SOLRAD 4

SOLRAD 4
	SOLRAD 4 satellite
Names	GRAB 3; SOLar RADiation 4; SR 4; GREB 3
Mission type	Solar X-Rays
Operator	United States Naval Research Laboratory (USNRL)
COSPAR ID	1962-F02 (SR4GREB)
Mission duration	Failed to orbit
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	SOLRAD
Manufacturer	Naval Research Laboratory (NRL)
Launch mass	25 kg (55 lb)
Dimensions	51 cm (20 in)
Start of mission
Launch date	24 January 1962, 09:30 GMT
Rocket	Thor-Ablestar
Launch site	Cape Canaveral, LC-17B
Contractor	Douglas Aircraft Company
End of mission
Decay date	Failed to orbit
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit (planned)
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Perigee altitude	930 km
Apogee altitude	930 km
Inclination	66.80°
Period	103.00 minutes
	SOLRAD ← SOLRAD 3 SOLRAD 4B → GRAB ← GRAB 2 (5th GRAB mission) →

Last updated May 04, 2023

SOLRAD (SOLar RADiation) 4 was a solar X-rays, ultraviolet, and electronic surveillance satellite. Developed by the United States Navy's United States Naval Research Laboratory (USNRL), it was the fourth in both the SOLRAD and the GRAB (Galactic Radiation and Background) programs.

The satellite was to be orbited along with ionospheric study satellite LOFTI-2, the United States Army's range calibration satellite SECOR, Navy surveillance calibration satellite Surcal, and the University of Iowa's Van Allen radiation belts-studying Injun 2 satellite. This unprecedented five-in-one mission, called "Composite 1" and "Buckshot", ended in failure on 24 January 1962 after its Thor-Ablestar's second stage failed to deliver the payloads to orbit.

Background

The United States Navy's United States Naval Research Laboratory (USNRL) established itself as a player early in the Space Race with the development and management of Project Vanguard (1956–1959),^[1] America's first satellite program. After Vanguard, the Navy's next major goal was to use the observational high ground of Earth's orbit to survey Soviet radar locations and frequencies. This first space surveillance project was called "GRAB", later expanded into the more innocuous backronym, Galactic Radiation And Background.^[2] As American space launches were not classified until late 1961,^[3]^[4] a cover mission sharing the satellite bus was desired to conceal GRAB's electronic surveillance mission from its intended targets.^[2]

The field of solar astronomy provided such cover. Since the invention of the rocket, astronomers had wanted to fly instruments above the atmosphere to get a better look at the Sun. The Earth's atmosphere blocks large sections of sunlight's electromagnetic spectrum, making it impossible to study the Sun's X-ray and ultraviolet output from the ground. Without this critical information, it was difficult to model the Sun's internal processes, which in turn inhibited stellar astronomy in general.^[5]^: 5–6 On a more practical level, it was believed that solar flares directly affected the Earth's thermosphere, disrupting radio communications. The U.S. Navy wanted to know when its communications were going to become unreliable or compromised.^[2] Sounding rockets had shown that solar output was unpredictable and fluctuated rapidly. A long-term, real-time observation platform above the Earth's atmosphere – in other words, a satellite – was required to properly chart the Sun's radiation, determine its effects on the Earth, and correlate it with ground-based observations of the Sun in other wavelengths of light.^[5]^: 63

Thus, the SOLRAD project was conceived to address several NRL goals at once:

to make the first long-term continuous observations of the sun in ultraviolet and X-ray light, and to correlate these measurements with ground-based observations.^[5]^: 64–65
to evaluate the level of hazard posed by ultraviolet and X-ray radiation.^[6]
to better understand the effect of solar activity (including solar flares) on radio communications.^[7]^[8]
to cheaply and efficiently produce a satellite for the GRAB surveillance mission by using a proven design.^[2]
to obscure the GRAB mission under a scientific cover.^[2]

