 | |
| Names | TOS-D |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Weather |
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1967-114A |
| SATCATno. | S03035 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Launch mass | 145 kg (320 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | November 10, 1967, 18:00 UTCGMT |
| Rocket | Delta |
| Launch site | Vandenberg Air Force Base |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Eccentricity | 0.00498 |
| Perigee altitude | 1,410 km (880 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 1,488 km (925 mi) |
| Inclination | 102.12° |
| Period | 114.82 minutes |
ESSA program | |
ESSA 6 (orTOS-D) was a spin-stabilized operational meteorological satellite.[1] Its name was derived from that of its oversight agency, theEnvironmental Science Services Administration (ESSA).
ESSA 6 had a mass of 299 kilograms (659 lb) at the time of launch.
The satellite's electrical power was supplied by about 10,000 1x2 cmsolar cells on the cover and 21nickel-cadmium batteries.
Two redundant wide-angle APT (Automatic Picture Transmission) cameras, mounted on opposite sides and perpendicular to the spin axis, captured images. This subsystem was a camera-transmitter setup, designed to transmit real-time daylight images of cloud cover to ground stations. It included two 2.54-cmvidicon cameras with 108°F/1.8 lenses, mounted 180° apart. Each orbit, the cameras captured four or eight images, with picture taking lasting 8 seconds and transmission 200 seconds. The 800-line images were transmitted at 137.5 MHz to local APT stations, with reticle marks on the images to assist with geographical alignment. Each picture covered a 3100 x 3100 km area with 4 km resolution atnadir, with a 30% overlap to ensure complete coverage.[2]
The base featured crossed-dipole antennas for command reception, while amonopole antenna provided telemetry (136.500 MHz) and tracking (136.770 MHz) from the top.
Spin rate was regulated to 10.9 rpm using a Magnetic Attitude Spin Coil (MASC), which interacted withEarth's magnetic field to maintain a stable spin axis normal to the orbital plane, within ±1 degree.[1]
ESSA 6 was launched on November 10, 1967, at 18:00UTC, atop aDelta rocket fromVandenberg Air Force Base,California, USA.
ESSA 6 had an inclination of 102.12°, and orbited the Earth once every 114.8 minutes. Itsperigee was 1,410 kilometers (880 mi) and itsapogee was 1,488 kilometers (925 mi).[3]
The satellite performed normally after launch.
The APT camera system was successful, operating nearly continuously until November 4, 1969 when the spacecraft was deactivated.[2]
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromESSA 6.National Aeronautics and Space Administration. RetrievedJune 4, 2018.
TIROS satellites | ||
|---|---|---|
| TIROS |  | |
| TOS | ||
| ITOS | ||
| TIROS-N | ||
| Adv. TIROS-N | ||
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