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Transit
Transit
Transit
Credit: APL
Spin-stabilized Transit satellites were developed by the US Navy beginning in 1958 for the first operational navigation satellite system. Transit provided continuous navigation satellite service from 1964, initially for Polaris submarines and later for civilian use. The use of the satellites for navigation was discontinued at the end of 1996 (replaced by GPS/Navstar), but the seemingly-indestructible satellites continued transmitting and became the Navy Ionospheric Monitoring System (NIMS). 46 launches, 1959.09.17 (Transit 1A) to 1988.08.25 (Transit O-31). Navigation satellite built by Naval Avionics Facility (#1-3, 5, 7); Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) (#4, 6, 8-17); RCA (#18 - 32) for USN, USA. Launched 1964 - 1988. Used Transit-Bus, Gravity Stabilized.

AKA: Navy Navigation Satellite;NNS;Transat. Status: Operational 1959. First Launch: 1959-09-17. Last Launch: 1988-08-25. Number: 46 . Gross mass: 55 kg (121 lb). Height: 0.25 m (0.82 ft).

The program began with several experimental satellites that settled technical issues regarding key features of the operational design. Early Transits carried a variety of piggy-back payloads, many still classified. Following initial problems with production quality, Transit proved so reliable that individual satellites operated for over 10 years. The first run of production satellites was sufficient to keep the constellation operational for 32 years.

A Transit receiver used the known characteristics of the satellite's orbit, measured the Doppler shift of the satellite's radio signal, and thereby calculated the receiver's position on the earth. Technical breakthroughs during the program included gravity gradient stabilization, the use of radio-isotope thermoelectric generators (RTG), and navigation satellite technologies used in the later GPS series. The TRIAD satellite was launched in 1972 to test improvements.

The John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory designed all aspects of Transit, including the spacecraft, user equipment, and ground control system.

The original requirement was that Transit would be able to provide Polaris submarines equipped with silent passive navigation receivers positional accuracies of 0.1 nautical mile several times a day. As the system developed, the Navy upped the requirements, until the final system provided 0.042 nautical mile positional accuracy, available within four hours at any time, with timing accurate to within 200 milliseconds of absolute Universal Time.

APL made its first fifty-page proposal on Transit to the Navy in the spring of 1958. The Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) took over development and authorized APL in October 1958 to proceed with satellite and ground station design. Many initial challenges had to be faced. The Navy itself did not see the necessity for the accuracy requirements; initial assessments of available electronics reliability indicated that each satellite would be operational for only two weeks before failing. But Polaris program managers saw the absolute necessity for the system, and by May 1959 APL issued a program plan, divided into an ARPA-supervised experimental phase and a Navy operational phase. A few years later Transit became an integral part of the Fleet Ballistic Weapon System, and was managed by the Navy Strategic Systems Programs Office.

Richard B Kershner was the program manager at APL. He insisted on a KISS (keep it simple, stupid) approach to solving design problems and obtain a reliable system. He put dedicated subsystem managers in place and made them responsible for seeing out the entire development and production cycle. He also established a parts reliability group to establish and maintain one of the first lists of space-qualified component parts.

Five experimental Transits reached orbit between 13 April 1960 and 15 November 1961 . They proved navigation signal techniques, and settled the technical issue of gravity gradient versus magnetic torque techniques of satellite attitude control. Transit 4A and 4B explored the use of power generation by radioisotope nuclear generators as opposed to solar power on the other experimental satellites.

These were followed by operational prototypes. The Scout rocket was selected as the dedicated launch vehicle due to its low cost. However this meant that the mass of the operational Transits had to be reduced from 136 kg to 55 kg to allow for launch by the Scout. Furthermore, the all-solid rocket booster imposed a more difficult launch vibration environment on the satellite.

There were three series of operational prototypes to finalize other design choices. The Transit 5A and 5C-1 prototypes used solar power, and the 5BN series used nuclear power. The 5E series used solar power but instead of the navigation package had instruments to measure the Transit orbital environment. To accomplish this they were launched piggy-back with the 5B series using Thor Able-Star boosters.

After the failure of Transit 5BN-3 to achieve orbit, it was decided that operational satellites would be solar powered. Not only was the cost lower, but the need to obtain special approvals to launch each nuclear-powered satellite and the operational and publicity issues in case of a failure to orbit were unacceptable.

Operational ("Oscar") Transits closely followed the design of Transit 5C-1, except for the inclusion of hysteresis rods on the solar panels to dampen residual motion after despin in orbit. The first Oscars were built by the Naval Avionics Facility at Indianapolis. But by completion of Oscars 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 it was clear that NAFI was not able to meet the quality standards - Oscars 1, 2, 5, and 7 were orbited, but none operated more than a few weeks before failing. The Navy decided that APL would refurbish NAFI-built for Oscars 4, 6, 8, 9, and 10. The reworked satellites operated for 7 to 11 months in orbit. APL built Oscars 11 through 17 from scratch, and RCA was selected for further production. Oscar 12 represented the first satellite which incorporated all the lessons learned from earlier failures, and this and subsequent Transits operated from 14 to 20 years before failing.

