OSO 7
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
OSO 7 or Orbiting Solar Observatory 7 (NSSDC ID: 1971-083A), before launch known as OSO H is the seventh in the series of American Orbiting Solar Observatory satellites launched by NASA between 1962 and 1975.[2] OSO 7 was launched from Cape Kennedy (now Cape Canaveral) on 29 September 1971 by a Delta N rocket into a 33.1° inclination, low-Earth (initially 321 by 572 km) orbit, and re-entered the Earth's atmosphere on 9 July 1974. It was built by the Ball Brothers Research Corporation (BBRC), now known as Ball Aerospace, in Boulder Colorado.
Operator | NASA |
---|---|
COSPAR ID | 1971-083A |
SATCAT no. | 05491 |
Mission duration | 3 years |
Spacecraft properties | |
Manufacturer | Ball Brothers Research Corporation (BBRC) |
Launch mass | 635 kilograms (1,400 lb) |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 29 September 1971, 09:50:00 (1971-09-29UTC09:50Z) UTC |
Rocket | Delta-N |
Launch site | Cape Kennedy LC-17A |
End of mission | |
Decay date | 9 July 1974 |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Eccentricity | 0.018376 |
Perigee altitude | 321.0 kilometers (199.5 mi) |
Apogee altitude | 572.0 kilometers (355.4 mi) |
Inclination | 33.10 degrees |
Period | 93.20 minutes |
Mean motion | 15.45 |
Epoch | 29 September 1971, 05:50:00 UTC[1] |
While the basic design of all the OSO satellites was similar, the OSO 7 was larger [total spacecraft mass was 635 kg (1397 lb)] than the OSO 1 through OSO 6, with a larger squared-off solar array in the non-rotating "Sail", and a deeper rotating section, the "Wheel".[3]