Space Technology 5

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Space Technology 5

Artist's conception of the "string of pearls" constellation
Organization NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Mission Type Earth observation
Launch March 22, 2006 on Pegasus XL
Launch site Vandenberg Air Force Base
Mission duration 90 days
Mass 25 kg
Webpage nmp.jpl.nasa.gov/st5/
Orbital elements
Apogee 4500 km [1]
Perigee 300 km
Eccentricity 0.239
Inclination 105.6°
Orbital Period 137 minutes
Mean Local Time of the ascending node 18:00
Argument of perigee 160°
Instruments

The three small spacecraft of Space Technology 5 (or ST5) were launched on March 22, 2006 using a Pegasus XL rocket. These where developed by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center as part of NASA's New Millennium program.

There are 10 new technologies that will be tested by this set of microsatellites. [2]. One technology involves antennas that were designed by computers using an evolutionary AI system developed at NASA Ames Research Center. The ST5 on-board flight computer, the C&DH (Command & Data Handling) system, is based on a Mongoose-V radiation-hardened microprocessor.

On June 30, 2006 the satellites making up ST5 were shut down after successfully completing their technology validation mission.

[edit] References

  • Speer, D. and G. Jackson and D. Raphael, "Flight Computer Design for the Space Technology 5 (ST-5) Mission," Proceedings of the 2002 IEEE Aerospace Conference, Big Sky, MT, March 2002.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links


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