When RCA received the production contract, the satellite lifetimes were expected to be 14 months. After RCA had completed Oscars 18 through 32, it was clear that the lifetime was actually in excess of 14 years. Therefore production ended. Unlaunched satellites were placed in gray containers - "the long gray line" - in long-term storage at RCA. Ten of these stored satellites proved sufficient to keep Transit operational for the rest of the century.

This remarkable fact was due to the basic satellite design, which allowed improvement of the on-board software. Transit navigational accuracy improved from 120 m in 1964 to 3 m in 1980, using the same basic satellites, largely through improvements in the earth geodesy model. In 1967 Transit signal information was released for public use. By the early 1970's low-cost receivers had been developed, and the system was adopted for oil platforms and supertankers. The cost of Transit receivers was eventually below $1,000.

A Transit Improvement Program (TIP) in 1969-1980 resulted in the Nova production satellite. This was more accurate than the basic Transit through use of rocket motors to correct orbital precession and atmospheric drag, but at a mass twice as much as Transit. Only two TIP and three Nova satellites were launched. These were radiation-hardened and could maintain accurate position fixes for months without ground updates - evidently intended to provide Transit navigation signals to ballistic missile submarines even after a nuclear exchange. But they did not replace Transit. Instead, the decision was taken to replenish the Transit constellation with the satellites that had been in storage for nearly 20 years. The first constellation replenishment launch was made in 1985. The Scout launch vehicle had been so improved that a single launch could put two Transits in orbit ("SOOS"- Stacked Oscars On Scout). Three subsequent dual constellation replenishment launches of Transits that had been stored for nearly 20 years were made in 1987-1989. This established the constellation for the rest of Transit's operational life - 12 satellites, with 7 or 8 operational, and the remaining serving as on-orbit spares.


More at: Transit.

Subtopics

Transit 1A, 1B Navigation satellite built by Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) for USN, USA. Launched 1959 - 1960.

Transit 2A, 2B Navigation satellite built by Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) for USN, USA. Launched 1960.

Transit 3A, 3B Navigation satellite built by Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) for USN, USA. Launched 1960 - 1961.

Transit 4A, 4B Navigation satellite built by Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) for USN, USA. Launched 1961.

Transit-5A 1, 2, 3 Navigation satellite built by Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) for USN, USA. Launched 1962 - 1963. Used Transit-Bus.

Transit-5BN 1, 2, 3 Navigation satellite built by Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) for USN, USA. Launched 1963 - 1964. Used Transit-Bus.

Transit-5E 1 Experimental satellite built by Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) for USN, USA. Launched 1963. Used Transit-Bus.

Transit-5E 3 Experimental satellite built by Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) for USN, USA. Launched 1963. Used Transit-Bus.

Transit-5E 2 Experimental satellite built by Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) for USN, USA. Launched 1964. Used Transit-Bus.

Transit-5C 1, 2 Navigation satellite built by Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) for USN, USA. Launched 1964. Used Transit-Bus.

Transit-5E 5 Experimental satellite built by Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) for USN, USA. Launched 1964. Used Transit-Bus.

LIDOS Geodetic-research satellite built by JHU/APL for USAF STP (Space Test Program), USA. Launched 1968. Used Transit-Bus.

SAS A (Uhuru) Null

Triad 1 (TIP 1, NNS) Null

SAS B Astronomy, X-Ray, Gamma satellite built by NASA GSFC for NASA, USA. Launched 1972. Used mod. Transit-Bus.

SAS C Astronomy, X-Ray, Gamma satellite built by Center for Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University for NASA, USA. Launched 1975. Used mod. Transit-Bus.

TIP 2, 3 (Triad, NNS) Null

Wideband (P76-5) Null

Transat (Transit-O 11, NNS 30110) Null

Nova (NNS) Null

Polar Bear (P87-1) Null

Transit-5E 4 Experimental satellite built by Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) for USN. Used Transit-Bus.

Family: Communications, Earth, Medium earth orbit, Navigation. Country: USA. Spacecraft: Transit, TIP. Launch Vehicles: Thor, Delta, Scout A, Thor Able, Thor Able II, Scout, Thor Ablestar, Scout X-3, Scout X-4, Scout B-1, Scout D-1, Scout A-1, Scout G-1, Scout D. Launch Sites: Cape Canaveral, Vandenberg, Cape Canaveral LC17B, Cape Canaveral LC17A, Vandenberg SLC2E, Vandenberg SLC2W, Vandenberg SLC5. Agency: APL, USN, USAF, DARPA, RCA. Bibliography: 126, 2, 279, 405, 4256, 4463, 6, 6994, 13290, 13291, 13292, 13293, 13294, 13295, 13296.
Photo Gallery

