessed: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19660014220_1966014220.pdf.
- NASA Report, Gravity Gradient Stabilization System For The Applications Technology Satellite Tenth Monthly Progress Report, 1-30 Apr. 1965, Web Address when accessed: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19660084594_1966084594.pdf.
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