ATS-3
American experimental satellite / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Applications Technology Satellite 3, or ATS-3, was a long-lived American experimental geostationary weather and communications satellite, operated by NASA from 1967 to 2001.[3] It was at one time reputed to be the oldest satellite still in operation.[4] As of 1995[update], NASA referred to the ATS-3 as "The oldest active communications satellite by a wide margin."[5]
Quick Facts Mission type, Operator ...
Mission type | Weather Communications Technology |
---|---|
Operator | NASA |
COSPAR ID | 1967-111A |
SATCAT no. | 3029 |
Mission duration | 56 years, 6 months, 22 days (in orbit) |
Spacecraft properties | |
Bus | HS-306 |
Manufacturer | Hughes |
Launch mass | 365.0 kilograms (804.7 lb) |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | November 5, 1967, 23:37:00 (1967-11-05UTC23:37Z) UTC[1] |
Rocket | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D |
Launch site | Cape Canaveral LC-12 |
End of mission | |
Deactivated | 2001 (2002) |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Regime | GSO |
Semi-major axis | 42,241.0 kilometres (26,247.3 mi) |
Eccentricity | 0.00043 |
Perigee altitude | 35,723 kilometers (22,197 mi) |
Apogee altitude | 35,862 kilometers (22,284 mi) |
Inclination | 6.92 degrees |
Period | 23.93 hours |
Epoch | January 21, 2014, 11:54:19 UTC[2] |
Close
On November 10, 1967, ATS-3 took NASA's first color photo (digital image mosaic) of the full-disk Earth, which was subsequently used on the cover of the first Whole Earth Catalog.