Transit 3B

Last updated
Transit 3B
Transit-3B.jpg
Transit 3B before launch
Mission typeTechnology
Navigation
Geodesy
Operator US Navy
Harvard designation1961 Eta 1
COSPAR ID 1961-007A OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
SATCAT no. 87
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer APL
Launch mass113 kilograms (249 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date22 February 1961 (1961-02-22)
Rocket Thor DM-21 Ablestar 313/AB-007
Launch site Cape Canaveral LC-17B
End of mission
Decay date30 March 1961
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Low Earth
Perigee altitude 167 kilometers (104 mi)
Apogee altitude 1,002 kilometers (623 mi)
Inclination 28.3 degrees
Period 96.4 minutes
Epoch 21 February 1961, 22:50:00 UTC [1]
 

Transit 3B was an American satellite which was launched in 1961 and operated by the United States Navy. [2] It was a replacement for Transit 3A, which was lost in a launch failure the previous year. It carried instruments to demonstrate navigation and timing systems, and study geodesy to support the development of the Transit satellite navigation system. [3]

The launch of Transit 3B was conducted at 03:45 UTC on 22 February 1961, using a Thor DM-21 Ablestar rocket flying from Launch Complex 17B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. [4] The LOFTI-1 satellite was launched aboard the same rocket. The rocket and upper stage used had the serial numbers Thor 313 and Ablestar 007 respectively. The launch resulted in a partial failure, with the spacecraft being placed in a more eccentric orbit than planned, and failing to separate from the upper stage. [3]

Transit 3B was a 113-kilogram (249 lb) spacecraft, which was powered by 6,600 solar cells charging a nickel-cadmium battery. It ended up in a low Earth orbit with a perigee of 167 kilometres (104 mi), an apogee of 1,002 kilometres (623 mi), and 28.3 degrees of inclination. It had an orbital period of 96.4 minutes. Due to the low perigee of its orbit, Transit 3B decayed quickly, and reentered the atmosphere on 30 March 1961, less than 37 days after launch. [5] Despite being in the wrong orbit and operating for less time than had been planned, some useful data was returned from the mission. [3]

The systems demonstrated by Transit 3B included a digital clock to control timing signals, uploading programs into the onboard computer's memory whilst in orbit, data retention and FM encoding, and the use of phase modulation for data transmission without affecting the satellite's Doppler signal. The satellite's computer had a memory capacity of 48 bytes. [6]

Related Research Articles

Thor was a US space launch vehicle derived from the PGM-17 Thor intermediate-range ballistic missile. The Thor rocket was the first member of the Delta rocket family of space launch vehicles. The last launch of a direct derivative of the Thor missile occurred in 2018 as the first stage of the final Delta II.

Kosmos 70, also known as DS-A1 No.7 was a technology demonstration satellite which was launched by the Soviet Union in 1965 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. Its primary mission was to demonstrate technologies for future Soviet military satellites. It also conducted radiation experiments.

Kosmos 36, also known as DS-P1-Yu #1 was a satellite which was used for use in calibrating the Dnestr space surveillance and as a radar calibration target, for tests of anti-ballistic missiles. It was launched by the Soviet Union in 1964 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau.

Kosmos 76, also known as DS-P1-Yu No.3 was a Soviet satellite which was used as a radar calibration target for tests of anti-ballistic missiles. It was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and launched in 1965 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme.

Kosmos 123, also known as DS-P1-Yu No.5 was a Soviet satellite which was used as a radar calibration target for tests of anti-ballistic missiles. It was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and launched in 1966 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme.

Kosmos 93, also known as DS-U2-V No.1, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1965 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 305 kilograms (672 lb) spacecraft, which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used to conduct classified technology development experiments for the Soviet armed forces.

Kosmos 95, also known as DS-U2-V No.2, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1965 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. The spacecraft weighed 325 kilograms (717 lb), and was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Office, and was used to conduct classified technology development experiments for the Soviet armed forces.

