Transit 5BN-3
Transit 5BN-3 , also VBN-3 , was a satellite for the former satellite navigation system transit the United States . The Navy Navigation Satellite System was used militarily and later also civilly.
The launcher was a Thor-Able Star . After the launch on April 21, 1964 at 18:50 UTC , the satellite did not reach its orbit . After a re-entry, Transit 5BN-3 burned up over Madagascar at an altitude of approx. 50 km.
A radionuclide battery (type SNAP-9A) with about 1 kg of plutonium-238 served as the energy supply. The contained plutonium was released into the earth's atmosphere (about 6 · 10 14 Bq 238 Pu), about a quarter of it in the northern hemisphere.
Others
In addition to Transit 5BN-3, Transit 5E-2 was also on board the launcher. Unlike the Transit 5BN-3, the Transit 5E-2 should use solar cells to generate energy. It also burned out.
See also
Web links
- Steve Aftergood: Background on Space Nuclear Power (PDF; 1.6 MB) princeton.edu, accessed April 15, 2011
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jerzy W. Mietelski: Antropogenic Radioactivity. in: David A. Atwood: Radionuclides in the environment. Wiley, Chichester 2010, ISBN 978-0-470-71434-8 , p. 26, "This happened over Madagascar at an altidude of about 50km above ground."
- ↑ Radiation protection considerations with regard to the crash of nuclear-powered satellites. Opinion of the radiation protection commission. Bonn December 6, 1989 ( Memento from September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 34 kB)
- ↑ http://www.viewzone.com/cassini.html
- ↑ Radioactivity in the marine environment. National Research Council, Panel on Radioactivity in the Marine Environment 1971 @ google books, accessed April 15, 2011
- ↑ Transit-5E 2 at Gunter's Space Page (English)