NEWS RELEASE

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

k 400 MARYLAND AVENUE, SW, WASHINGTON 25, D C
IE.EPHONEES WORTH 2 -4155 - WORTH 3- 1110

FOR RELEASE: Thursday PM's

October 25, 1962

RELEASE NO. 62-226

SATELLITE TO STUDY
ARTIFICIAL RADIATION BELT

The Nat:tonal Aeronautics and Space Administration plans to orbit

an Explorer satellite to study the artificial radiation belt created
by the July 9 high altitude nuclear explosion over the Pacific,

By using a special satellite to study the location, composition

and decay rate of the artificial radiation, scientists also will have,
as a dividend, an unparalleled opportunity to better understand the
physi'al processes responsible for the natural (Van Allen) radiation
belts discovered in 1958.

If the first flight is not successful, another spacecraft will

be launched before the end of the year. The satellite, another in
the Explorer series0 was authorized on September 5 after coordination
with other interested government agencies. NASA's Goddard Space
Flight Center at Greenbelt, Md. was given the mission to design, build
and fly the spacecraft. The satellite is scheduled to be launched no
earlier. than October 26.

The spacecraft, named S-3b, is similar to Explorer XII and Ex-

plorer XIV which have successfully measured the energetic particles
in the natural radiation belt 0 It will be launched by a Delta rocket 0
If successful, this will be the 13th straight successful launch of
the Delta. The approximately 100-pound spacecraft will make an oval
orbit extending from 170 miles above the earth out to l10360 miles
every five hours0 Such a path will take it 17.8 degrees North and
South of the equator, permitting the study of the zone of trapped
fission electrons that was created more than 100 miles above the earth
and extending out to perhaps 10,000 miles0 Radiation at the lower
levels is not a hazard to spacecraft.
 -2-

It is believed that half of the electrons have energies of less

than a million electron volts, but that some have energies extending
up to as high as eight million electron volts. The spacecraft will
carry experiments to measure electrons in the range of 001 to 10 Mev
( million electron volts )O The total mass of all electrons in the
arta±ficial belt is less than 1/10 of an ounce.

It is important to future NASA programs that the high energy

artificial radiation be measured and understood as soon as possible,
before it decays appreciably. Such measurements will contribute to
she design of future spacecraft. An understanding of the phenomena
involved will contribute to the world scientific community's store-
house of knowledge0

Because of the desire to measure and understand these physical

processes quickly, it was decided that a spare flight unit of the
successful Explorer XIV could be made available with little modifica-
tion 0 In addition, instruments were chosen that were already built
and tested and ready for flight0 It was decided that the spacecraft
should also carry redundant experiments to increase the total relia-
bility of the mission. In this same vein, experimenters were chosen
who had demonstrated competence in this field through previous suc-
cessful space flight,

The satellite also will carry spe.Lal solar cells having 60 mil
glass coatings to lessen their damage from energetic particles.

Dr0 Carl Mcllwain of the University of California at San Diego

has prepared an experiment to measure electron flux. A similar ex-
periment has been furnished by Dr. Walter Brown of the Bell Telephone
Laboratories fBTL) and Dr0 Upendra D. Desai of Goddard0 Dr0 McIwain
and Dr. Brown also are contributing experiments to determine the dis-
tribution in pitch angle of the electrons0 Dr. Laurence Cahill of the
University of New Hampshire is providing a magnetometer0 Leo Davis of
Goddard has an ion-electron experiment, and James S. Albus of Goddard
has an optical aspect sensor to determine the satellite's orientation
to the sun0 Dr. H0 K0 Gummel of BTL is supplying a solar cell damage
experiment.

Dr. John W. Tbwnsend of Goddard is Project Manager0 Dr. Wilmot

FHess is Scientific Advisor.

Telemetry data from the spacecraft will be recorded on magnetic

tapes at the stations of the World-Wide Minitrack network0 These
tapes will be flown to Goddard for data reduction and processing.
 -3-

Processed data tapes will be forwarded to the scientific experimen-

ters for their analysis0 Results of experiments will be published
by the individual experimenters in NASA technical notes and scienti-
fic journals and made available to scientists around the world.

A "quick look" analysis of data will be made at Goddard. Pur-

pose of this analysis will be to determine the extent and spacing of
the artificial radiation belt, its intensity and the rate of decay
of the radiation.

ARTIFICIAL RADIATION BELT BACKGROUND

aThe Department of Defense, and the Atomic Energy Commission,

detonated a 1.4-megaton nuclear device 400 kilometers (250 miles)
over Johnston Island in the Pacific Ocean on July 9, 1962.

