NEXT SPACEFLIGHT

Status

Success

Solrad 10

Launch Time
Thu Jul 08, 1971 22:58 UTC

Rocket

Scout B
NASA
Status: Retired
Liftoff Thrust: 622 kN
Payload to LEO: 143 kg
Payload to GTO: 0 kg
Stages: 4
Strap-ons: 0
Rocket Height: 21.0 m

Mission Details

Solrad 10

Solrad 10 or SE C or Explorer 44, a spin-stabilized satellite, was one of the Solrad series designed to provide continuous coverage of wavelength and intensity changes in solar radiation in the UV, soft, and hard X-ray regions. Solrad 10 also mapped the celestial sphere using a high-sensitivity X-ray detector.

The spacecraft was a 12-sided cylinder that measured 76 cm in diameter and 58 cm in height. Four symmetrically placed 17.8-by 53.3-cm solar cell panels, hinged at the central section of the structure, served as the elements of a turnstile antenna system. Eighteen solar sensors were mounted pointing parallel to the spin axis of the satellite, which pointed directly at the solar disk. The plane of rotation shifted about 1 deg/day so that a stellar detector mounted to point radially outward from the axis scanned the celestial sphere. Data from all detectors were stored in a 54-kbs core memory and telemetered on command to the NRL tracking station at Blossom Point, MD. Data were also transmitted in real time at 137.710 MHz.

Payloads: 1
Total Mass: 260.0 kg
Low Earth Orbit

Location

LA-3, Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA

Stats

1971

64th orbital launch attempt

Scout

57th mission
2nd mission of 1971
44th successful mission
6th consecutive successful mission