Explorer 36
Explorer 36 (also called GEOS 2 or GEOS B, acronym to Geodetic Earth Orbiting Satellite) was a U.S. satellite launched as part of the Explorers program, being the second of the two satellites GEOS. Explorer 36 was launched on January 11, 1968 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, with Delta rocket.
| Mission type | Earth science |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1968-002A[1] |
| SATCAT no. | 3093 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Applied Physics Laboratory[2] |
| Launch mass | 469 kg (1,034 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | January 11, 1968, 16:16:10 UTC[3][4] |
| Rocket | Delta-E1 454/D56 |
| Launch site | Vandenberg SLC-2E |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Eccentricity | 0.03615[1] |
| Perigee altitude | 1,082 kilometers (672 mi)[1] |
| Apogee altitude | 1,570 kilometers (980 mi)[1] |
| Inclination | 105.8°[1] |
| Period | 112.2 minutes[1] |
| Epoch | 11 January 1968[1] |
Explorer 36 was a gravity-gradient-stabilized, solar cell powered spacecraft that carried electronic and geodetic instrumentation. The geodetic instrumentation systems included:
- Optical Beacon System
- Radio Doppler System
- SECOR Range Transponder
- Radio Range/Rate System
- C-Band Radar Transponder
- NASA Minitrack System
- Precipitating Electron Detector
- Magnetometer
- Laser Tracking Reflector
Non-geodetic systems included a laser detector and a Minitrack interferometer beacon. The objectives of the spacecraft were to optimize optical station visibility periods and to provide complementary data for inclination-dependent terms established by the Explorer 29 (GEOS 1) gravimetric studies. The spacecraft was placed into a retrograde orbit to accomplish these objectives. Operational problems occurred in the main power system, optical beacon flash system, and the spacecraft clock, and adjustments in scheduling resulted in nominal operations.[1]
See also
References
- "GEOS". NSSDCA. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. - "GEOS". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Mark Wade. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
- McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
- Antonín Vítek, Lubor Lejček (17 January 2012). "1968-002A - Explorer 36". Space 40 (in Czech). Retrieved 17 June 2018.
External links
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