ATS-2

ATS-2 (Applications Technology Satellite) was a communications satellite launched by NASA on April 6, 1967 on an Atlas-Agena D rocket from Cape Canaveral.

Not to be confused with ATS-2 (Advanced Technology System) supercomputer also known as Sierra.
ATS-2
The ATS-2.
Mission typeWeather satellite
OperatorNASA
COSPAR ID1967-031A
SATCAT no.02743
Spacecraft properties
BusHS-306
ManufacturerHughes Aircraft
Launch mass324.3 kilograms (715 lb)
Start of mission
Launch dateApril 6, 1967, 03:21:00 (1967-04-06UTC03:21Z) UTC
RocketAtlas Agena-D
Launch siteCape Canaveral LC-12
End of mission
Decay dateSeptember 2, 1969 (1969-09-03)
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeHighly Elliptical
Eccentricity0.4548
Perigee altitude178.0 kilometres (110.6 mi)
Apogee altitude11,124.0 kilometres (6,912.1 mi)
Inclination28.4º
Period218.9 minutes[1]
 

Objectives

The ATS-2 had the following objectives: test new concepts in spacecraft design, propulsion and stabilization; capture high quality images of cloud cover; collect data measurements in an aerospace environment; and test improved communication systems.[2]

Features

The satellite had a cylindrical shape with a 142 centimetres (56 in) diameter and a height of 183 centimetres (72 in). After including the motor cover, the satellite was about 360 centimetres (140 in) tall. The surface of the satellite was covered by solar panels, and it utilized gravity-gradient stabilization for control.

Experiments

The following 12 experiments were conducted:

Mission

The launch of ATS-2 went entirely according to plan up to the first Agena burn. When the second burn was initiated, the Agena engine failed to restart and thus the satellite could not be placed in the correct orbit. Postflight investigation found that the oxidizer isolation valve had failed to close after the first burn. This valve was supposed to prevent propellant from escaping the tanks and filling the turbopump during the coasting phase, but since it remained open, the pump developed vapor lock and thus it became impossible to pump oxidizer in. A tiny amount of ISP was generated by the gas generator igniter cartridge.[3] The low periapsis of the orbit caused the satellite to tumble more than the stabilization system could compensate, which complicated its mission. The satellite still produced some usable data from the experiments, most notably those regarding cosmic rays and particles. It reentered the atmosphere on September 2, 1969.

gollark: Why?
gollark: μsec (yay for having an ancient Greek keyboard installed)
gollark: Which is totally high resolution enough to map the entire thing well enough to emulate near-perfectly.
gollark: It's probably easier.
gollark: If you can somehow replace a clump of neurons with a perfect emulation fast enough it probably wouldn't cause a problem.

References
  1. "ATS 2". NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive. Retrieved 2016-07-05.
  2. "ATS 2 - NSSDC/COSPAR ID: 1967-031A". NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive. Retrieved 2016-06-28.
  3. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19690017882.pdf
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