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P-14 (Explorer 10)

Explorer 10 (P 14) [NASA]

Explorer 10 was a cylindrical, battery-powered spacecraft instrumented with two fluxgate magnetometers and one rubidium vapor magnetometer extending from the main spacecraft body, and a Faraday cup plasma probe. The mission objective was to investigate the magnetic fields and plasma as the spacecraft passed through the earth's magnetosphere and into cislunar space. The satellite was launched into a highly elliptical orbit. It was spin stabilized with a spin period of 0.548 s. The direction of its spin vector was 71 deg right ascension and minus 15 deg declination. Because of the limited lifetime of the spacecraft batteries, the only useful data were transmitted in real time for 52 h on the ascending portion of the first orbit. The distance from the earth when the last bit of useful information was transmitted was 42.3 earth radii. All transmission ceased several hours later.

Nation: USA
Type / Application: Research
Operator: NASA
Contractors: NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center
Equipment: 2 fluxgate magnetometers, rubidium vapor magnetometer, Faraday cup plasma probe
Configuration:
Propulsion: None
Power: Batteries
Lifetime: 52 hours
Mass: 35 kg
Orbit: 221 km × 181100 km, 33.00°
Satellite COSPAR Date LS Launch Vehicle Remarks
Explorer 10 (P 14) 1961 κ 25.03.1961 CC LC-17A Delta

References:

  • NSSDC Master Catalog: P 14
Further Explorer missions:

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