Solar Mesosphere Explorer

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Solar Mesosphere Explorer
Solar Mesosphere Explorer (Explorer 65).jpg
Solar Mesosphere Explorer (Explorer 64) satellite
NamesExplorer 64
Solar Mesosphere Explorer
Mission typeEarth observation
OperatorNASA / LASP
COSPAR ID1981-100A
SATCAT no.12887
Mission duration7.5 years (achieved)
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftExplorer LXIV
Spacecraft typeSolar Mesosphere Explorer
BusSME
ManufacturerBall Space Systems
Launch mass437 kg (963 lb)
DimensionsCylinder: 1.25 m (4 ft 1 in) diameter by 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) high
PowerSolar panels and nickel-cadmiumd batteries
Start of mission
Launch date6 October 1981, 11:27 UTC
RocketThor-Delta 2310 (Thor 639 / Delta 157)
Launch siteVandenberg, SLC-2W
ContractorDouglas Aircraft Company
Entered service6 October 1981
End of mission
Deactivated31 December 1988
Last contact4 April 1989
Decay date5 March 1991
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Perigee altitude535 km (332 mi)
Apogee altitude551 km (342 mi)
Inclination97.56°
Period95.50 minutes
Instruments
Ultraviolet ozone spectrometer
Micrometer spectrometer
Nitrogen dioxide spectrometer
Four-channel infrared radiometer
Solar ultraviolet monitor
Solar proton alarm detector
Explorer Program
← Dynamics Explorer 2 (Explorer 63)
AMPTE-Charge Composition Explorer (Explorer 65) →
 

The Solar Mesosphere Explorer (also known as Explorer 64) was a NASA spacecraft to investigate the processes that create and destroy ozone in Earth's upper of the atmosphere of Earth. The mesosphere is a layer of the atmosphere extending from the top of the stratosphere to an altitude of about 80 km (50 mi). The spacecraft carried five instruments to measure ozone, water vapor, and incoming solar radiation.[1]

Mission[]

Explorer 64 studied the processes that create and destroy ozone in the Earth's mesosphere. Over its 7.5 years mission, SME measured ultraviolet solar flux, ozone density, and the density of other molecules important to the understanding of ozone chemistry. During the mission over one hundred undergraduate and graduate students were involved in nearly every aspect of SME operations, including planning and scheduling spacecraft and science activities, controlling the spacecraft and its ground support system, and analyzing spacecraft subsystem performance.[2]

Spacecraft[]

Managed for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Solar Mesosphere Explorer was built by Ball Space Systems and operated by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics of the University of Colorado Boulder.[2]

Characteristics:[1]

  • Mass: 437 kilograms
  • Power: Solar panels and nickel-cadmium batteries
  • Configuration: Cylinder 1.25 meter diameter by 1.7 meter high
  • Science instruments: Ultraviolet ozone spectrometer, Micrometre spectrometer, Nitrogen dioxide spectrometer, Four-channel infrared radiometer, Solar ultraviolet monitor, Solar proton alarm detector

Launch[]

Launched on 6 October 1981, on a Thor-Delta 2310 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, in California, the satellite returned data until 4 April 1989.[1]

Atmospheric entry[]

The spacecraft reentered Earth's atmosphere on 5 March 1991.[1]

See also[]

Explorer program

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d "Past Missions - Solar Mesosphere Explorer". Archived from the original on 12 July 2007. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Solar Mesosphere Explorer - Quick facts". Archived from the original on 13 July 2007. Retrieved 23 November 2021.

External links[]

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