STS-51-G Credit - NASA

The Spartan (Shuttle Point Autonomous Research Tool for Astronomy) satellite was a reusable free-flying astronomical observatory which was deployed and then retrieved by the US Space Shuttle's Remote Manipulator System arm. The most often flow Spartan-201's main payload was the UVCS and WLC telescope package containing the SAO/Cambridge ultraviolet spectrometer and the HAO/Boulder white light coronagraph. Secondary equipment varied by mission - for example, the fifth flight had a target for the VGS laser, and sample plates to trap beryllium ions from the solar wind.

Typical orbit: 332 km circular orbit, 38.8 deg inclination. Mass: 1,195 kg (2,634 lb). Associated Launch Vehicle: Shuttle.

• 1985 June 17 - Spartan 1 - Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Vehicle: Shuttle. Mass: 1,008 kg (2,222 lb). Perigee: 359 km (223 mi). Apogee: 395 km (245 mi). Inclination: 28.50 deg. Period: 92.10 min.

  Released by STS 51G 20 June 1985, retrieved 22 June 1985.

• 1993 April 8 - Spartan 201 - Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Vehicle: Shuttle. Mass: 1,289 kg (2,841 lb). Perigee: 291 km (180 mi). Apogee: 298 km (185 mi). Inclination: 57.00 deg. Period: 90.40 min.

  Studied solar corona and galaxy; deployed from STS-56 4/11/93; Shuttle Point Autonomous Research Tool for Astronomy; retrieved 4/13/93.

• 1994 September 9 - Spartan 201 - Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Vehicle: Shuttle. Mass: 1,288 kg (2,839 lb). Perigee: 252 km (156 mi). Apogee: 265 km (164 mi). Inclination: 57.00 deg. Period: 89.68 min.

  Deployed from STS-64 9/13/94; retrieved 9/15/94; solar studies.

• 1995 February 3 - Spartan 204 - Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Vehicle: Shuttle. Perigee: 388 km (241 mi). Apogee: 389 km (241 mi). Inclination: 51.70 deg. Period: 92.30 min.

  Retrievable payload to observe galactic dust in far UV; deployed from STS 63 2/7/95, retrieved 2/9/95.

• 1995 September 7 - Spartan 201 - Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Vehicle: Shuttle. Perigee: 368 km (228 mi). Apogee: 376 km (233 mi). Inclination: 28.50 deg. Period: 92.00 min.

  Released by STS-69 9/8/95; retrieved 9/10/95; examined solar corona.

• 1996 May 19 - Spartan 207 - Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Vehicle: Shuttle. Perigee: 278 km (172 mi). Apogee: 288 km (178 mi). Inclination: 39.00 deg. Period: 90.20 min.

  LEO. Deployed from STS 77 on 5/20/96; retrieved 5/21/96; deployed IAEsatellite during free flight.

• 1997 November 19 - Spartan 201 - Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Vehicle: Shuttle. Perigee: 278 km (172 mi). Apogee: 284 km (176 mi). Inclination: 28.50 deg. Period: 90.10 min.

  Retrieved by OV-102 Nov 25

• 1998 October 29 - Spartan 201 - Program: STS. Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Vehicle: Shuttle. Perigee: 549 km (341 mi). Apogee: 560 km (340 mi). Inclination: 28.40 deg. Period: 95.74 min.

  Retrieved by Discovery November 3 1998.

• McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Report (Internet Newsletter), Harvard University, Weekly, 1989 to Present. Essential internet newsletter recording worldwide weekly space events. Accessed at: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.

• NASA Report, Spartan 201-05 to Fly on STS-95, . Accessed at: http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/gsfc/service/gallery/fact_sheets/spacesci/spartan.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!

• NASA Report, The Spartan Project Develops New Carriers, . Accessed at: http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/gsfc/service/gallery/fact_sheets/spacesci/spartanc.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!

• NASA Report, Spartan: Science with efficiency and simplicity, . Accessed at: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19900066877_1990066877.pdf. -right click to download pdfs!

• NASA GSFC Orbital Parameters, .

• Krebs, Gunter, Gunter's Space Page, University of Frankfurt, 1996. Accessed at: http://www.skyrocket.de/space.

• McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Home Page, Harvard University, 1997-present. Jonathan McDowell's complete on-line listing of all objects orbited and over 20,000 rocket launches Accessed at: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.

• USAF Satellite Database, USAF Institute of Technology, 1995. Accessed at: ftp://archive.afit.af.mil/pub/space/.

• JPL Mission and Spacecraft Library, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 1997. Accessed at: http://msl.jpl.nasa.gov/home.html.