While it was predicted that this test would temporarily increase

the electron density of the natural radiation belts, the intensity of
the artificial radiation proved much greater than expected, based on
( urrent information. The zone of fission electrons, trapped by the
earth's magnetic field, is believed to lie between 100 and 100000
nautical miles above the surface of the earth. The electrons were
created by fission reactions in the atomic bomb that detonated the
main explosion. The high intensity region of the belt extends roughly
1 e500 nautical miles on either side of the equator and at low alti-
tudes is more intense over the South Atlantic Ocean than at low alti-
tudes in other regions of the belt,

It has been theoretically calculated that the core of the belt,

which lies about 2,000 miles overhead at the geomagnetic equator,
may last many years. However, some scientists feel that a major
solar event, possibly at the next peak of the 12-year sunspot cycle,
might disturb the earth's magnetic field enough to eliminate this
core,

In the core, it is estimated that one billion electrons strike

a square centimeter in space every second. Further, other scientists
feel that most of the belt, below 500 miles will vanish within a year
because of absorption by the denser atmosphere near earth.

There is scientific disagreement on how far out the belt extends.

,One difficulty has been to distinguish between the artificially-
reated electrons and those that form the natural belt. The S-3b
spacecraft will carry special detectors to make these measurements.
 -4-

Scientists feel that the project affords them a unique oppor-

tunity to learn more about the behavior of these fundamental build-
ing blocks of the universe.

By observing how the artificial belt changes with time, they

feel they will get a better understanding of the dynamics of the
natural radiation belts. Since the artificial belt is considerably
more intense at low altitudes than the natural belt, scientists will
be able to watch its decay. This could provide a detailed under-
standing of the processes responsible for removal of particles, be-
l.eved to be "dumped" into the atmosphere, plus data on their energy
changes, in different portions of space at different times.

In the past year, for example, estimates of the lifetime of

electrons in the natural radiation regions have differed by a factor
of one hundred thousand. Scientists feel this problem could be
settled by a study of the artificial belt. They want to observe what
changes are produced in the artificial belt because of magnetic storms.
They would like answers to such questions as:

lo Is the energy spectrum of the particles changed by magnetic

field acceleration?

2. Are electrons "dumped" into the atmosphere by magnetic storms0

or

3. Does nothing occur?

Deterioration of solar-cell power supplies (which convert the

sunes ultra-violet energy into usable electricity) due to electron
damage caused the Transit IV-B and TRASC satellites to cease trans-
mitting. Severe solar-cell damage to the U.S.-U.K. Ariel satellite
has resulted in intermittent transmissions of data. Some deterioration
has been sustained by Telstar but its power supply was designed to
withstand considerable amounts of radiations, and it is expected to
continue working well for some time. Observed degradiation agrees with
that predicted prior to the Starfish test.

A review several months ago determined that satellites presently

in orbit or planned would not provide the required data because none
of the experiments was specifically designed to study electrons of the
flux and energy of the fission electrons. Also, none would give a
direct measure of the pitch-angle distribution, o- how the particle
intensities vary in angles to the magnetic field,
 Only Explorer XIV, launched October 2, has an orbit of sufficient
eccentricity to measure radiation as a function of distance from the
center of the earth. However, the Explorer XIV experiments were de-
signed for the natural radiation belts and interplanetary space and
will not provide detailed measurements of the artificial environment.

was determined that a near equatorial. orbit satellite

It project
should be established for the specific purpose of studying the arti-
ficial radiation belt.

PRCJECT PARTICIPANTS

The project is under the overall direction of the NASA Head-

quarters Office of Space Sciences, headed by Dr. Homer E. Newell.
Dr. John Naugle is the Program Chief and Eugene Ehrlich is the Pro-
ject Officer.

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., has project

management responsibility. in addition to project management respon-
(4 ibility, GSFC has systems management responsibility for the experi-
ments0 :he spacecraft, the tracking and data system, the Delta launch
vehicle system, and launch operations.

Dr. John W. Townsend, Jr., the Assistant Director for Space

Science and Satellite Applications at Goddard, is Project Manager.
Robert C. Baumann of Goddard is project coordinator. He is respon-
sible for coordinating the activities of the various individuals and
organizations concerned with the project; overall project scheduling
and acts for the project manager in his absence.

Dr. Wilmot N. Hess, Chief of the Theoretical Division, is

scientific advisor. He keeps the project manager informed of the
latest data available concerning the artificial radiation belt and
provides 'liaison with the scientific community. Environmental testing
of the spacecraft was performed by the Test and Evaluation Division
of Goddard. John C. New, Chief of that Division, is test coordinator.

Paul Butler of the Spacecraft Technology Division, is Goddard

spacecraft system manager. He was responsible for the necessary de-
sign modifications to adapt the spare flight unit of the Explorer XIV
spacecraft. Mr. Butler is assisted by J. Madely and E. Travis for the
mechanical subsystems, F. C. Yagerhofer for power subsystem, R. E.
.idwell for thermal subsystems, and D. A. Krueger for spacecraft inte-
gration.
 6I

Dr, Frank B. McDonald of the Space Sciences Division is the

experimnrcts system manager. He is responsible for coordinating the
acti vi ties of the experimenters.

John To Mengel, the Assistant Director for Tracking and Data

Systems. GSF.C is tracking and data systems manager. Jeremiah J.
Madden is Mr. Mengel's alternate as well as operations coordinator.
They are assisted by Ralph Stroble for station and network preparation
'Hc, Turnbull, alternate), Edmund Habib for data processing (Dr. Robert
Coates alternate!, and Dr. Joseph W. Siry for orbital computation.

Program Manager for the Delta is T0 B. Norris of NASA Headquarters.

The Goddard Delta vehicle manager is William R. Schindler. Robert H.
Gray heads the Goddard Field Projects Branch at Cape Canaveral.

The spacecraft was fabricated from Explorer XIV flight spares,

parts and components diverted from other projects, stock items, off-
the shelf purchases, and issuance of work orders on existing contracts.
The only major spacecraft procurement was for nine solar padddles with
Positive on Negative cells and 60 mil glass0

The Spectrolab Company of Los Angeles was selected to provide the

solar cells, The contract has an estimated value of $275,000.

Another contract with Electro-Mechanical Research, IncOe was

issued for integration services0

Experimentse other than those by Goddard, were provided under

new contracts with the Western Electric Company (Bell Telephone
Laboratories!, the University of Califcrnia at San Diego, and the
University of New Hampshire. The contract with Western Electric has
an approximate value of $200OOOO The contract with the University
of California at San Diego and the University of New Hampshire are
for an estimated $2500O00 and.$50,00 0 , respectively0

The first stage (Thor) of the Delta launch vehicle is supplied

through an Air Force Space Systems Division contract with the Dougla.s
Aircraft Company0 NASA Headquarters arranged for the third stage
(X-248) rocket to be supplied as government furnished equipment by
the Naval Propellant Plant. Douglas subcontracts the propulsion
system of the second stage from the Aerojet General Corporation.
Launch support is also supplied by Douglas.
 -7-

THE DELTA LAUNCH VEHICLE

The launch vehicle for the S-3b is the NASA-developed Delta

a three-stage rocket which has performed flawlessly in the last
12 out of its 13 launch attempts. Delta is nine stories high and
weighs 57 tons. The prime contractor is the Douglas Aircraft Co.

The vehicle's first stage is a 60-foot modification of the

Air Force developed Thor (SM-75) and generates 170,000 pounds of
thrust during the two and one-half minutes its 50 tons of pro-
pellant burn.

The DM-l9 Thor booster was replaced on the last launch with
the model DMI-21 which will be used on this attempt, The DM-21
differs primarily in that the thrust is increased from 150,000
pounds to 170,000 pounds by substitution of the Rocketdyne Block II
engine.

The second stage is 17 feet tall and weighs a little more

than two and one-half tons, It is powered by an Aerojet-General
liquid engine which develops 7,500 pounds of thrust and burns
slightly less than two minutes,

Delta's 500-pound. solid propellant third stage is five feet

high and uses an Allegany Ballistics Laboratory ABL 248 engine
with a thrust of 3,000 pounds. Its burning time is 40 seconds.

For a minute and a half after lift-off, Delta is guided by

its Thor auto-pilot. After burn-out of the Thor booster, a Bell
Telephone Laboratories radio guidance system makes refined velocity
and steering corrections as needed. Shortly after first stage
burn-out separation and after ignition of the second stage, the
fairing--covering the third stage and the S-3b payload--is jettisoned

Second stage burning ends about four and one-half minutes

after lift-off. The vehicle, with second and third stages still
attached, is now at an altitude of about 125 miles. At this point
a 10-minute coasting period occurs. During this period, guidance
is provided by a 42-pound flight control system contained in the
second stage. The satellite and the third stage are spin stabilized
by small rockets mounted on a "spin table" between the second and
third stages. At the end of the coast period--about 14 minutes
after launch--the second stage separates and third stage ignition
occurs. Soon the required orbital velocity of about 20,000 miles
an hour is reached and the satellite, trailed by the third stage
is infected into orbit_
 -8-

Prograin Manager for the Delta is T. 1B. Norris of NASA

Headquarters. The Goddard Delta vehicle manager is William R.
Schindler. Robert H. Gray heads the Goddard Field Projects
Branch at Cape Canaveral.