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- Explorer 9 was the first in a series of 3.66-m inflatable spheres placed into orbit solely for the determination of atmospheric densities. The spacecraft consisted of alternating layers of aluminum foil and plastic film. Uniformly distributed over the aluminum surface were 5.1-cm dots of white paint for thermal control. Explorer 9 carried a 136-MHz beacon for tracking purposes. The beacon failed on the first orbit however, and the SAO Baker-Nunn camera network had to be relied upon for tracking. The spacecraft reentered the earth's atmosphere on April 9, 1964. Group: Platform_Details Entry_ID: EXPLORER-9 Group: Platform_Identification Platform_Category: Balloons/Rockets Short_Name: EXPLORER 9 Long_Name: Air Density Balloon End_Group Group: Synonymous_Platform_Names Short_Name: Explorer-9 End_Group Group: Platform_Associated_Instruments Short_Name: OPTICAL BEACON Short_Name: OPTICAL TRACKING Short_Name: SATELLITE RADIO BEACON End_Group Group: Orbit Orbit_Inclination: 38.91degrees Perigee: 545 km Apogee: 2225 km End_Group Creation_Date: 2007-08-21 Online_Resource: http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/database/MasterCatalog?sc=1961-004A Group: Platform_Logistics Launch_Date: 1961-02-16 Launch_Site: Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, USA Primary_Sponsor: NASA End_Group End_Group
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