Transit OperationalTransit Operational
Credit: USN


Transit 2ATransit 2A
Credit: USN


LIDOSLIDOS
Credit: Manufacturer Image


Polar BearPolar Bear
Credit: Manufacturer Image


Explorer 53Explorer 53
Credit: Manufacturer Image


Transit 5ATransit 5A
Credit: Manufacturer Image


Transit-5BN 1Transit-5BN 1
Credit: Manufacturer Image


Transit 5C-1Transit 5C-1
Credit: Manufacturer Image


Transit-5E 1Transit-5E 1
Credit: Manufacturer Image


Transit-5E 2Transit-5E 2
Credit: Manufacturer Image


Transit-5E 3Transit-5E 3
Credit: Manufacturer Image


Transit-5E 5Transit-5E 5
Credit: Manufacturer Image


TransatTransat
Credit: Manufacturer Image


Transit O-18Transit O-18
Credit: Manufacturer Image


Transit 1ATransit 1A
Credit: Manufacturer Image


Transit 2ATransit 2A
Credit: Manufacturer Image


Transit 3ATransit 3A
Credit: Manufacturer Image


Transit 4ATransit 4A
Credit: Manufacturer Image


Lofti 1Lofti 1
Credit: Manufacturer Image



1958 September 4 - .
1959 February 20 - .
1959 September 17 - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able II. FAILURE: Third stage failed.. Failed Stage: 3.
1959 September 23 - . LV Family: Polaris, Titan, Atlas, Thor, Jupiter, .
1960 April 13 - . 12:02 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Thor Ablestar.
1960 June 22 - . 05:54 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Thor Ablestar.
1960 November 30 - . 19:50 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Thor Ablestar. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: 1.
1961 February 22 - . 03:45 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Thor Ablestar.
1961 June 29 - . 04:22 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Thor Ablestar.
1961 November 15 - . 22:19 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Thor Ablestar.
1962 December 19 - . 01:25 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC5. LV Family: Scout. Launch Vehicle: Scout X-3.
1963 April 5 - . 03:01 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC5. LV Family: Scout. Launch Vehicle: Scout X-3. FAILURE: Failure.. Failed Stage: U.
1963 June 16 - . 01:49 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC5. LV Family: Scout. Launch Vehicle: Scout X-3.
1963 September 28 - . 20:22 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Thor Ablestar.
1963 December 5 - . 21:51 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Thor Ablestar.
1964 April 21 - . 18:50 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Thor Ablestar. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: U.
1964 June 4 - . 03:50 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC5. LV Family: Scout. Launch Vehicle: Scout X-4.
1964 October 6 - . 17:04 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2W. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Thor Ablestar.
1964 December 13 - . 00:08 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2W. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Thor Ablestar.
1965 March 11 - . 13:39 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Thor Ablestar.
1965 June 24 - . 22:35 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Thor Ablestar.
1965 August 13 - . 22:11 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Thor Ablestar.
1965 December 22 - . 04:33 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC5. LV Family: Scout. Launch Vehicle: Scout A.
1966 January 28 - . 17:06 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC5. LV Family: Scout. Launch Vehicle: Scout A.
1966 March 26 - . 03:31 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC5. LV Family: Scout. Launch Vehicle: Scout A.
1966 May 19 - . 02:27 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC5. LV Family: Scout. Launch Vehicle: Scout A.
1966 August 18 - . 02:25 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC5. LV Family: Scout. Launch Vehicle: Scout A.
1967 April 14 - . 03:25 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC5. LV Family: Scout. Launch Vehicle: Scout A.
1967 May 18 - . 09:05 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC5. LV Family: Scout. Launch Vehicle: Scout A.
1967 September 25 - . 08:25 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC5. LV Family: Scout. Launch Vehicle: Scout A.
1968 March 2 - . 03:55 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC5. LV Family: Scout. Launch Vehicle: Scout A.
1970 August 27 - . 13:23 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC5. LV Family: Scout. Launch Vehicle: Scout A.
1972 September 2 - . 17:50 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC5. LV Family: Scout. Launch Vehicle: Scout B-1.
1973 October 30 - . 00:37 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC5. LV Family: Scout. Launch Vehicle: Scout A-1.
1975 October 12 - . 06:39 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC5. LV Family: Scout. Launch Vehicle: Scout D-1.
1976 September 1 - . 21:14 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC5. LV Family: Scout. Launch Vehicle: Scout D-1.
1977 October 28 - . 04:52 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC5. LV Family: Scout. Launch Vehicle: Scout D-1.
1981 May 15 - . 06:07 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC5. LV Family: Scout. Launch Vehicle: Scout G-1.
1983 June 27 - . 15:37 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC5. LV Family: Scout. Launch Vehicle: Scout D-1.
1984 October 12 - . 01:43 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC5. LV Family: Scout. Launch Vehicle: Scout G-1.
1985 August 3 - . 03:31 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC5. LV Family: Scout. Launch Vehicle: Scout G-1.
1986 November 14 - . 00:23 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC5. LV Family: Scout. Launch Vehicle: Scout G-1.
1987 September 16 - . 19:22 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC5. LV Family: Scout. Launch Vehicle: Scout G-1.
1988 April 26 - . 01:57 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC5. LV Family: Scout. Launch Vehicle: Scout G-1.
1988 June 16 - . 06:54 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC5. LV Family: Scout. Launch Vehicle: Scout G-1.
1988 August 25 - . 06:59 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC5. LV Family: Scout. Launch Vehicle: Scout G-1.

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