Vanguard TV3BU

Vanguard TV3BU
Phase : E1 / Status : destroyed
Play media file Video of the failed start of Vanguard TV3BU
Type:	Research satellite
Country:	United States
Organization:	NASA
COSPAR designation :	1958-F01
Mission dates
Start date:	February 05, 1958, 07:33:00 UTC
Starting place:	Cape Canaveral , LC-18A
Launcher:	Vanguard TV-3BU
Mission duration:	58 seconds
End date:	February 5, 1958, 07:33:58 UTC
Orbit data
Origin of coordinates:	earth
Actual position:	-
General spacecraft data
Takeoff mass:	1.36 kg
Dimensions:	Metal sphere 16.3 cm in diameter
Manufacturer:	Naval Research Laboratory
Others
Previous mission:	Explorer 1
Subsequent mission:	Explorer 2
February 05, 1958 begin February 05, 1958 Satellite is lost in the event of a false start

Vanguard TV3BU (or Vanguard Test Vehicle 3 Back-Up ) was a satellite mission from the United States Naval Research Laboratory on behalf of NASA . The satellite was lost due to a false start.

history

After the false start of Vanguard TV3 , they wanted a replacement mission for the Vanguard project , which was just running at full speed. So the NRL built another satellite to launch a satellite with a Vanguard designation before the end of the International Geophysical Year .

technology

Image of the almost identical Vanguard TV3

The satellite was identical to the Vanguard TV 3 satellite, an aluminum ball weighing around 1.5 kg, which was almost identical to the later Vanguard 1. A cylinder with heat shields inside the sphere held the instrument payload. It contained a set of mercury batteries, a 10 mW 108 MHz telemetry transmitter powered by the batteries, and a 5 mW 108.03 MHz transmitter transmitter that was six square centimeters (about 5 cm laterally ) was driven. Solar cells attached to the body of the satellite should also promote power. Six 30 cm long, spring-loaded aluminum alloy antennas with a diameter of 0.8 cm protruded from the sphere. When actuated, the antenna axes were perpendicular to lines passing through the center of the sphere. The transmitters were primarily used to receive and transmit data, but were also intended to determine the total electron content between satellites and ground stations. Vanguard TV3BU also carried two thermistors that could measure the internal temperature to track the effectiveness of the thermal protection.

A cylindrical separator was designed to keep the ball attached to the third stage prior to separation. Upon deployment, a band that would hold the satellite in place would be loosened and three leaf springs would separate the satellite from the cylinder and the third stage at a relative speed of approximately 0.3 m / s.

Mission history

The launch took place on 5 February 1958 a Vanguard - carrier rocket from the rocket launch site Cape Canaveral in Florida . The take-off was normal at first, but at an altitude of 460 m, a malfunction in a connection between units of the first-stage control system resulted in loss of attitude control. Incorrect electrical signals caused the carrier to move in the plane of division. At an altitude of about 6,100 m, 57 seconds after take-off, a violent pitching maneuver to 45 degrees resulted in excessive structural loads on the launcher, which dissolved at the rear end of the second stage after 62 seconds. The missile exploded after 65 seconds.

Web links

• Vanguard (6.5in) on Gunter's Space Page (English)
• Vanguard TV3BU in the NSSDCA Master Catalog (English)