A-105

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Mission emblem
Emblem of the Apollo program
Mission dates
Mission: A-105 (Saturn SA-10)
COSPAR-ID : 1965-060A
Launcher: Saturn I
serial number SA-10
Begin: July 30, 1965
12:58:00  UTC
Starting place: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
LC-37B
Landing: August 4. 1969
burns up
Flight duration: 1,466 days
Earth orbits: approx. 22,152
Apogee : 567 km
Perigee : 535 km
Covered track: 912 million km
◄ Before / After ►
A-104 AS-201

The mission A-105 (also Pegasus 3 called) was the third of three flights as part of the Apollo program of NASA that took an active research satellite into space. A two-stage Saturn I with a dummy of the Apollo spacecraft transported the satellite Pegasus 3 into a near-earth orbit (LEO). The mission differed only slightly from A-103 and A-104 .

aims

The task of the Pegasus missions was to research the frequency of micrometeorites of the order of magnitude from 1.E-7 to 1.E-4 g in near-Earth space. Demonstration of the iterative control mode of the missile and further tests of the control nozzles. Evaluation of the functions of Apollo and Saturn, as well as the Apollo rescue rocket .

construction

Pegasus satellite

Active Launch Escape System (LES) : Functional rescue rocket with a height of 4.70 m. Escape tower, a 3.05 m high support structure for the rescue rocket.

Apollo dummy (BP-9), the lifelike model (called boilerplate) weighed 4,600 kg and consisted of the command module (CM): a conical aluminum construction with a base diameter of 3.91 m and 3.56 m in height and the service module (SM): an aluminum construction, which also served as the payload fairing for the satellite, was mounted on the instrument unit of the second stage by means of an adapter section. As with A-104, prototype control nozzles (RCS) were used.

The Pegasus satellite was firmly attached to the second stage, measured 5.28 × 2.13 × 2.41 meters and weighed 1,805 kg. The central unit comprised the electronics, sensors, solar panels and the mechanics for unfolding the two extendable detector surfaces. These were 29.3 meters long, 4.3 meters wide and registered the micrometeorite impact.

preparation

The steps were delivered to the Kennedy Space Center between May 8 and June 1, 1965 and installed on Launch Complex 37B . There were no significant complications.

Flight history

Start of the A-105 mission

The launch took place on July 30, 1965 at 12:58:00  UTC . After the first stage had been disconnected and the second had ignited, the LES was also disconnected as planned by the rescue missile engines.

10 minutes and 42 seconds after launch, the missile slewed into orbit. The unit, consisting of Apollo, Pegasus, adapter, instrument unit, fuel and second stage, had a mass of 15.6 tons at that time. Less than three minutes later, the Apollo spacecraft was separated from the second stage (and the satellite mounted on it) and placed on its own trajectory, where it remained until November 22, 1975. Pegasus was steered into a nearly circular orbit and unfolded its detector surfaces one minute after separation.

Its lifespan was planned for about 720 days. The satellite instruments and radio signals were switched off on August 29, 1968. On August 4, 1969, the satellite burned up in the atmosphere.

Impact on the Apollo program

One of the FM transmitters failed after three months, but no data was lost and all goals were achieved.

The Saturn I test program was thus successfully completed. The next missions should bring a functioning Apollo spaceship into space with the more powerful Saturn IB.

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