 SNOE satellite | |
| Names | Explorer 72 STEDI-1 UNEX-1 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Space physics |
| Operator | Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics |
| COSPAR ID | 1998-012A |
| SATCAT no. | 25223 |
| Website | lasp |
| Mission duration | 5 years, 9 months, 17 days (achieved) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Explorer LXXII |
| Spacecraft type | Student Nitric Oxide Explorer |
| Bus | SNOE |
| Manufacturer | University of Colorado Boulder (Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics) |
| Launch mass | 120 kg (260 lb) [1] |
| Dimensions | 0.9 × 1.0 m (2 ft 11 in × 3 ft 3 in) |
| Power | 37 watts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 26 February 1998, 07:07 UTC |
| Rocket | Pegasus XL HAPS (F20) |
| Launch site | Vandenberg, (Stargazer) |
| Contractor | Orbital Sciences Corporation |
| Entered service | 11 March 1998 [2] |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | 13 December 2003 |
| Decay date | 13 December 2003, 09:34 UTC [3] |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit[4] |
| Regime | Sun-synchronous orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 535 km (332 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 580 km (360 mi) |
| Inclination | 97.70° |
| Period | 95.80 minutes |
| Instruments | |
| Auroral Photometer (AP) Solar X-ray Photometer (SXP) Ultraviolet Spectrometer (UVS) | |
 Student Nitric Oxide Explorer mission patch | |
Student Nitric Oxide Explorer (SNOE ("snowy"), also known as Explorer 72, STEDI-1 and UNEX-1), was a NASA small scientific satellite which studied the concentration of nitric oxide in the thermosphere. It was launched in 1998 as part of NASA's Explorer program. The satellite was the first of three missions developed within the Student Explorer Demonstration Initiative (STEDI) program funded by the NASA and managed by the Universities Space Research Association (USRA). STEDI was a pilot program to demonstrate that high-quality space science can be carried out with small, low-cost (<US$4.4 million) free-flying satellites on a time scale of two years from go-ahead to launch.[5] The satellite was developed by the University of Colorado Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) and had met its goals by the time its mission ended with reentry in December 2003.
- ^ Solomon, Stanley C.; Bailey, Scott M.; Barth, Charles A.; Davis, Randal L.; Donnelly, John A.; et al. (1998). The SNOE Spacecraft: Integration, Test, Launch, Operation, and On-orbit Performance (PDF). 12th AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites 1998 Logan, Utah.
- ^ Bailey, Scott M.; Woods, T. N.; Barth, C. A.; et al. (December 2000). "Measurements of the solar soft X-ray irradiance by the Student Nitric Oxide Explorer: First analysis and underflight calibrations". Journal of Geophysical Research. 105 (A12): 27179–27194. Bibcode:2000JGR...10527179B. doi:10.1029/2000JA000188. S2CID 121207264.
- ^ "SNOE". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Trajectorywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Display: SNOE (Explorer 72) 1998-012A". NASA. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
