DODGE (satellite)

DODGE

The DODGE satellite
Mission type Technology
Operator NASA / USAF
COSPAR ID 1967-066F
SATCAT № 2867
Mission duration 3 years
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer Johns Hopkins University
Applied Physics Laboratory
Launch mass 200 kilograms (430 lb)
Dimensions 2.4 by 1.2 metres (7.9 by 4.0 ft)
Start of mission
Launch date July 1, 1967, 13:15:01 (1967-07-01UTC13:15:01Z) UTC
Rocket Titan IIIC
Launch site Cape Canaveral LC-41
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime MEO
Semi-major axis 39,841.6 kilometres (24,756.4 mi)
Perigee 33,278.8 kilometres (20,678.5 mi)
Apogee 33,662.5 kilometres (20,916.9 mi)
Inclination 11.6 degrees

DODGE (Department of Defense Gravity Experiment) was a satellite whose primary purpose was to conduct experiments in gravity-gradient stabilization at near-geosynchronous altitudes. Its secondary objectives included measuring the Earth's magnetic field, and taking pictures of the entire Earth's disk in both black-and-white and color. It was launched atop a Titan IIIC rocket on July 1st, 1967 and operated for over three years. DODGE carried ten knobbed booms oriented along three different axes, that could be independently extended and retracted by ground command.[1]

DODGE first achieved successful stabilization 12 days after launch,[1] and took one of the first color pictures of the complete Earth disk.[2]

The first color image of the entire Earth, taken by the DODGE satellite

References

  1. 1 2 Gunter's Space Page: DODGE
  2. DavidDarling: DODGE

See also

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