Orbiting Vehicle 3-5 (also known as OV3-5[1] and ATmospheric COmposition Satellite or ATCOS[3]: 417 ), launched 31 January 1967, was the fifth satellite to be launched in the OV3 series of the United States Air Force's Orbiting Vehicle program.
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Mission type | Earth science |
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Operator | USAF |
COSPAR ID | 1967-F01 |
SATCAT no. | F00414 |
Spacecraft properties | |
Manufacturer | Space General |
Launch mass | 94 kg (207 lb)[1] |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 31 January 1967 12:45:01 (1967-01-31UTC12:45:01) UTC |
Rocket | Scout B |
Launch site | Vandenberg Space Launch Complex 5[2] |
OV3 OV3-6 → |
The Orbiting Vehicle satellite program arose from a US Air Force initiative, begun in the early 1960s, to reduce the expense of space research. Through this initiative, satellites would be standardized to improve reliability and cost-efficiency, and where possible, they would fly on test vehicles or be piggybacked with other satellites. In 1961, the Air Force Office of Aerospace Research (OAR) created the Aerospace Research Support Program (ARSP) to request satellite research proposals and choose mission experiments. The USAF Space and Missiles Organization created their own analog of the ARSP called the Space Experiments Support Program (SESP), which sponsored a greater proportion of technological experiments than the ARSP.[3]: 417 Five distinct OV series of standardized satellites were developed under the auspices of these agencies.[3]: 425
Unlike the OV1 and OV2 series satellites, which were designed to use empty payload space on rocket test launches, the six OV3 satellites all had dedicated Scout boosters. In this regard, the OV3 series was more akin to its civilian science program counterparts (e.g. Explorer). OV3 differed from NASA programs in its heavy use of off-the-shelf equipment, which resulted in lower unit cost.[3]: 422–423
The first four satellites in the series were made the Aerojet subsidiary Space General Corporation under a $1.35m contract awarded 2 December 1964, the first satellite due October 1965. The last two satellites were built by Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratory (AFCRL), which also managed the entire series and provided four of the OV3 payloads.[3]: 422–423
Charles H. Reynolds, who worked at AFCRL from 1955, was the technical manager for the OV3 program.[4] AFCRL scientists Don F. Smart and Rita C. Sagalyn managed the satellite project.[5]
Prior to the launch of OV3-5, four other OV3 satellites had been placed into orbit, all radiation measuring spacecraft launched in 1966.[3]: 423 [2]
Like the rest of the OV3 satellites, OV3-5 was an octagonal prism. However, its length was reduced from .74 m (2 ft 5 in) to .53 m (1 ft 9 in). Experiments were mounted on booms, and 2560 solar cells provided 30 Watts of power. Its design life-span was eight months owing to the low planned orbit.[3]: 423 The satellite massed 94 kg (207 lb)[1]
OV3-5 carried an aeronomy payload produced by AFCRL. It comprised two mass spectrometers, one designed to analyze the neutral constituents of the high atmosphere, the other to measure its ionized components. Three cold-cathode ionization gauges were to be employed for determining atmospheric density. These latter were mounted along the spin axis of the satellite to better detect small-scale variations in density than previous, radially mounted experiments. Two boom-mounted rf impedance probes, for measuring electron temperature and density, rounded out the package.[3]: 423
Launched from Vandenberg Space Launch Complex 5 on 31 January 1967 at 12:45:01 UTC via Scout B rocket,[2] OV3-5 was lost seven minutes into its flight. A graphite nozzle insert in the Scout rocket's final stage failed, and the stage exploded, causing the loss of the satellite.[3]: 423
OV3-6, essentially a duplicate of OV3-5,[3]: 423 successfully launched on 4 December 1967.[2] The OV3 program was terminated following OV3-6 in favor of the cheaper OV1 program. Thus, The OV3 program ultimately comprised 6 missions, five of them successful.[3]: 423
← 1965 · Orbital launches in 1966 · 1967 → | |
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Kosmos 104 | OPS 2394 | OPS 7253 · OPS 3179 | Kosmos 105 | Kosmos 106 | OPS 1593 | Luna 9 | OPS 7291 | ESSA-1 | OPS 1439 | Kosmos 107 | Kosmos 108 | OPS 1184 · OPS 3011 · OPS 3031 | Dipason | Kosmos 109 | DS-K-40 No.2 | Kosmos 110 | ESSA-2 | Kosmos 111 | OPS 3488 | GATV-5003 | Gemini VIII | Kosmos 112 | OPS 0879 · OPS 0974 | Kosmos 113 | N-4 No.3 | OPS 1117 | Molniya-1 No.5 | OV1-4 · OV1-5 | OPS 0340 | Luna 10 | Kosmos 114 | OPS 1612 | Surveyor SD-3 | OAO-1 | OPS 0910 | Kosmos 115 | OV3-1 | Molniya 1-03 | Kosmos 116 | OPS 1508 | Kosmos 117 | Kosmos 118 | OPS 1950 · OPS 6785 | Nimbus 2 | Zenit-4 | GATV-5004 | OPS 0082 | OPS 1788 | Kosmos 119 | Explorer 32 | Surveyor 1 | ATDA | Gemini IX-A | OPS 1577 · OPS 1856 | OGO-3 | Kosmos 120 | OV3-4 | FTV-1351 · Secor 6 · ERS-16 | OPS 9311 · OPS 9312 · OPS 9313 · OPS 9314 · OPS 9315 · OPS 9316 · OPS 9317 · GGTS | Kosmos 121 | OPS 1599 | PAGEOS | Kosmos 122 | Explorer 33 | AS-203 | Proton 3 | Kosmos 123 | OPS 1850 | OV1-7 · OV1-8 | Kosmos 124 | GATV-5005 | Gemini X | Kosmos 125 | Kosmos 126 | OPS 3014 | OV3-3 | Kosmos 127 | OPS 1545 | Lunar Orbiter 1 | OPS 1832 · OPS 6810 | Pioneer 7 | OPS 2366 | FTV-1352 · Secor 7 · ERS-15 | Luna 11 | IDSCP 1 · IDSCP 2 · IDSCP 3 · IDSCP 4 · IDSCP 5 · IDSCP 6 · IDSCP 7 · GGTS | Kosmos 128 | GATV-5006 | Gemini XI | OPS 6026 | OPS 1686 · OPS 6874 | Zenit-2 No.40 | OPS 6026 | OPS 1686 · OPS 6874 | OGCh No.05L | Surveyor 2 | OPS 1703 | Ōsumi 1 | OPS 4096 | ESSA-3 | FTV-1583 · Secor 8 | OPS 2055 · OPS 5345 | Kosmos 129 | Molniya 1-04 | Kosmos 130 | Luna 12 | Surveyor SM-3 | Intelsat II F-1 | OV3-2 | OGCh No.06L | OPS 2070 · OPS 5424 | OPS 0855 · OV4-1R · OV4-1T · OV1-6 | Lunar Orbiter 2 | OPS 1866 | GATV-5001A | Gemini XII | Kosmos 131 | Strela-2 No.1 | Kosmos 132 | Kosmos 133 | Kosmos 134 | OPS 1890 | ATS-1 | OV1-9 · OV1-10 | Kosmos 135 | Soyuz 7K-OK No.1 | OPS 8968 | Biosatellite 1 | Kosmos 136 | Ōsumi 2 | Kosmos 137 | Luna 13 | OPS 1584 | |
Payloads are separated by bullets ( · ), launches by pipes ( | ). Crewed flights are indicated in underline. Uncatalogued launch failures are listed in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are denoted in brackets. |