Status
Success
Polar Bear
Launch Time
Fri Nov 14, 1986 00:23 UTC
Fri Nov 14, 1986 00:23 UTC
Rocket
Mission Details
Polar Bear
Polar Bear (Polar Beacon and Research), also known as STP P87-1, was a military mission designed to study communications interference caused by solar flares and increased auroral activity.
It was to continuie the mission of its predecessor, HILAT. The spacecraft was built on the Transit-O 17 navigational satellite that was retrieved from the Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum, where it had been on display for 8 years.
Polar bear was gravity gradient stabilized by deployable boom with tip mass and was powered by 4 small deployable solar arrays.
Payloads: 1
Total Mass: 125.0 kg
Polar Orbit
Location
SLC-5, Vandenberg SFB, California, USA
Stats
1986
94th orbital launch attempt
Scout
88th mission
1st mission of 1986
75th successful mission
37th consecutive successful mission