SOLRAD 4 had two successful predecessors in SOLRAD 1 and SOLRAD 3, both of which made significant contributions to the understanding of ultraviolet and X-ray astronomy in the previous two years,^[5]^: 64–68 and which returned an abundance of intelligence on Soviet air defense radar installations.^[9]

Spacecraft

Like its predecessors, SOLRAD 4 was roughly spherical, modeled on the Vanguard satellite (which also had been developed by the United States Naval Research Laboratory), and included both the scientific SOLRAD and the electronic surveillance GRAB packages within the same satellite. Mass of 25 kg,^[10] the fourth in the SOLRAD series was more heavily instrumented than prior SOLRADS. Instead of one X-ray photometer, like SOLRAD 1 and SOLRAD 2, or two, like SOLRAD 3, it carried four X-ray photometers, allowing it to detect more intense and higher energy X-rays. Three of the photometers were shielded against Van Allen radiation belts (which could spoil results) by magnets, as had been done on earlier missions. The fourth was protected by a beryllium shield. It was hoped that SOLRAD 4 would not only conduct basic research into solar X-ray astronomy, but also determine the hazard hard X-rays posed to astronauts and satellites.^[11]

Another point of difference between SOLRAD 4 and its predecessors was its four Lyman-alpha detectors.^[11] Used for measuring ultraviolet radiation, two such detectors had been included on SOLRAD 1 and SOLRAD 2 to determine the impact of solar ultraviolet on radio reception.^[12] None had been measured, and the detectors had been deleted from SOLRAD 3. They were reinstated on SOLRAD 4 not for solar study, but for night-time measurement to see if ambient Lyman-alpha radiation constituted a threat to astronauts and satellites.^[11]

Mission

On 24 January 1962 at 09:30 GMT,^[13] SOLRAD 4 was launched via Thor-Ablestar ^[10] from Cape Canaveral LC-17B ^[13] along with ionospheric study satellite LOFTI 2, the United States Army's range calibration satellite SECOR, Navy surveillance calibration satellite SURCAL, and the University of Iowa's Van Allen radiation belts-studying Injun 2 satellite. This unprecedented five-in-one mission, called "Composite 1" and "Buckshot", ended in failure: the Thor first stage performed properly, but the Ablestar second stage developed insufficient velocity to attain orbit. While the exact cause was not immediately known, there were indications that the Ablestar had not separated cleanly from the Thor stage, instead tumbling end over end.^[14] The estimated cost of the lost rocket and payload was US$3.5 million.^[15]

Legacy

The SOLRAD/GRAB series flew once more (unsuccessfully), finishing with the SOLRAD 4B mission launched 26 April 1962.^[2] In 1962, all U.S. overhead reconnaissance projects were consolidated under the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), which elected to continue and expand the GRAB mission starting July 1962 ^[16] with a next-generation set of satellites, code-named POPPY.^[10] With the initiation of POPPY, SOLRAD experiments would no longer be carried on electronic spy satellites; rather, they would now get their own satellites, launched alongside POPPY missions to provide some measure of mission cover.^[13] Starting with SOLRAD 8, launched in November 1965, the final five SOLRAD satellites were scientific satellites launched singly, three of which were also given NASA Explorer program numbers. The last in this final series of SOLRAD satellites flew in 1976. In all, there were thirteen operational satellites in the SOLRAD series.^[2] The GRAB program was declassified in 1998.^[9]

Related Research Articles

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Galactic Radiation and Background (GRAB) was the first successful United States orbital surveillance program, comprising a series of five Naval Research Laboratory electronic surveillance and solar astronomy satellites, launched from 1960 to 1962. Though only two of the five satellites made it into orbit, they returned a wealth of information on Soviet air defense radar capabilities as well as useful astronomical observations of the Sun.

