DODGE

DODGE (Department of Defense Gravity Experiment) was a satellite whose primary purpose was to conduct experiments in gravity-gradient stabilization at near-geosynchronous altitudes. Its secondary objectives included measuring the Earth's magnetic field, and taking pictures of the entire Earth's disk in both black-and-white and color. It was launched atop a Titan IIIC rocket on July 1, 1967, and operated for over three years. DODGE carried ten knobbed booms oriented along three different axes, that could be independently extended and retracted by ground command.[1]

DODGE
The DODGE satellite
Mission typeTechnology
OperatorNASA / USAF
COSPAR ID1967-066F
SATCAT no.2867
Mission duration3 years
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerJohns Hopkins University
Applied Physics Laboratory
Launch mass200 kilograms (430 lb)
Dimensions2.4 by 1.2 metres (7.9 by 4.0 ft)
Start of mission
Launch dateJuly 1, 1967, 13:15:01 (1967-07-01UTC13:15:01Z) UTC
RocketTitan IIIC
Launch siteCape Canaveral LC-41
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeMEO
Semi-major axis39,841.6 kilometres (24,756.4 mi)
Perigee altitude33,278.8 kilometres (20,678.5 mi)
Apogee altitude33,662.5 kilometres (20,916.9 mi)
Inclination11.6 degrees
 

DODGE first achieved successful stabilization 12 days after launch.[1] It took the first color picture of the complete Earth disk in August 1967.[2]

The first color image of the entire Earth, taken by the DODGE satellite

See also

  • ATS-3, another satellite also to take one of the first full-disk color pictures of the Earth

References

See also

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