&sq=&lang=&file=File:SDIO_LACE_Spacecraft.jpg) LACE being serviced before launch | |
| Names | LOSAT-L USA-51 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Technology demonstration |
| Operator | Strategic Defense Initiative Organization |
| COSPAR ID | 1990-015A |
| SATCAT no. | 20496 |
| Mission duration | 3 years |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Naval Research Laboratory |
| Launch mass | 3,175 pounds (1,440 kg) |
| Dimensions | Body: 1.2m x 1.2m x 2.4m (height) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | February 14, 1990, 16:15:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Delta II 6920-8 (D192)[1] |
| Launch site | LC-17B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station[1] |
| Contractor | McDonnell Douglas Space Systems |
| Entered service | April 15, 1990 |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Decommissioned |
| Deactivated | February 14, 1993 |
| Decay date | May 24, 2000 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Eccentricity | 0.00123 |
| Perigee altitude | 532.00 km (287.26 nmi) |
| Apogee altitude | 549.00 km (296.44 nmi) |
| Inclination | 43.000 degrees |
| Period | 95.30 minutes |
| Epoch | 1990-02-14 00:00:00 UTC[2] |
| Main telescope[3] | |
| Name | Ultraviolet Plume Instrument (Plume Camera) |
| Type | Maksutov-Cassegrain |
| Diameter | 10 cm |
| Focal length | 600 cm |
| Collecting area | 78 cm2 |
| Wavelengths | 195-300 nm |
| Instruments | |
| |
The Low-Power Atmospheric Compensation Experiment (LACE), also referred to as LOSAT-L and USA-51, was a military satellite developed by the Naval Research Laboratory for the United States' Strategic Defense Initiative in the late 1980s and early 1990s, otherwise referred to as the "Star Wars" program.[4]
- ^ a b The Boeing Company (October 2000). "Delta II Payload Planner's Guide" (PDF). Huntington Beach, CA: Boeing Launch Services. p. B-2. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 28, 2006. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
- ^ Williams, Dr. David R. (October 28, 2022). Bell, II, E. (ed.). "LACE". NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive. NASA. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
- ^ Malaret, E. R.; Cardon, J. G.; Perez, L.; Smathers, H. W.; Horan, D. M. (September 1, 1993). "Ultraviolet Plume Instrument Calibration and Sensor Assessment" (PDF). Defense Information Technology Center. Washington, DC: SDI Office, Space Systems Development Department. pp. 3–4. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
- ^ Lang, Sharon Watkins (March 2007). "Where do we get 'Star Wars?'" (PDF). The Eagle. SMDC/ASTRAT Historical Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 27, 2009.