Discoverer-19 or Radiometer-1 ( Eng. Discoverer 19 , Radiometer 1 ) is an experimental US military satellite designed to test satellite systems for the early detection of intercontinental ballistic missiles .
| Discovery-19 | |
|---|---|
| Discoverer 19 | |
| Customer |  NASA |
| Tasks | testing ballistic missile early detection systems |
| Launch pad | Base Vandenberg LC-75-3-5 |
| Launch vehicle | Thor DM-21 Agena-B , S / N Thor 258 / Agena B 1101 |
| Launch | December 20, 1960 20:38 UTC |
| Flight duration | 34 days |
| Descent from orbit | January 23, 1961 |
| NSSDC ID | 1960-019A |
| SCN | 68 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 1060 kg |
| Elements of the orbit | |
| Eccentricity | 0,031016 |
| Mood | 83.4 Β° |
| Circulation period | 93.0 minutes |
| Apocenter | 631 km |
| Pericenter | 209 km |
Content
- 1 Development
- 2 Mission Details
- 3 notes
- 4 References
Development
The satellite was developed as part of the CORONA military program. Discovery-19 was not intended for espionage, and did not have a descent capsule with films, unlike most other satellites of the Discovery series. The objective of this satellite was to demonstrate and test technologies for early detection of the launch of intercontinental ballistic missiles . These technologies belonged to the system, which existed from 1960 to 1966. [1] [2] . Documents related to the Discovery series satellites were declassified only in 1995 [3] .
Mission Details
Discovery-19 was successfully launched on December 20, 1960 at 20:38 UTC from the Vandenberg launch pad and entered orbit . The satellite's design assumed that it entered orbit, being combined with the second stage of the Tor Agen launch vehicle . The second stage is the Agen-B upper stage, which was designed for a long stay in outer space , which allowed to correct the orbit and descent of the spacecraft . The mass of the satellite along with the booster block was 1060 kilograms. The satelliteβs task was to test instruments characterizing the infrared radiation of the planetβs surface, which was necessary to improve the system. Discovery-19 transmitted the received data to the surface of the Earth through radio communications . After completion of the work, the satellite remained in orbit until January 23, 1961, after which it entered the dense layers of the atmosphere and ceased to exist [1] [2] . The next satellite in the series was or Radiometer-2, which performed a similar mission in 1961 [1] .
Notes
- β 1 2 3 RM 1, 2 (Discoverer 19, 20) . space.skyrocket.de. Date of treatment November 22, 2012. Archived January 23, 2013.
- β 1 2 NSSDC.Discoverer 19 unopened (unreachable link) . nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Date of treatment November 22, 2012. Archived January 23, 2013.
- β Programm Discoverer . weebau.com. Date of treatment November 22, 2012. Archived January 9, 2013.
Links
- Discoverer 19 . weebau.com. Date of treatment 2012-11-221. Archived January 23, 2013.
- Spacecraft Encyclopedia. Discoverer 19 . claudelafleur.qc.ca. Date of treatment November 22, 2012. Archived January 9, 2013.
- launchlog unspecified . planet4589.org. Date of treatment November 22, 2012. Archived January 9, 2013.
- Sattelite catalog . planet4589.org. Date of treatment November 22, 2012. Archived January 23, 2013.