 Image of the Explorer 55 (AE-E) | |
| Names | AE-E Atmosphere Explorer-E |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Earth science |
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1975-107A |
| SATCAT no. | 08440 |
| Mission duration | 5.75 years (achieved) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Explorer LIV |
| Spacecraft type | Atmosphere Explorer |
| Bus | AE |
| Manufacturer | Goddard Space Flight Center |
| Launch mass | 735 kg (1,620 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 20 November 1975, 02:06:48 UTC[1] |
| Rocket | Thor-Delta 2910 (Thor 604 / Delta 117) |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral, LC-17B |
| Contractor | Douglas Aircraft Company |
| Entered service | 20 November 1975 |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 10 June 1981 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit[2] |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 156.0 km (96.9 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 2,983.0 km (1,853.6 mi) |
| Inclination | 19.70° |
| Period | 117.29 minutes |
| Instruments | |
| Miniature Electrostatic Accelerometer (MESA) Bennett Ion-Mass Spectrometer (BIMS) Backscatter Ultraviolet Spectrometer (BUV) Capacitance Manometer Cold Cathode Ion Gauge Cylindrical Electrostatic Probe (CEP) Energy Analyzer Spectrometer Test (EAST) Extreme Solar UV Monitor (ESUM) Neutral Atmosphere Composition (NACE) Neutral Atmosphere Temperature (NATE) Open-Source Neutral Mass Spectrometer Photoelectron Spectrometer (PES) Radiation Damage Retarding Potential Analyzer/Drift Meter Solar Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrophotometer (EUVS) Temperature Alarm (Spacecraft) Visible Airglow Photometer (VAE) | |
Atmosphere Explorer | |
Explorer 55, also known as AE-E (Atmosphere Explorer-E), was a NASA scientific satellite belonging to the Atmosphere Explorer series launched on 20 November 1975 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) aboard a Thor-Delta 2910 launch vehicle.
- ^ "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Report. 21 July 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Trajectorywas invoked but never defined (see the help page).