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NASA TO LAUNCH
BEACON EXPLORER;
WILL TEST LASER
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9/17/64
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ground.
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of satellite tracking.
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BACKGROUND INFORMATION
of the ionosphere.
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GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER
D Greenbelt, Md. (¢
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two years.
satellite with four solar panels extending from its sides like
and bottom are the short antenna-like poles used for the electron
probe experiment.
The panels are 10 inches wide and five and one-half feet 'Long.
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Twice as many solar cells as are needed for initial
two five-foot whip antennas and two dipole antennas for the
beacon transmitter.
solar blade.
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. ELECTRON
iIf .'ROBE
TOPSIDE
SOUNDER 1 T
IONOSPHERE RECCORNER
',BEACON , REF LECTO R
,DIRECT
-MEASUIREMENT -
FARADAY
ROTATION
p; DE STATION LS T
STATION
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P PPLLCTO) PE LAL
FLO4W
Fx FEE@N ANTETA
/ A AS4AG41ETEE
SUTB)
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-, SOSOL"BLADE
XMOVABLE PASAL PLGHT CE FLI"T C E RCORT
WEEVE XEE (WWAN TM 22.126 MC RUS.I? UE
GODDARDGreenbelt,
Md OR
a)W~rANDBATTERY2 TUBESC CELLS_ LOGI
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P*EAJEDCT m CNIEPLI
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6 -11 CELLA EOBIE
DN40ISITSYPROBE(AF^T)
SLICTIII
Network (STADAN).
ionospheric experiments.
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outside.
an adjacent heater.
are folded down over the fourth stage of the Scout and held
free the despin cables about seven minutes after the fourth
ment lowers the rate to around three rpm. The rate will then
solar panels. The total despin process may take from two to
four days.
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THE IONOSPHERE EXPERIMENTS
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made in two ways. These are the Doppler Shift and Faraday
radio beacons.
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the antenna.
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The extent to which variations in the electron content
of the ionosphere can be measured then is limited only by the
number and locations of ground stations. And, each station
will be able to make a real time measurement each time the
satellite passes within radio range.
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predicted path of the Beacon Explorer and when they locate it,
they will "flash" the laser light at a rate of one flash per
second.
counter will record how long it took for the light signal to
possible.
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so that both ends are polished to act like mirrors. The white
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the rod, the bouncing rays hit other excited chromium atoms
Thl-se rays are in phase with each other and are parallel to
each other as they bounce back and forth between the reflecting
of the rod which has been made more transparent than the other.
The laser light can be directed into a narrow pencil beam which
does not lose its effective strength before reaching the target.
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Two sensors, one at the top of the spacecraft and the
Dallas.
NASA Headquarters
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Participating Agenciss
University of Illinois
Stanford University
U.S. Bureau of
Central Radio Propagation Laboratory,
Standards
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Macquarie I
Port Moresby
Sydney-Fleurs
Townsville "
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-- t
Wellington i "
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Countrr Station Investigator & Address
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Country Station Investigator & Address
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Country Station Investigator & Address
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