Explorer 16

Explorer 16, also called S-55B, was an American satellite launched as part of the Explorers program. Explorer 16 was launched on December 19, 1962, at Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, United States, with a Scout rocket.

Explorer 16
Mission typeSpace physics
OperatorNASA
Harvard designation1962 Beta Chi 1
COSPAR ID1962-070A[1]
SATCAT no.506
Mission duration7 months
Spacecraft properties
Launch mass100.8 kg (222 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date16 December 1962, 14:38 (1962-12-16UTC14:38) UTC[2]
RocketScout X-3
Launch siteWallops LA-3
End of mission
Last contactJuly 1963
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Eccentricity0.02933[1]
Perigee altitude750 km (470 mi)[1]
Apogee altitude1,181 km (734 mi)[1]
Inclination52°[1]
Period104.3 minutes[1]
Epoch16 December 1962[1]
Instruments
 

Mission

Explorer 16 was the second in the series of micrometeoroid satellites orbited by NASA. Its purpose was to obtain data on the near-earth meteoroid environment, thus providing an accurate estimate of the probability of penetration in spacecraft structures by meteoroids and allowing a more confident definition of the relationship between penetration flux and material thickness to be derived.

The cylindrically shaped spacecraft, about 61 by 192 centimetres (24 in × 76 in), was built around the burned-out fourth stage of the Scout launch vehicle that remained as part of the orbiting satellite. Explorer 16 carried stainless steel pressurized-cell penetration detectors, impact detectors, capacitor detectors, and cadmium sulfide cell detectors to obtain data on the size, number, distribution, and momentum of dust particles in the near-earth environment. The spacecraft operated satisfactorily during its 7-month life (December 16, 1962, to July 1963), and all mission objectives were accomplished.[1]

References
  1. "S 55B". NSSDC Master Catalog. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. "Jonathan's Space Page".
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.