 Explorer (56) (DADE-A) satellite | |
| Names | DADE-A Dual Air Density Explorer-A DADE-B Dual Air Density Explorer-B |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Earth science |
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1975-DADE-A |
| Mission duration | Failed to orbit |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Explorer LVI |
| Spacecraft type | Dual Air Density Explorer |
| Bus | DADE |
| Manufacturer | Langley Research Center |
| Launch mass | 40 kg (88 lb) |
| Power | Solar cells andbatteries |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 6 December 1975, 03:35:01UTC[1] |
| Rocket | Scout F-1 (S-196C) |
| Launch site | Vandenberg,SLC-5 |
| Contractor | Vought |
| End of mission | |
| Deactivated | Failed to orbit |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit (planned) |
| Regime | Polar orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 350 km (220 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 350 km (220 mi) |
| Inclination | 90.10° |
| Period | 90.00 minutes |
| Instruments | |
| Atmospheric Composition Mass Spectrometer Atmospheric Drag Density | |
Dual Air Density Explorer was a set of 2 satellites,DADE-A andDADE-B, developed as part ofNASA'sExplorer program. DADE-A and DADE-B were launched on 6 December 1975 at 03:35:01UTC,[1] by aScout F-1launch vehicle fromSpace Launch Complex 5,Vandenberg Air Force Base,California. The launch of the DADE satellites failed.[2][3]
The Dual Air Density Explorer-A (DADE-A) satellite was a 76 cm (30 in) rigid sphere designed to determine, in conjunction with Dual Air Density Explorer-B (DADE-B), the vertical structure of theupper thermosphere and thelower exosphere as a function oflatitude,season, andlocal solar time. Both satellites would have been launched by a single Scout launch vehicle into coplanar polar orbits. Measurements ofatmospheric density from DADE-A would have been obtained from satellite drag analyses nearperigee (approximately 350 km (220 mi)) and from composition measurements taken by an onboardmass spectrometer. DADE-A was equipped with aradio beacon to facilitate tracking.[2]
The mass spectrometer experiment on DADE-A was designed to perform composition measurements in the upper thermosphere (approximately 350 km (220 mi)). The instrument was a magnetic massspectrometer with a Mattauch-Herzog geometry and would have measured the distribution of such atmospheric constituents asoxygen,nitrogen,helium,hydrogen,neon andargon.[4]
The atmospheric drag density experiment on DADE-A was designed to provide indirect measurements of upper thermospheric density near satellite perigee (approximately 350 km (220 mi)). The experiment had no unique onboard hardware. The density values would have been derived from sequential observations of the satellite's position. The experiment would have yielded systematic values of atmospheric density as a function of latitude, season, and local solar time.[5]
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