Explorers Program: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 19:27, 3 November 2024

Revision as of 23:35, 13 January 2025

Line 42:

|27 November 1963, 02:30 UTC<ref name="jonathan">{{cite web |last=McDowell |first=Jonathan |title=Launch Log |url=http://www.planet4589.org/space/log/launchlog.txt |access-date=2018-06-24 |work=Jonathan's Space Page}}</ref>

|December 30, 1965

|First use of [[Integratedintegrated circuit|integrated circuits]]s in a spacecraft. First satellite in IMP-A/-B/-C design series.

|-

|[[Explorer 21|IMP-2]]

Line 116:

|Third spacecraft in IMP-I/-H/-J series, remained in service until 2006

|}

Over the following two decades, NASA has launched over 50 Explorer missions,<ref name= "nssdc_list"/> some in conjunction to military programs, usually of an exploratory or survey nature or had specific objectives not requiring the capabilities of a major space observatory. Explorer satellites have made many important discoveries on: Earth's [[magnetosphere]] and the shape of its [[Gravitational field|gravity field]]; the [[solar wind]]; properties of [[micrometeoroids]] raining down on the [[Earth]]; ultraviolet, cosmic and X-rays from the [[Solar System]] and beyond; [[Ionosphere|ionospheric physics]]; [[Solar flare|Solar plasma]]; [[solar energetic particles]]; and [[Atmospheric science|atmospheric physics]]. These missions have also investigated air density, radio astronomy, [[geodesy]], and [[gamma-ray astronomy]].{{factcitation needed|date=September 2024}}

With decreases in NASA's budget, Explorer missions became infrequent in the early 1980s.{{factcitation needed|date=September 2024}}

=== SMEX, MIDEX, and Student Explorer programs ===

Line 218:

| Explorer-92

| 14 December 2009

| Mission operations Completed on 31 July 2024. <ref>https://www.nasa.gov/missions/neowise/nasas-neowise-infrared-heritage-will-live-on/</ref> Reentered on 022 November 2024

|-

Line 1,739:

| LEO

| August 2024

| 022 November 2024

| MIDEX: infrared astronomy, NEOWISE extension. Discovered first [[Earth trojan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=2009-071A |title=NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details |publisher=Nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov |access-date=2018-04-20}}</ref>

Line 1,846:

[[File:Thor-Able III Explorer 6.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Explorer 6]] on a [[Thor-Able|Thor-Able III]] launch in August 1959]]

[[File:ISEE-C (ISEE 3) in dynamic test chamber.jpg|thumb|200px|right|ISEE-C in a dynamic test chamber, 1978]]

Many missions are proposed, but not selected. For example, in 2011, the Explorers Program received 22 full missions solicitations, 20 Missions of Opportunity, and 8 USPI.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://explorers.larc.nasa.gov/EX/ |title=Science Office for Mission Assessments: Explorer 2011 |website=Explorers.larc.nasa.gov |access-date=2016-02-24}}</ref> <!-- Missions of Opportunity (MO) are small collaborative missions with spacecraft not operated by NASA, such as an additional instrument. Examples of this include [[Astro-H]], [[CINDI]], [[TWINS]], and [[HETE-2]]. -->Sometimes mission are only partially developed but must be stopped for financial, technological, or bureaucratic reasons. Some missions failed upon reaching orbit including WIRE and TERRIERS.{{factcitation needed|date=September 2024}}

Examples of missions that were not developed or cancelled were:<ref name=skyrocket/>