OPS 3762, also known as FTV-2355, was an American reconnaissance satellite which was launched in 1964. It was the first radar imaging satellite to be launched, and the only Quill spacecraft to fly. Its mission was to demonstrate radar imaging techniques for future missions. However, the programme was cancelled before any more satellites were launched.

Discoverer 23, also known as KH-5 9016A, was a USAF photographic reconnaissance satellite under the supervision of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) which was launched in 1961. It was a KH-5 ARGON satellite, based on an Agena-B. It was the second KH-5 mission to be launched, and the second to end in failure.

Discoverer 21, also known as RM-2, was an American satellite which was launched in 1961. It was a technology demonstration spacecraft, based on an Agena-B.

Discoverer 19, also known as RM-1, was an American satellite which was launched in 1960. It was a technology demonstration spacecraft, based on an Agena-B.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LOFTI-1</span>

LOFTI-1 was an American satellite which was launched in 1961 and operated by the United States Navy and Naval Research Laboratory. It was used to conduct research into the propagation of very low frequency radio signals in the ionosphere, and to investigate if these signals could be received by submarines. A 136.17 MHz transmitter was used for this investigation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pegasus 1</span> American satellite

Pegasus 1 or I, known before launch as Pegasus A, was an American satellite which was launched in 1965 to study micrometeoroid impacts in low Earth orbit. It was the first of three Pegasus satellites to be launched. The Pegasus spacecraft were manufactured by Fairchild Hiller, and operated by NASA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pegasus 2</span> American satellite

Pegasus 2 or Pegasus II, known before launch as Pegasus B was an American satellite which was launched in 1965 to study micrometeoroid impacts in Low Earth orbit. It was the second of three Pegasus satellites to be launched, following the launch of Pegasus 1 three months earlier. The Pegasus spacecraft were manufactured by Fairchild Hiller, and operated by NASA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TD-1A</span>

TD-1A, or Thor-Delta 1A, was a European astrophysical research satellite which was launched in 1972. Operated by the European Space Research Organisation, TD-1A made astronomical surveys primarily in the ultraviolet, but also using x-ray and gamma ray detectors.

Kosmos 32 or Zenit-2 No.18 was a Soviet, first generation, low resolution, optical film-return reconnaissance satellite which was launched in 1964. A Zenit-2 spacecraft, Kosmos 32 was the eighteenth of eighty-one such satellites to be launched and had a mass of 4,730 kilograms (10,430 lb).

Kosmos 33 or Zenit-2 No.20 was a Soviet, first generation, low resolution, optical film-return reconnaissance satellite launched in 1964. A Zenit-2 spacecraft, Kosmos 33 was the nineteenth of eighty-one such satellites to be launched and had a mass of 4,730 kilograms (10,430 lb).

Kosmos 35 or Zenit-2 No.21 was a Soviet, first generation, low resolution, optical film-return reconnaissance satellite launched in 1964. A Zenit-2 spacecraft, Kosmos 35 was the twentieth of eighty-one such satellites to be launched and had a mass of 4,730 kilograms (10,430 lb).

Kosmos 68 or Zenit-2 No.29 was a Soviet, first generation, low resolution, optical film-return reconnaissance satellite launched in 1965. A Zenit-2 spacecraft, Kosmos 68 was the twenty-eighth of eighty-one such satellites to be launched and had a mass of 4,730 kilograms (10,430 lb).

Kosmos 107 or Zenit-2 No.34 was a Soviet, first generation, low resolution, optical film-return reconnaissance satellite launched in 1966. A Zenit-2 spacecraft, Kosmos 107 was the thirty-fifth of eighty-one such satellites to be launched and had a mass of 4,730 kilograms (10,430 lb).

References

  1. "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Trajectory Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2018-05-02.
  2. "Transit 3B". NSSDC Master Catalog. NASA . Retrieved 3 July 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 Krebs, Gunter. "Transit-3". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
  4. McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
  5. McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
  6. Wade, Mark. "Transit". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on June 24, 2002. Retrieved 3 July 2010.