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Polar Bear

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AKA: Polar Beacon Experiment & Auroral Research;P87-1. Status: Operational 1986. First Launch: 1986-11-14. Gross mass: 125 kg (275 lb). Height: 1.30 m (4.20 ft).

Polar Beacon and Research satellite. The data from the mission complemented data taken by its predecessor, HILAT. The core vehicle was a Transit navigational satellite that was retrieved from the Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum where it had been on display for 8 years. Spacecraft: Gravity gradient stabilized by deployable boom with tip mass.4 small deployable solar arrays. Payload: Auroral Imaging Remote Sensor imaged the aurora borealis; Beacon Experiment monitored ionospheric propagation over the poles.