Dual Air Density Explorer

Explorer (56)
	Explorer (56) (DADE-A) satellite
Names	DADE-A; Dual Air Density Explorer-A
Mission type	Earth science
Operator	NASA
COSPAR ID	1975-DADE-A
Mission duration	Failed to orbit
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Explorer LVI
Spacecraft type	Dual Air Density Explorer
Bus	DADE
Manufacturer	Langley Research Center
Launch mass	40 kg (88 lb)
Power	Solar cells and batteries
Start of mission
Launch date	6 December 1975, 03:35:01 UTC[1]
Rocket	Scout F-1 (S-196C)
Launch site	Vandenberg, SLC-5
Contractor	Vought
End of mission
Deactivated	Failed to orbit
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit (planned)
Regime	Polar orbit
Perigee altitude	350 km (220 mi)
Apogee altitude	350 km (220 mi)
Inclination	90.10°
Period	90.00 minutes
Instruments
	Atmospheric Composition Mass Spectrometer; Atmospheric Drag Density
	Explorer program

Dual Air Density Explorer was a set of 2 satellites, DADE-A and DADE-B, released as part of NASA's Explorer program. DADE-A and DADE-B was launched on 6 December 1975 at 03:35:01 UTC,[1] by a Scout F-1 launch vehicle from Space Launch Complex 5, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The launch of the DADE satellites failed.[2][3]

Spacecraft

The Dual Air Density Explorer-A (DADE-A) satellite was a 76 cm (30 in) rigid sphere designed to determine, in conjunction with Dual Air Density Explorer-B (DADE-B), the vertical structure of the upper thermosphere and the lower exosphere as a function of latitude, season, and local solar time. Both satellites would have been launched by a single Scout launch vehicle into coplanar polar orbits. Measurements of atmospheric density from DADE-A would have been obtained from satellite drag analyses near perigee (apporximately 350 km (220 mi)) and from composition measurements taken by an onboard mass spectrometer. DADE-A was equipped with a radio beacon to facilitate tracking.[2]

Experiments

Atmospheric Composition Mass Spectrometer

The mass spectrometer experiment on DADE-A was designed to perform composition measurements in the upper thermosphere (approximately 350 km (220 mi)). The instrument was a magnetic mass spectrometer with a Mattauch-Herzog geometry and would have measured the distribution of such atmospheric constituents as oxygen, nitrogen, helium, hydrogen, neon and argon.[4]

Atmospheric Drag Density

The atmospheric drag density experiment on DADE-A was designed to provide indirect measurements of upper thermospheric density near satellite perigee (approximately 350 km (220 mi)). The experiment had no unique onboard hardware. The density values would have been derived from sequential observations of the satellite's position. The experiment would have yielded systematic values of atmospheric density as a function of latitude, season, and local solar time.[5]

References

"Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Report. 21 July 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
"Display: DADE-A". NASA. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
"Display: DADE-B". NASA. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
"Experiment: Atmospheric Composition Mass Spectrometer". NASA. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
"Experiment: Atmospheric Drag Density". NASA. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

External links

DADE A

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[JSR-1] "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Report. 21 July 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.

[Display_A-2] "Display: DADE-A". NASA. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

[Display_B-3] "Display: DADE-B". NASA. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

[Experiment2-4] "Experiment: Atmospheric Composition Mass Spectrometer". NASA. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

[Experiment1-5] "Experiment: Atmospheric Drag Density". NASA. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.