NOAA-B

NOAA-B
Mission type Meteorology
Operator NOAA
COSPAR ID 1980-043A
SATCAT no. 11819
Mission duration Planned: 2 years
Launch failure
Spacecraft properties
Bus TIROS-N[1]
Manufacturer RCA Astro Electronics[2]
Launch mass 1,405 kg (3,097 lb)[1]
Start of mission
Launch date 29 May 1980, 10:53 (1980-05-29UTC10:53) UTC[3]
Rocket Atlas F 19F[2]
Launch site Vandenberg SLC-3W[2]
End of mission
Disposal Orbital decay
Decay date 3 May 1981 (1981-05-04)[3]
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Low Earth
Eccentricity 0.08142
Perigee 273 km (170 mi)
Apogee 1,453 km (903 mi)
Inclination 92.3°
Period 102.2 minutes
Epoch 28 May 1980, 20:00:00 UTC[3]

NOAA-B[3] was a spacecraft in the TIROS-N series launched by NASA on 29 May 1980. Intended for a sun-synchronous orbit, the spacecraft entered a lower, elliptical orbit due to a launch vehicle malfunction resulting in a failed mission. Had the launch been successful it would have been designated NOAA-7.[4]

Science Objectives

Launch Failure

Following launch a fuel leak between the turbopump and gearbox caused the main engine to lose 20–25% of its thrust.[5][6] This caused the guidance system of the Atlas launch vehicle to increase the length of the first stage burn to compensate.[5]

Due to requirements specific to TIROS missions, there was no interface between the satellite and the launch vehicle guidance systems.[5] This resulted in the satellite attempting to separate from the launch vehicle at approximately 370 seconds after launch. The separation failed due to recontact between the Atlas - which was still under thrust - and the satellite, which only separated when the solid-fuel rocket motor intended to place NOAA-B into a circular 830 km (450 nmi) sun-synchronous orbit fired.[5]

Because the satellite had been unable to perform the pitch-down maneuver necessary to reach its intended orbit the spacecraft ended up in a highly elliptical orbit that was unsuitable for the intended mission.[4][7] Following unsuccessful attempts to correct the orbit using the satellite's attitude control thrusters, NASA pronounced the mission a failure.[4][8][9]

Unlike the earlier Nimbus 1, which was also launched into an unplanned elliptical orbit following a launch vehicle malfunction, no attempt appears to have been made to operate the spacecraft instrumentation during its remaining lifetime in orbit.[10]

References

Notes
  1. 1 2 "Tiros N". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "TIROS-N, NOAA 6, B, 7". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "NOAA-B: Trajectory Details". National Space Science Data Center. NASA. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 Spokane Daily Chronicle, 30 May 1980. p. 8
  5. 1 2 3 4 Eleazer, 2012
  6. ↑ Merced Sun-Star, 30 May 1980. p. 27
  7. ↑ The Spokesman-Review, 30 May 1980. p. 14
  8. ↑ Bell, 1980
  9. ↑ Wade, 2012.
  10. ↑ NSSCD - NOAA-B - Spacecraft Description, 2012
Sources
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.