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ATS-4
ATS-4 (Applications Technology Satellite) also known as ATS-D was a communications satellite launched by NASA on August 10, 1968 from Cape Canaveral through an Atlas-Centaur rocket. Objectives The objective of ATS-4 was to investigate the possibilities of a gravity gradient stabilization system (the method of stabilizing artificial satellites). Features The satellite has a cylindrical shape with a diameter and height (about considering the motor cover) with the surface covered by solar panels, and stabilized by gravity gradient. Instruments A total of four experiments were conducted during the mission: * Microwave Transponder * Gravity Gradient Stabilization * Image Orthicon (Day/Night) Camera * Ion Thruster Mission The Atlas and Centaur stages performed satisfactorily and placed the Centaur/ATS-4 in an elliptical parking orbit, the Centaur stage, however, failed to re-ignite after a 61-minute coast. The failure was determined to be caused freezing of the hydrogen peroxi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Weather Satellite
A weather satellite or meteorological satellite is a type of Earth observation satellite that is primarily used to monitor the weather and climate of the Earth. Satellites can be polar orbiting (covering the entire Earth asynchronously), or geostationary (hovering over the same spot on the equator). While primarily used to detect the development and movement of storm systems and other cloud patterns, meteorological satellites can also detect other phenomena such as city lights, fires, effects of pollution, auroras, sand and dust storms, snow cover, ice mapping, boundaries of ocean currents, and energy flows. Other types of environmental information are collected using weather satellites. Weather satellite images helped in monitoring the volcanic ash cloud from Mount St. Helens and activity from other volcanoes such as Mount Etna. Smoke from fires in the western United States such as Colorado and Utah have also been monitored. El Niño and its effects on weather are mo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
