Hitchhiker 1

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Hitchhiker 1
Mission typeTechnology
OperatorU.S. Air Force
COSPAR ID1963-025B
SATCAT no.614
Spacecraft properties
BusP-11
ManufacturerLockheed Martin / MIT
Launch mass80 kilograms (180 lb)
Start of mission
Launch dateJune 27, 1963, 19:55 (1963-06-27UTC19:55Z) UTC[1]
RocketThor-SLV2A Agena-D
Launch siteVandenberg
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeMedium Earth
Eccentricity0.16898
Perigee altitude330 kilometres (210 mi)
Apogee altitude3,060 kilometres (1,900 mi)
Inclination82.1°
Period120.3 minutes
EpochJune 27, 1963 (1963-06-27)
 
Launch of Hitchhiker 1.

Hitchhiker 1 (or Hitchhiker P-11 4201) was a satellite launched by U.S. Air Force on June 27, 1963. It was launched with the aim of studying and measuring cosmic radiation. The satellite was the first successful satellite of the P-11 program, following the failure of the first Hitchhiker satellite in March 1963.

Instruments[]

  • 1 Geiger tube (40-4 MeV)
  • 1 Faraday cup plasma
  • 1 Electron detector (0.3-5.0 MeV)
  • 1 Proton detector (0.7-5.3 MeV)
  • 2 electrostatic analysers (4-100 keV)

See also[]

  • Corona program

References[]

  1. ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
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