Explorer 3
| Explorer 3 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase : F / Status : burned out | |||||||
| Type: | Research satellite | ||||||
| Country: |
 United States
|
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| COSPAR designation : | 1958-003A | ||||||
| NORAD / SCN-ID : | 6th | ||||||
| Mission dates | |||||||
| Start date: | March 26, 1958, 17:31 UTC | ||||||
| Starting place: | LC-5 | ||||||
| Launcher: | Jupiter-C / Juno I RS-24 | ||||||
| Mission duration: | 93 days | ||||||
| End date: | June 27, 1958 | ||||||
| Orbit data | |||||||
| Rotation time : | 115.7 min | ||||||
| Apogee : | 2799 km | ||||||
| Perigee : | 186 km | ||||||
| Eccentricity : | .165894 | ||||||
| Orbit inclination : | 33.38 ° | ||||||
| General spacecraft data | |||||||
| Takeoff mass: | 14.1 kg | ||||||
| Dimensions: | 203 cm length; 15 cm diameter | ||||||
| Manufacturer: | Jet Propulsion Laboratory | ||||||
| Specific spacecraft data | |||||||
| Stabilization : | Spin stabilization | ||||||
| Payload data | |||||||
| Instruments: |
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| Transponder / power: | Magnetic tape | ||||||
| Others | |||||||
| Previous mission: |
Vanguard 1 | ||||||
| Subsequent mission: |
Sputnik (3) | ||||||
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Explorer 3 was the third satellite in the Explorer program , which was the first and most extensive program of satellites and spacecraft in the United States.
The satellite was launched as part of the Geophysical Year and, after the failure of Explorer 2 , was to continue the research of Explorer 1 . The instruments were housed in the front part of the housing of the fourth stage of the launch vehicle. Explorer 3 was spin stabilized and rotated about 750 times per minute around its longitudinal axis. In order to send the data of a complete cycle to the ground station, Explorer 3 had a magnetic tape. The data was sent to earth with a 60 milliwatt transmitter at 108.03 MHz and with a 10 milliwatt transmitter at 108.00 MHz. Two slot antennas served as antennas . The satellite obtained power from a nickel-cadmium battery , which alone accounted for around 40% of the weight of the payload. This could supply the 60 milliwatt transmitter for 31 days and the 10 milliwatt transmitter for 105 days with power.
For thermal control, the surface of Explorer 3 was painted white with dark green stripes. Like its two predecessors, Explorer 3 was equipped with a Geiger counter for measuring cosmic rays and an apparatus for detecting micrometeorites.
On June 27, 1958, after about 1160 orbits around the earth, the satellite burned up in the atmosphere . A replica can be viewed at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC .
Web links
- Explorer 3 in the NSSDCA Master Catalog (English)
- NASA: Explorer-I and Jupiter-C (English)
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