Vintage NASA Photo - 1964 Ionosphere Explorer "A" Satelite

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Up For Auction Vintage 8 X 10 NASA Photo of Ionosphere Explorer "A" Satelite NASA Photo No 64-IE A-2 Released Immediate CONDITION - Good Shipping Discounts - If buyer wins more than 1 picture, there is no additional shipping costs. The NASA Explorer program of scientific satellites NASA's Explorer program covers a continuing, heterogeneous series of small and medium size scientific satellites which form the backbone of the US space science program. Explorer satellites are to be contrasted with the large 'Observatory' class missions such as the astronomical Great Observatories and the EOS Terra/Aqua/Aura remote sensing spacecraft. The first Explorer satellites (Explorer I-V) were part of a US Army program. When NASA came into being in 1958, it took over the Explorer name; the first successful NASA Explorer was Explorer VI. In the early days, the satellites were given names in the S (for Science) series before launch, and only assigned Explorer names if the launch was successful. This system was superseded by pre-launch names indicating specific sub-programs within Explorer; for instance, AE-A was Atmosphere Explorer A. Letters A,B,C.. were assigned to each spacecraft within a subprogram. Again, Explorer names were assigned and used after the launch was successful, so AE-A was known as Explorer XVII after launch. The nomenclature becomes more confusing because some satellites were also given sub-program names after launch; thus, IMP A became both Explorer XVIII and IMP I when it reached orbit. In the 1960s these sub-program names were not often used, but by the early 1970s, the sub-program names began to take over and the Explorer numbers were rarely used (Explorer 48 is almost always called SAS 2). Finally in 1975, NASA stopped assigning overall Explorer numbers; IUE, although an Explorer, is not `Explorer 57' or any other number. Explorer launches in the 1960s and 1970s can be divided roughly on the basis of launch vehicle - the small Scout-launched Explorers and the somewhat more ambitious Delta-launched missions. In the 1980s, elephantiasis slowed Explorer science launches almost to a halt; the Delta Explorers had grown to match the increased power of the Delta 2 launch vehicle. With the early 1990s, the Explorer program was given renewed vigor and two main lines of Explorer satellite were begun with competed selection. The SMEX (Small Explorer) and the MIDEX (Mid-sized Explorer) were both smaller than the Delta Explorers which were phased out with FUSE. In addition, a number of tiny 'Missions of Opportunity' were added on an occasional basis, and there was a short-lived line of small 'University Explorers' (UNEX). In the table below the Explorer program is summarized, grouped by broad scientific discipline. The table gives the mission class, and for astronomy missions also the mass in kg and the operational lifetime in years. Note that very few payload failures have occurred in the program, and after the early 1960s, almost no launch failures. For the astronomical missions, I have also noted which ones had significant Guest Observer participation (GO missions). IUE (together with the Observatory-class Einstein mission) pioneered the GO mission, allowing observers around the world to use spaceborne telescopes as general-user facilities, in contrast to the more usual PI (Principal Investigator) missions where the instrument team decides all the targets and gets first crack at all the data. Astronomy Explorer missions --------------------------- Mass/kg Class Life/yr S-15 (Explorer 11) 1961 40 Juno 0.7 LEO - Upper limit to gamma ray background Radio Astronomy Explorer A (Explorer 38/RAE 1) 1968 189 Delta 4.5 MEO - 228m antenna, 0.4-10 MHz radio background Small Astron. Sat. A (Explorer 42/SAS-1/Uhuru) 1970 143 Scout 2.5 LEO - first X-ray all-sky catalog Radio Astronomy Explorer B (Explorer 49/RAE 2) 1973 200 Delta 3.8 Lunar orbit - 0.2-13 Mhz radio sky (Joe Alexander) Small Astron. Sat. B (Explorer 48/SAS-2) ... read more

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