Glory (satellite)

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Glory
Glory
Type: Research satellite
Country: United StatesUnited States United States
Operator: National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA NASA
Mission dates
Begin: March 4, 2011, 10:09 UTC
Starting place: Vandenberg AFB , LC-576E
Launcher: Taurus XL
Status: destroyed in case of false start
Orbit data

Glory was a satellite observatory and earth observation satellite of NASA , with which the influence of the energy radiation of the sun on the climate and the atmosphere of the earth should be examined. Glory was to become part of the Earth Observing System . The satellite was launched on March 4, 2011, but failed to reach Earth orbit due to the launch vehicle failure and crashed into the Pacific Ocean .

function

Glory was to continue the long-term measurements of total solar radiation from the Earth Radiation Budget and ACRIM instruments and measurements from the SORCE satellite.

Glory also had an instrument (APS) on board for researching natural and anthropogenic aerosols in the earth's atmosphere. To support this instrument, a camera was on board to detect the clouds in the field of view of the aerosol sensor.

construction

The satellite was built by Orbital Sciences Corporation in Dulles , Virginia on behalf of the Goddard Space Flight Center . The satellite bus of the discontinued VCL satellite, which had been in storage for several years, was used.

It was a three-axis stabilized spacecraft with a control system that aligns the satellite to the sun and calibration stars. The takeoff weight was 545 kilograms. The solar cells should deliver 400 watts of power.

Instruments

  • TIM

  • Cloud camera

  • APS

  • Total Irradiance Monitor (TIM)
    to register changes in solar radiation
  • Aerosol Polarimetry Sensor (APS)
    to research aerosols in the earth's atmosphere in the infrared and visible range
  • Cloud camera
    to identify clouds in the field of view of the APS sensor
Glory preparing for launch
Glory's Taurus 3110 missile

Mission history

The research satellite was 23 February 2011 with a missile of the type Taurus 3110 (Taurus XL) from the Vandenberg Air Force Base starts, but the launch was postponed for technical reasons. The launch finally took place on March 4, 2011, but failed because the payload fairing was not detached .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Spaceflight Now: NASA science satellite lost in Taurus launch failure
  2. ↑ US research satellite misses orbit and crashes derstandard.at, March 4, 2011
  3. ↑ William Graham: FAILURE: Orbital Taurus rocket fails NASA's Glory spacecraft. nasaspaceflight.com, March 4, 2011, accessed March 4, 2011 .

Web links

Commons : Glory  - collection of images, videos and audio files