Solar Radiation (SOLRAD)
SOLRAD-10
Solrad 10, known as Explorer 44 before launch, was the third in a series of small satellites launched by the US Naval Research Laboratory to study the Sun. It went into orbit on 8 July 1971. It was in an eccentric orbit, with apogee 630 km, perigee 436 km, and inclination 51 degrees. The orbital period was just over 95 minutes. The satellite was spin stabilized at 60 rpm. The satellite spin axis was pointed toward the Sun. All of the solar X-ray and UV sensors were located on the Sun-facing end parallel to the spin axis. The satellite was 12 sided, with a diameter of 0.76 m and a height of 0.59 m. It weighed about 118 kg. Solrad 10's scientific instruments were dedicated to studying the solar electromagnetic radiation, specifically in the UV/X-ray region. However, it could be commanded to study radiations from other stellar sources. The spacecraft descended into the atmosphere on 15 December 1979. Additional information available at "http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/heasarc/missions/solrad10.html" [Summary provided by NASA] Group: Platform_Details Entry_ID: SOLRAD-10 Group: Platform_Identification Platform_Category: Solar/Space Observation Satellites Platform_Series_or_Entity: SOLRAD Short_Name: SOLRAD-10 Long_Name: Solar Radiation-10 End_Group Group: Synonymous_Platform_Names Short_Name: SOLRAD-10 End_Group Group: Platform_Associated_Instruments Short_Name: SXP End_Group Group: Orbit Orbit_Inclination: 51 degrees Perigee: 436 km Apogee: 630 km End_Group Creation_Date: 2008-01-14 Online_Resource: http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/heasarc/missions/solrad10.html Sample_Image: http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/Images/misc_missions/solrad10_small.gif Group: Platform_Logistics Launch_Date: 1971-07-08 Primary_Sponsor: NASA End_Group End_Group