User:Kentholke/projects/vanguard 2
 Vanguard 2 | |
| Mission type | Weather satellite Air density experiment |
|---|---|
| Operator | Department of the Navy |
| Harvard designation | 1959 Alpha 1 |
| SATCAT no. | 11 |
| Mission duration | Weather observation: 19 days Atmospheric density studies ongoing |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Naval Research Laboratory |
| Launch mass | 10.8 kilograms (24 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 17 February 1959, 15:55 UTC[1] |
| Rocket | Vanguard - SLV-4 |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral LC-18A |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Medium Earth |
| Semi-major axis | 8,127.72 kilometers (5,050.33 mi)[2] |
| Eccentricity | 0.1472316[2] |
| Perigee altitude | 560 kilometers (350 mi)[2] |
| Apogee altitude | 2,953 kilometers (1,835 mi)[2] |
| Inclination | 32.87 degrees[2] |
| Period | 121.54 minutes[2] |
| RAAN | 251.33 degrees[2] |
| Mean anomaly | 11.85 degrees[2] |
| Mean motion | 11.85[2] |
| Epoch | 24 January 2015, 14:43:44 UTC[2] |
| Revolution no. | 38,278[2] |
| Instruments | |
| Radio beacon Optical scanner | |
Vanguard 2 (SLV-4) was an earth-orbiting satellite launched from Cape Canaveral complex 18A on February 17, 1959. It was the second of three successfull launces of eleven toll in Project Vanguard. It was the first satellite designed to observe and record the Earth's cloud cover. While the overall mission of Vanguard 2 was considered "partially successfull," it's insertion into orbit around Earth gave the United States a more respectable standing against the Soviet Union in the space race.
Origin of the Vanguard Program
[edit]In 1952, the International Council of Scientific Unions recommended the launching of small satellites for the International Geophysical Year (IGY). The U.S. National Committee for the IGY studied the proposal and in March, 1955, issued reports to the National Acadamy of Sciences and the National Science Foundation in favor of the proposal.
Vanguard Design
[edit]Haste Makes Waste
[edit]Mission Objectives
[edit]Mission Timeline
[edit]Mission Results
[edit]Congratulatory letter to the participants of the Vanguard 2 launch.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]Notes / Sources / Possible References
[edit]This section to be deleted
- Vanguard Celebrates 50 Years In Space
- The Naval Research Laboratory: Vanguard Project
- Sputnik: The Fiftieth Anniversary
- Vanguard: A History
- Vanguard
- The Internet Encyclopedia of Science: Vanguard
- The Vanguard Satellite Launching Vehicle: An Engineering Summary
- National Academy of Sciences: IGY
- NASA Sounding Rockets, 1958 - 1968: A historical Summary
Category:1959 in space exploration Category:1959 in the United States Category:Artificial satellites orbiting Earth Category:Project Vanguard Category:Weather satellites