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SOLRAD 4B was a solar X-ray, ultraviolet, and electronic surveillance satellite. Developed by the United States Navy's United States Naval Research Laboratory, it was the fifth in both the SOLRAD and the GRAB programs.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">OSCAR 3</span> Amateur radio satellite

OSCAR 3 is the third amateur radio satellite launched by Project OSCAR into Low Earth Orbit. OSCAR 3 was launched March 9, 1965 by a Thor-DM21 Agena D launcher from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Lompoc, California. The satellite, massing 15 kg (33 lb), was launched piggyback with seven United States Air Force satellites. Though the satellite's active life was limited to sixteen days due to battery failure, OSCAR 3 relayed 176 messages from 98 stations in North America and Europe during its 274 orbit life-time -- the first amateur satellite to relay signals from Earth. As of 2023, it is still in orbit.

The SOLRAD 8,Explorer 30 or SE-A satellite was one of the NASA SOLRAD program that began in 1960 to provide continuous coverage of solar radiation with a set of standard photometers. SOLRAD 8 was a spin-stabilized satellite oriented with its spin axis perpendicular to the sun-satellite line so that the 14 solar X-ray and ultraviolet photometers pointing radially outward from its equatorial belt viewed the sun on each revolution. Data were transmitted in real time by means of an FM / AM the satellite's telemetry system and were recorded by the stations on the Spacecraft Tracking and Data Acquisition Network (STADAN) tracking network.

Vanguard TV-5, also called Vanguard Test Vehicle-Five, was a failed flight of the American Vanguard rocket following the successful launch of Vanguard 1 on Vanguard TV-4. Vanguard TV-5 launched on 29 April 1958 at 02:53:00 GMT, from Launch Complex 18A at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The rocket was unsuccessful in its attempt to place an unnamed satellite into orbit.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">SOLRAD 9</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">SOLRAD 3</span> U.S. solar X-ray and surveillance satellite

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SOLRAD 6 was the sixth solar X-ray monitoring satellite in the United States Navy's SOLRAD series, the third in the series to successfully orbit. It was launched along with POPPY 2, an ELINT surveillance package, as well as three other satellites, boosted into orbit via a Thor Augmented Delta-Agena D rocket on June 15, 1963.

SOLRAD 7B was the eighth solar X-Ray monitoring satellite in the SOLRAD series and the fifth to successfully orbit the Earth. It was launched via Thor Augmented Delta-Agena D along with seven other satellites on March 9, 1965. The satellite provided continuous coverage of the Sun during the International Quiet Solar Year from March through October 1965.

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References

↑ Constance Green and Milton Lomask (1970). Vanguard a History. NASA. ISBN 978-1-97353-209-5. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 American Astronautical Society (23 August 2010). Space Exploration and Humanity: A Historical Encyclopedia; in 2 volumes; A Historical Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. pp. 300–303. ISBN 978-1-85109-519-3.
↑ Day, Dwayne A.; Logsdon, John M.; Latell, Brian (1998). Eye in the Sky: The Story of the Corona Spy Satellites. Washington and London: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 176. ISBN 978-1-56098-830-4.
↑ "Space Science and Exploration". Collier's Encyclopedia. New York: Crowell-Collier Publishing Company. 1964. OCLC 1032873498.
1 2 3 4 Significant Achievements in Solar Physics 1958–1964. NASA. 1966. OCLC 860060668. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
↑ ""Bonus" Payload Set for Transit 2A Orbit". Aviation Week and Space Technology. McGraw Hill Publishing Company. 20 June 1960. Archived from the original on 9 January 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
↑ Committee on the Navy's Needs in Space for Providing Future Capabilities, Naval Studies Board, Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences, National Research Council of the National Academies (2005). "Chapter 8". Navy's Needs in Space for Providing Future Capabilities. The National Academies Press. p. 157. doi:10.17226/11299. ISBN 978-0-309-18120-4. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2019.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
↑ Parry, Daniel (2 October 2011). "NRL Center for Space Technology Reaches Century Mark in Orbiting Spacecraft Launches". U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2019. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
1 2 LePage, Andrew. "Vintage Micro: The First ELINT Satellites". Drew Ex Machina. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
1 2 3 "History of the Poppy Satellite System" (PDF). NRO. 14 August 2006. Retrieved 15 January 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
1 2 3 "Navy Plans to Launch Quintuple Satellite". Aviation Week and Space Technology. McGraw Hill Publishing Company. 15 January 1962. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
↑ "Transit, Two Small Satellites Work Despite Malfunction". Aviation Week and Space Technology. McGraw Hill Publishing Company. 10 July 1961. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
1 2 3 McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathon's Space Report. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
↑ "Composite Launch Attempt Fails". Aviation Week and Space Technology. McGraw Hill Publishing Company. 29 January 1962. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
↑ "5-in-1 Rocket Takes Off, Fizzles Out". Salt Lake Tribune. 25 January 1964. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
↑ "Review and Redaction Guide" (PDF). National Reconnaissance Office. 2008. Retrieved 15 January 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .

