Explorer 16

Explorer 16
	Explorer 16 satellite
Names	S-55B; NASA S-55B
Mission type	Micrometeoroid research
Operator	NASA
Harvard designation	1962 Beta Chi 1
COSPAR ID	1962-070A
SATCAT no.	00506
Mission duration	7.5 months (achieved) ; 61 years, 11 months, 6 days ; (in orbit)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Explorer XVI
Spacecraft type	Science Explorer
Bus	S-55
Manufacturer	Goddard Space Flight Center
Launch mass	100.8 kg (222 lb)
Dimensions	61 × 192 cm (24 × 76 in) cylinder
Power	Solar cells and nickel-cadmium batteries
Start of mission
Launch date	16 December 1962, 14:33:04 GMT
Rocket	Scout X-3 (S-115)
Launch site	Wallops Flight Facility, LA-3
Contractor	Vought
Entered service	16 December 1962
End of mission
Last contact	Late July 1963
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Perigee altitude	750 km (470 mi)
Apogee altitude	1,181 km (734 mi)
Inclination	52.0°
Period	104.30 minutes
Instruments
Instruments
	Cadmium-Sulfide Cell Micrometeorite Detector
	Copper Wire Micrometeorite Detector
	Grid Detectors of Micrometeorites
	Micrometeorite Detector
	Pressurized Cell Micrometeorite Detector
	Explorer program ← Explorer 15 Explorer 17 →

Explorer 16, also called S-55B, was a NASA satellite launched as part of the Explorer program. Explorer 16 was launched on 16 December 1962, at 14:33:04 GMT,^[1] from Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, with a Scout X-3.^[3]

^ ^a ^b "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Report. 21 July 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
^ "Trajectory: Explorer S-55B". NASA. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ Cite error: The named reference Display was invoked but never defined (see the help page).