TD-1A

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TD-1A
TD-1A
Type: Research satellite
Operator: ESRO
Mission dates
Dimensions: 473 kg
Size: 2.2 m × 0.9 m × 1.0 m
Begin: March 12, 1972, 1:55 UTC
Starting place: Vandenberg SLC-2E
Launcher: Thor Delta -N 573 / D88
Status: burned up on January 9, 1980
Orbit data
Orbit inclination : 97.6 °
Apogee height :  539 km
Perigee height :  531 km

TD-1A (Thor Delta System Satellite 1A) was a research satellite that was jointly developed by France , Great Britain , Sweden and the FRG within the framework of the ESRO program . His main task was investigations in the UV range, he also carried out research in the X-ray and gamma range.

history

The satellite was launched on March 12, 1972 by a Thor Delta (Delta-N) rocket from the Western Test Range at Vandenberg Air Force Base , California , into 531 × 539 km sun-synchronous orbit. The German ERNO group of companies , Engines Matra and Saab, was also involved in the construction. In May 1972, both on-board recorders failed, so that only real-time telemetry was possible. One of them resumed its work in October 1973. The satellite worked, only interrupted by two "sleep phases", but continued to work until the fuel supplies were exhausted in May 1974 and burned up on January 9, 1980. The initially planned lifespan was only six months.

technology

The satellite, launched as the first astronomical ESRO satellite, was used to study UV , X-ray , gamma and particle radiation in space. It had a cuboid main structure (2.2 m high, 0.9 × 1.0 m edge length) as well as fold-out solar cell surfaces with a 5 m span and associated nickel-cadmium batteries . For the position control , he used cold gas jets , the argon used from a tank with initially 280 bar pressure. The total mass of the satellite was 473 kg, of which 120 kg was accounted for by the scientific payload. This consisted of seven measuring devices for the investigation of high-energy radiation, high-energy X-ray sources, cosmic and solar particle radiation. These included a spectrometer for examining the entire sky in the 1350-3000  Å range from the Institute d'Astrophysique, Liège (B) and Royal Obs Edinburgh (UK). A spectroscope for studying stars in the range from 2000 to 3000 Å (1.8 Å resolution) from the Space Research Lab, Utrecht (NL). Two solid-state Cherenkov detectors for spectrometry of charged particles and a proportional counter in the X-ray range from 2–30  keV from the Center d'Etudes Nucleaires de Saclay (F). An instrument for studying solar gamma radiation in the 50-500 MeV range from the University of Milan. A cesium - scintillation crystal for solar X-rays in the range of 20-700 keV of the Space Research Lab of Utrecht (NL), and an instrument with a spark chamber , vidicon camera, particle counter and Tscherenkowzähler cosmic gamma rays in the range of 70-300 MeV the CENS / University from Milan and the MPI Garching (F / I / D).

The recorded data was transmitted in real time with 1700 bit / s with a transmitter with 0.3 watts of power or when playing from the tape devices with 30.6 kbit / s with a 3-watt transmitter.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The Thor-Delta rocket system satellite 1A. NASA, June 26, 2003, accessed December 12, 2013 .
  2. ↑ Bernd Leitenberger: Astronomical UV satellites. Retrieved December 12, 2013 .
  3. ↑ a b ESA TD-1 brochure ( Memento of October 16, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 0.1 MB)
  4. ↑ TD 1A / 1972-014A: EADS Astrium spacecraft propulsion. ( Memento from July 7, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )