Draft:Tomographic Experiment using Radiative Recombinative Ionospheric EUV and Radio Sources
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Tomographic Experiment using Radiative Recombinative Ionospheric EUV and Radio Sources (TERRIERS, STEDI 2, or Explorer 76) was a NASA artificial satellite created by the STEDI program (Student Explorer Demonstration Initiative), intended to study Earth's ionospheric and thermospheric processes.[2] It launched on 18 May 1999 from Vadenberg Space Force Base on a Pegasus rocket. The mission failed when the spacecraft was unable to orient its solar panel towards the Sun, and its batteries died 2 days after launch.[3]
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Last edited by HypersonicOmnidirectional (talk | contribs) 44 days ago. (Update) |
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| Names | TERRIERS STEDI 2 Explorer 76 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Ionospheric physics |
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1999-026A |
| SATCAT no. | 25735 |
| Mission duration | 1 year (planned) 8 hours (actual) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Explorer LXXVI |
| Spacecraft type | Tomographic Experiment using Radiative Recombinative Ionospheric EUV and Radio Sources |
| Bus | HETE |
| Launch mass | 125 kg (276 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 18 May 1999, 05:09:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Pegasus XL (F27) |
| Launch site | Vandenberg, Stargazer |
| Contractor | Orbital Sciences Corporation |
| End of mission | |
| Deactivated | 18 May 1999, 13:37 UTC[1] |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Sun-synchronous orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 493 km (306 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 484 km (301 mi) |
| Inclination | 97.10° |
| Period | 95.40 minutes |
| Instruments | |
| Tomographic EUV Spectrographs (TESS) Gas Ionization Solar Spectral MOnitor (GISSMO) | |
STEDI Program | |
Objective
The goal of TERRIERS was to study the Earth's upper atmosphere, using tomography to create a model of the ionosphere, and to build a 3-dimensional map of the electron density in the upper atmosphere. This was to be accomplished using five extreme ultraviolet spectrometers. TERRIERS was also equipped with a Gas Ionization Solar Spectral Monitor (GISSMO) to track solar radiation.[4]
Characteristics
The satellite was designed to spin at three revolutions per minute, using a photodiode and magnetic coils to control its spin rate and velocity. The body of the satellite was similar to High Energy Transient Explorer 1.