OAO B [NASA]
OAO B (Orbiting Astronomical Observatory B) was one of a series of automated astromonical observatories which were ground controlled in orientation and were placed in a low earth orbit.
The experiments gathered for the unsuccessful OAO-B were called the Goddard Experiments Package, after rocket pioneer Robert Goddard. This spacecraft carried a moderate resolution scanning spectrometer system using a relatively fast 38-in. cassegrain telescope to determine composition and properites of early (types A and B) stars, as well as properties of variable stars and peculiar B stars using absolute spectrophotometric data (1000-4000 Å with 2 Å resolution). Optical system was to use a relatively fast 36 inch cassegrain telescope with a large aperture spectrophotometer. Six photomultipliers were to be used in a pulse-counting mode for data recovery.
This mission failed when the payload shroud of the Atlas-SLV3C Centaur-D rocket failed to separate.
Nation: | USA |
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Type / Application: | Astronomy, UV |
Operator: | NASA |
Contractors: | Grumman Aerospace Corp. |
Equipment: | |
Configuration: | |
Propulsion: | |
Power: | 2 deployable fixed solar arrays, batteries |
Lifetime: | |
Mass: | 2121 kg |
Orbit: |
Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
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OAO B (Goddard) | 1970-F09 | 30.11.1970 | CC LC-36B | F | Atlas-SLV3C Centaur-D |