Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer

Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer
Names Explorer-68, SMEX-1
Mission type Magnetospheric research
Operator NASA / GSFC
Max Planck Institute
COSPAR ID 1992-038A
SATCAT № 22012
Website http://lasp.colorado.edu/sampex/sampex.html
Mission duration Planned: 3 years
Final: 11 years, 11 months and 27 days[1]
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer NASA / GSFC
Launch mass 157 kg (346 lb)[2]
Payload mass 45.2 kg (100 lb)[2]
Dimensions 1.5 × 0.9 m (4.9 × 3.0 ft)
Power 102 W[2]
Start of mission
Launch date July 3, 1992, 14:19 (1992-07-03UTC14:19Z) UTC[3]
Rocket Scout G-1
Launch site Vandenberg SLC-5W
End of mission
Disposal Reentered
Decay date November 13, 2012, 11:42 (2012-11-13UTC11:43Z) UTC[2]
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Near-polar
Eccentricity 0.009999999776482582
Perigee 512 km (318 mi)
Apogee 687 km (427 mi)
Inclination 81.7°
Period 96.7 minutes
Epoch July 3, 1992[3]
Small Explorer program
FAST →

The Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer (SAMPEX) was a NASA solar and magnetospheric observatory, and was the first spacecraft in the Small Explorer program. It was launched into low Earth orbit on July 3, 1992, from Vandenberg Air Force Base aboard a Scout G-1 rocket. SAMPEX was an international collaboration between NASA of the United States and the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics of Germany.[4]

The spacecraft carried four instruments designed to measure the anomalous components of cosmic rays, emissions from solar energetic particles, and electron counts in Earth's magnetosphere. Built for a three-year mission, its science mission was ended on June 30, 2004.[1] Mission control for SAMPEX was handled by the Goddard Space Flight Center until October 1997, after which it was turned over to the Bowie State University Satellite Operations Control Center (BSOCC).[2] BSOCC, with funding assistance from The Aerospace Corporation, continued to operate the spacecraft after its science mission ended, using the spacecraft as an educational tool for its students while continuing to release science data to the public.[5][6]

Built for a three-year primary mission, the spacecraft continued to return science data until its reentry on November 13, 2012.[5][7]

Instruments

Collaborators

SAMPEX collaborators included:[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "SAMPEX Data Center". California Institute of Technology. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "SAMPEX". eoPortal. European Space Agency. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  3. 1 2 "SAMPEX - Trajectory Details". National Space Science Data Center. NASA. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  4. ↑ Mason, G. M.; et al. (1998). SAMPEX: NASA's first small explorer satellite. IEEE Aerospace Conference. March 21–28, 1998. Aspen, Colorado. 5. pp. 389–412. Bibcode:1998aero....5..389M. doi:10.1109/AERO.1998.685848.
  5. 1 2 "SAMPEX Mission Returns to Earth". The Aerospace Corporation. November 21, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  6. ↑ Fox, Karen C. (November 1, 2012). "NASA's SAMPEX Mission: A Space Weather Warrior". NASA. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer (SAMPEX)". The Aerospace Corporation. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Heavy Ion Large Telescope (HILT)". National Space Science Data Center. NASA. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Low-Energy Ion Composition Analyzer (LICA)". National Space Science Data Center. NASA. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Mass Spectrometer Telescope (MAST)". National Space Science Data Center. NASA. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Proton-Electron Telescope (PET)". National Space Science Data Center. NASA. Retrieved September 4, 2015.

Further reading

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