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Small Explorer
A series of relatively low-cost satellites launched by NASA for solar and astronomical studies.
Country:
USA.
Spacecraft:
SAMPEX,
FAST,
TRACE,
SWAS.
Launch Vehicles:
Scout G-1,
Pegasus XL.
Launch Sites:
Vandenberg,
Point Arguello WADZ.
Agency:
NASA Greenbelt.
1992 July 3 - .
14:19 GMT - .
Launch Site:
Vandenberg.
Launch Complex:
Vandenberg SLC5.
LV Family:
Scout.
Launch Vehicle:
Scout G-1.
- SAMPEX - .
Mass: 158 kg (348 lb). Nation: USA.
Agency: NASA Greenbelt.
Program: Small Explorer.
Class: Earth.
Type: Magnetosphere satellite. Spacecraft: SAMPEX.
Decay Date: 2012-11-13 . USAF Sat Cat: 22012 . COSPAR: 1992-038A. Apogee: 670 km (410 mi). Perigee: 506 km (314 mi). Inclination: 81.70 deg. Period: 96.50 min. First Small Explorer mission; Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer. Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B)..
1996 August 21 - .
09:47 GMT - .
Launch Site:
Point Arguello.
Launch Complex:
Point Arguello WADZ.
Launch Pad: Aircraft from Vandenberg..
Launch Platform: L-1011.
LV Family:
Pegasus.
Launch Vehicle:
Pegasus XL.
- FAST - .
Nation: USA.
Agency: NASA Greenbelt.
Program: Small Explorer.
Class: Earth.
Type: Magnetosphere satellite. Spacecraft: FAST.
USAF Sat Cat: 24285 . COSPAR: 1996-049A. Apogee: 4,163 km (2,586 mi). Perigee: 353 km (219 mi). Inclination: 83.00 deg. Period: 132.70 min. Second Small Explorer mission. Air dropped in Point Arguello WADZ..
1998 April 2 - .
02:42 GMT - .
Launch Site:
Point Arguello.
Launch Complex:
Point Arguello WADZ.
Launch Pad: Aircraft from Vandenberg..
Launch Platform: L-1011.
LV Family:
Pegasus.
Launch Vehicle:
Pegasus XL.
- TRACE - .
Nation: USA.
Agency: NASA Greenbelt.
Program: Small Explorer.
Class: Astronomy.
Type: Solar satellite. Spacecraft: TRACE.
USAF Sat Cat: 25280 . COSPAR: 1998-020A. Apogee: 652 km (405 mi). Perigee: 602 km (374 mi). Inclination: 97.80 deg. Period: 97.10 min.
NASA's third Small Explorer, the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE), was successfully launched by an Orbital Pegasus XL. The L-1011 carrier aircraft took off from Vandenberg and dropped the Pegasus over the Pacific Ocean. TRACE, a project led by Lockheed's solar physics group, carried a 30-cm extreme ultraviolet imaging telescope which will study the Sun. The telescope mirrors were made by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. TRACE had an 8.5 arcmin field of view and 1 arcsecond resolution. Air dropped in Point Arguello WADZ.
1998 December 6 - .
00:57 GMT - .
Launch Site:
Point Arguello.
Launch Complex:
Point Arguello WADZ.
Launch Pad: Aircraft from Vandenberg..
Launch Platform: L-1011.
LV Family:
Pegasus.
Launch Vehicle:
Pegasus XL.
- SWAS - .
Nation: USA.
Agency: NASA Greenbelt.
Program: Small Explorer.
Class: Astronomy.
Type: X-ray astronomy satellite. Spacecraft: SWAS.
USAF Sat Cat: 25560 . COSPAR: 1998-071A. Apogee: 611 km (379 mi). Perigee: 599 km (372 mi). Inclination: 69.90 deg. Period: 96.80 min.
On December 3 the Orbital Sciences L-1011 Stargazer took off from Vandenberg AFB Runway 30/12 carrying a Pegasus XL launch vehicle with the SWAS satellite aboard. It reached the drop box at 36.0N 123.0W over the Pacific, but due to a software-related problem the range ordered the launch scrubbed and the L-1011 returned to base. After a further delay due to weather, the L-1011 took off at 23:58 GMT on December 5 and SWAS reached orbit and separated from the third stage at 01:09 GMT. SWAS, the Sub-millimetre Wave Astronomy Satellite, had a 0.6m telescope with a 490 to 550 GHz sub-millimetre receiver and an acousto-optical spectrometer. SWAS was used to study the cooling of molecular cloud cores, the sites of star formation in our galaxy, by measuring lines from molecular oxygen and water. Air dropped in Point Arguello WADZ.
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