Thor-Agena

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Thor Agena B with Discoverer 37 on launch pad (Jan. 13 1962).jpg
A Thor-Agena launch vehicle, ready to launch the Discoverer 37 (KH-3) spacecraft, 13 January 1962
Function Expendable launch system
Country of originUnited States
Size
HeightThor-Agena A: 28 m (92 ft)
Thor-Agena B: 31 m (102 ft)
Thor-Agena D: 31 m (102 ft)
Diameter2.44 m (8 ft 0 in)
MassThor-Agena A: 53,130 kg (117,130 lb)
Thor-Agena B: 56,507 kg (124,577 lb)
Thor-Agena D: 56,507 kg (124,577 lb)
Stages2
Launch history
StatusRetired
Launch sites Vandenberg Air Force Base
Total launches145
First flight21 January 1959
Last flight17 January 1968

Thor-Agena was a series of orbital launch vehicles. [1] The launch vehicles used the Douglas-built Thor first stage and the Lockheed-built Agena second stages. They are thus cousins of the more-famous Thor-Deltas, which founded the Delta rocket family. The first attempted launch of a Thor-Agena was in January 1959. The first successful launch was on 28 February 1959, launching Discoverer 1 . It was the first two-stage launch vehicle to place a satellite into orbit.

Contents

Missions

Among other uses, the clandestine CORONA program used Thor-Agena from June 1959 until January 1968 to launch United States military reconnaissance satellites operated by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). During this program, Thor-Agena launch vehicles were used in 145 launch attempts, [2] now known to have been part of satellite surveillance programs.

Also, Alouette 1, Canada's first satellite, was launched on a Thor-Agena B.

1963 Mystery Cloud

On 28 February 1963, a Thor-Agena launch vehicle carrying a spy satellite into orbit was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base. The launch vehicle went off course and mission control detonated the launch vehicle at an altitude of 44 km (27 mi) before it could reach orbit. The launch vehicle detonation produced a large circular cloud that appeared over the southwestern United States. Due to its mysterious nature, appearing at a very high altitude and being visible for hundreds of miles, the cloud attracted widespread attention and was published by the news media. The cloud was featured on the cover of Science Magazine in April 1963, Weatherwise Magazine in May 1963, and had a full page image published in the May issue of Life Magazine . [3] [4] Prof. James MacDonald at the University of Arizona Institute for Atmospheric Physics investigated the phenomena and linked it to the Thor launch vehicle launch after contacting military personnel at Vandenberg Air Force Base. When the launch records were later declassified, the United States Air Force released a memo explaining that the cloud was the result of a military operation. [5] [6]

Versions

Thor-Agena A: [7]

Thor-Agena B: [9] [10]

Thor-Agena D: [11] [12]

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FTV-1126, also known as Corona 9034A, was an American area survey optical reconnaissance satellite launched in 1962. It was a KH-5 Argon satellite, based on an Agena-B. It was also unofficially known as Discoverer 41, a continuation of the designation sequence used for previous US reconnaissance satellites, which had officially been discontinued after Discoverer 38. It was the first KH-5 satellite to complete its mission successfully.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Discoverer 22</span> Reconnaissance satellite

Discoverer 22, also known as Corona 9015, was an American optical reconnaissance satellite which was lost in a launch failure in 1961. It was the fourth of ten Corona KH-2 satellites, based on the Agena-B.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Discoverer 26</span> Reconnaissance satellite

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Discoverer 29, also known as Corona 9023, was an American optical reconnaissance satellite which was launched in 1961. It was the first KH-3 Corona''' satellite, which was based on an Agena-B rocket.

Discoverer 31, also known as Corona 9024, was an American optical reconnaissance satellite which was launched in 1961. It was a KH-3 Corona''' satellite, based on an Agena-B.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Discoverer 33</span> Reconnaissance satellite

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Discoverer 35</span> Reconnaissance satellite

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Discoverer 4</span> American reconnaissance satellite

Discoverer 4, also known as Corona 9001, was an American optical reconnaissance satellite launched on 25 Jun 1959 at 22:47:45 GMT, the first of ten operational flights of the Corona KH-1 spy satellite series, and the first satellite to be equipped for photo surveillance. The satellite was not successfully orbited. Its loss spurred improvements of its rocket booster to ensure the success of subsequent missions.

References

  1. Krebs, Gunter D. "Thor Agena". Gunter's Space Page.
  2. Day, Dwayne; Logsdon, John; Latell, Brian (1998). Eye in the Sky: The Story of the Corona Spy Satellites. Smithsonian Institution Press. pp. 236–245. ISBN   9781560987734. OCLC   36783934.
  3. MacDonald, James (19 April 1963). "Stratospheric Cloud Over Northern Arizona". Science Magazine. Vol. 140, no. 3564. pp. 292–294. doi:10.1126/science.140.3564.292.b.
  4. "Mystery Cloud". Life Magazine . 14 May 1963. p. 73.
  5. Jackson, Jeff G. (26 January 1995), 30th Space Wing History, Vandenberg AFB, California: Department of the Air Force, pp. 1–2
  6. MacDonald, James (15 June 1963). "Cloud Ring In The Upper Stratosphere" (PDF). Weatherwise. pp. 99–148.
  7. Gunter D., Gunter D. "Thor-DM18 Agena-A". Gunter's Space Page.
  8. "Display: Discoverer-14 1960-010A". NASA. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  9. Krebs, Gunter D. "Thor-DM21 Agena-B". Gunter's Space Page.
  10. Krebs, Gunter D. "Thor-SLV2A Agena-B". Gunter's Space Page.
  11. Krebs, Gunter D. "Thor-SLV2A Agena-D". Gunter's Space Page.
  12. Krebs, Gunter D. "Thor-DM21 Agena-D". Gunter's Space Page.