 Vanguard TV-3 spacecraft | |
| Names | Vanguard Test Vehicle-Three |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Earth science |
| Operator | U.S. Navy |
| Mission duration | Failed to orbit (2 seconds) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Vanguard 1A |
| Spacecraft type | Vanguard |
| Manufacturer | Naval Research Laboratory |
| Launch mass | 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) [1] |
| Dimensions | 16.3 cm of diameter |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 6 December 1957, 16:44:35 GMT |
| Rocket | Vanguard TV-3 |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral, LC-18A |
| Contractor | Glenn L. Martin Company |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | Failed to orbit |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit (planned) |
| Regime | Medium Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 654 km (406 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 3,969 km (2,466 mi) |
| Inclination | 34.2° |
| Period | 134.2 minutes |
Vanguard TV-3 (also called Vanguard Test Vehicle-Three), was the first attempt of the United States to launch a satellite into orbit around the Earth, after the successful Soviet launches of Sputnik 1 and Sputnik 2. Vanguard TV-3 was a small satellite designed to test the launch capabilities of the three-stage Vanguard and study the effects of the environment on a satellite and its systems in Earth orbit. It was also to be used to obtain geodetic measurements through orbit analysis. Solar cells on Vanguard TV-3 were manufactured by Bell Laboratories.
At its launch attempt on 6 December 1957, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the booster ignited and began to rise, but about two seconds after liftoff, after rising about 1.2 m (four feet), the rocket lost thrust and fell back to the launch pad. As it settled, the fuel tanks ruptured and exploded, destroying the rocket and severely damaging the launch pad. The Vanguard 1A satellite was thrown clear and landed on the ground a short distance away with its transmitters still sending out a beacon signal. The satellite was damaged, however, and could not be reused. It is now on display at the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution.[1]
The exact cause of the accident was not determined with certainty, but it appeared that the fuel system malfunctioned. Other engines of the same model were modified and did not fail.
- ^ a b "Vanguard TV3". NASA. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
