Dodge Credit - USAF

The Navy's 195 kg DODGE (Department Of Defense Gravity Experiment) satellite had the primary mission to explore gravity gradient stabilization at near synchronous altitude. It was launched successfully from Cape Kennedy on July 1, 1967, aboard a Titan III-C rocket. DODGE carried ten booms that were radio commanded to extend or retract along 3 different axes. Data from in-orbit experiments provided fundamental constants for use in controlling future high-altitude spacecraft. DODGE also carries a number of commandable magnetic damping devices and two television cameras to determine satellite alignment. One of the cameras also provided the first color pictures of the full Earth. One month after launch the satellite had been successfully stabilized and the television cameras were working as expected. Prime Contractor was the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory,

Typical orbit: 33251 km x 33677 km at 12 degrees inclination. Mass: 102 kg (224 lb).

• 1967 July 1 - DODGE 1 - Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: LC41. Launch Vehicle: Titan. Mass: 102 kg (224 lb). Perigee: 33,257 km (20,664 mi). Apogee: 33,670 km (20,920 mi). Inclination: 12.00 deg. Period: 1,319.10 min.
  Gravity gradient experiments. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).