The Solar Mesosphere Explorer (also known as Explorer 64) was a NASA spacecraft to investigate the processes that create and destroy ozone in Earth's upper of the atmosphere of Earth. The mesosphere is a layer of the atmosphere extending from the top of the stratosphere to an altitude of about 80 km (50 mi). The spacecraft carried five instruments to measure ozone, water vapor, and incoming solar radiation.[1]
![]() Solar Mesosphere Explorer (Explorer 64) satellite | |
Names | Explorer 64 Solar Mesosphere Explorer |
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Mission type | Earth observation |
Operator | NASA / LASP |
COSPAR ID | 1981-100A ![]() |
SATCAT no. | 12887 |
Mission duration | 7.5 years (achieved) |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft | Explorer LXIV |
Spacecraft type | Solar Mesosphere Explorer |
Bus | SME |
Manufacturer | Ball Space Systems |
Launch mass | 437 kg (963 lb) |
Dimensions | Cylinder: 1.25 m (4 ft 1 in) diameter by 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) high |
Power | Solar panels and nickel-cadmiumd batteries |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 6 October 1981, 11:27 UTC |
Rocket | Thor-Delta 2310 (Thor 639 / Delta 157) |
Launch site | Vandenberg, SLC-2W |
Contractor | Douglas Aircraft Company |
Entered service | 6 October 1981 |
End of mission | |
Deactivated | 31 December 1988 |
Last contact | 4 April 1989 |
Decay date | 5 March 1991 |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
Regime | Low Earth orbit |
Perigee altitude | 535 km (332 mi) |
Apogee altitude | 551 km (342 mi) |
Inclination | 97.56° |
Period | 95.50 minutes |
Instruments | |
Ultraviolet ozone spectrometer Micrometer spectrometer Nitrogen dioxide spectrometer Four-channel infrared radiometer Solar ultraviolet monitor Solar proton alarm detector | |
Explorer Program ← Dynamics Explorer 2 (Explorer 63) |
Explorer 64 studied the processes that create and destroy ozone in the Earth's mesosphere. Over its 7.5 years mission, SME measured ultraviolet solar flux, ozone density, and the density of other molecules important to the understanding of ozone chemistry. During the mission over one hundred undergraduate and graduate students were involved in nearly every aspect of SME operations, including planning and scheduling spacecraft and science activities, controlling the spacecraft and its ground support system, and analyzing spacecraft subsystem performance.[2]
Managed for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Solar Mesosphere Explorer was built by Ball Space Systems and operated by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics of the University of Colorado Boulder.[2]
Characteristics:[1]
Launched on 6 October 1981, on a Thor-Delta 2310 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, in California, the satellite returned data until 4 April 1989.[1]
The spacecraft reentered Earth's atmosphere on 5 March 1991.[1]
Explorer program
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List of Explorers Program missions | |||
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory | |
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Past missions |
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Planned missions |
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← 1980 · Orbital launches in 1981 · 1982 → | |
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Kosmos 1237 | Molniya-3 No.25 | Kosmos 1238 | Kosmos 1239 | Kosmos 1240 | Kosmos 1241 | Musson No.11 | Progress 12 | Kosmos 1242 | Molniya 1-49 | Kosmos 1243 | Interkosmos 21 | Kiku 3 | Kosmos 1244 | Kosmos 1245 | Kosmos 1246 | Kosmos 1247 | Hinotori | Comstar D4 | OPS 1166 | Kosmos 1248 | Kosmos 1249 | Kosmos 1250 · Kosmos 1251 · Kosmos 1252 · Kosmos 1253 · Kosmos 1254 · Kosmos 1255 · Kosmos 1256 · Kosmos 1257 | Soyuz T-4 | Kosmos 1258 | OPS 7350 | Kosmos 1259 | Gran' No.18L | Kosmos 1260 | Soyuz 39 | Molniya-3 No.24 | Yantar-2K No.979 | Kosmos 1261 | Kosmos 1262 | Kosmos 1263 | STS-1 | Kosmos 1264 | Kosmos 1265 | Kosmos 1266 | OPS 7225 | Kosmos 1267 | Kosmos 1268 | Kosmos 1269 | Soyuz 40 | Meteor-2 No.8 | Nova-1 | Kosmos 1270 | Kosmos 1271 | Kosmos 1272 | Kosmos 1273 | GOES 5 | Intelsat V F-1 | Rohini RS-D1 | Kosmos 1274 | Kosmos 1275 | Molniya-3 No.30 | Kosmos 1276 | Kosmos 1277 | Meteosat 2 · APPLE · CAT-3 | Kosmos 1278 | NOAA-7 | Molniya 1-50 | Ekran No.21L | Kosmos 1279 | Kosmos 1280 | Kosmos 1281 | Meteor-Priroda 2-4 · Iskra 1 | Kosmos 1282 | Kosmos 1283 | Kosmos 1284 | Gran' No.19L | DE-1 · DE-2 | Kosmos 1285 | Kosmos 1286 | FLTSATCOM 5 | Kosmos 1287 · Kosmos 1288 · Kosmos 1289 · Kosmos 1290 · Kosmos 1291 · Kosmos 1292 · Kosmos 1293 · Kosmos 1294 | Bulgaria 1300 | Himawari 2 | Kosmos 1295 | Kosmos 1296 | Kosmos 1297 | Kosmos 1298 | Kosmos 1299 | Kosmos 1300 | Kosmos 1301 | Kosmos 1302 | OPS 3984 | Kosmos 1303 | Kosmos 1304 | Kosmos 1305 | Kosmos 1306 | Kosmos 1307 | Kosmos 1308 | Kosmos 1309 | Shijian 2 · Shijian 2-01 · Shijian 2-02 | Oreol 3 | Kosmos 1310 | SBS 2 | Kosmos 1311 | Kosmos 1312 | Kosmos 1313 | SME · UoSAT-1 | Kosmos 1314 | Gran' No.20L | Kosmos 1315 | Kosmos 1316 | Molniya-3 No.31 | Venera 13 | OPS 4029 | Kosmos 1317 | Kosmos 1318 | Venera 14 | STS-2 | Kosmos 1319 | Molniya 1-51 | Satcom 3R | Bhaskara 2 | Kosmos 1320 · Kosmos 1321 · Kosmos 1322 · Kosmos 1323 · Kosmos 1324 · Kosmos 1325 · Kosmos 1326 · Kosmos 1327 | Kosmos 1328 | Kosmos 1329 | Intelsat V F-3 | RS-3 · RS-4 · RS-5 · RS-6 · RS-7 · RS-8 | Navstar 7 | Kosmos 1330 | MARECS-1 · CAT-4 | Molniya-1 No.55 | |
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). |