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[Vanguard-1] Constance Green and Milton Lomask (1970). Vanguard a History. NASA. ISBN 978-1-97353-209-5. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .

[Society2010-2] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 American Astronautical Society (23 August 2010). Space Exploration and Humanity: A Historical Encyclopedia; in 2 volumes; A Historical Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. pp. 300–303. ISBN 978-1-85109-519-3.

[eye-3] Day, Dwayne A.; Logsdon, John M.; Latell, Brian (1998). Eye in the Sky: The Story of the Corona Spy Satellites. Washington and London: Smithsonian Institution Press. p. 176. ISBN 978-1-56098-830-4.

[collier-4] "Space Science and Exploration". Collier's Encyclopedia. New York: Crowell-Collier Publishing Company. 1964. OCLC 1032873498.

[SP100-5] 1 2 3 4 Significant Achievements in Solar Physics 1958–1964. NASA. 1966. OCLC 860060668. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .

[avweek1960a-6] ""Bonus" Payload Set for Transit 2A Orbit". Aviation Week and Space Technology. McGraw Hill Publishing Company. 20 June 1960. Archived from the original on 9 January 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2019.

[NAP-7] Committee on the Navy's Needs in Space for Providing Future Capabilities, Naval Studies Board, Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences, National Research Council of the National Academies (2005). "Chapter 8". Navy's Needs in Space for Providing Future Capabilities. The National Academies Press. p. 157. doi:10.17226/11299. ISBN 978-0-309-18120-4. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2019.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[Century-8] Parry, Daniel (2 October 2011). "NRL Center for Space Technology Reaches Century Mark in Orbiting Spacecraft Launches". U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2019. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .

[drew-9] 1 2 LePage, Andrew. "Vintage Micro: The First ELINT Satellites". Drew Ex Machina. Retrieved 18 January 2019.

[NRO_Poppy_hist-10] 1 2 3 "History of the Poppy Satellite System" (PDF). NRO. 14 August 2006. Retrieved 15 January 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .

[avweek1962a-11] 1 2 3 "Navy Plans to Launch Quintuple Satellite". Aviation Week and Space Technology. McGraw Hill Publishing Company. 15 January 1962. Retrieved 15 January 2019.

[avweek1961-12] "Transit, Two Small Satellites Work Despite Malfunction". Aviation Week and Space Technology. McGraw Hill Publishing Company. 10 July 1961. Retrieved 8 January 2019.

[log-13] 1 2 3 McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathon's Space Report. Retrieved 15 January 2021.

[avweek1962b-14] "Composite Launch Attempt Fails". Aviation Week and Space Technology. McGraw Hill Publishing Company. 29 January 1962. Retrieved 15 January 2019.

[sltribune640125-15] "5-in-1 Rocket Takes Off, Fizzles Out". Salt Lake Tribune. 25 January 1964. Retrieved 15 January 2021.

[25th-16] "Review and Redaction Guide" (PDF). National Reconnaissance Office. 2008. Retrieved 15 January 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .

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