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- Orbiting Solar Observatory - 1 (OSO-1) Engineering Prototype The Orbiting Solar Observatory (OSO) series was the earliest of the spin stabilized scientific satellites. OSO-1 was launched on March 7, 1962 to study the sun in the ultraviolet, x-ray and gamma-ray regions of the spectrum. Sun sensors connected to servo-feedback systems on the upper "sail" portion were designed to keep the pointed instruments (75 pound payload) to within +/- 1 minute of arc on the center of the sun. The lower spinning portion carried some 100 pounds of instruments and rotated once every two seconds, allowing those instruments to scan the solar disk and atmosphere. The OSO had three protruding arms that extended after deployment which gave the system greater axial stability. Among many observations by the battery of instruments on OSO was that the sun's corona had openings, now called coronal holes, which were interpreted as huge fast-moving bubbles rising through the corona. Ball Aerospace Systems Division restored the OSO-I engineering prototype in 1982 af ter it was transferred from NASA in 1981. For additional information, link to "http://www.nasm.si.edu/nasm/dsh/artifacts/SS-OSO1.htm"
[Summary provided by the Smithsonian, National Air and Space Museum]
Group: Platform_Details Entry_ID: SOLRAD-1 Group: Platform_Identification Platform_Category: Solar/Space Observation Satellites Platform_Series_or_Entity: SOLRAD Short_Name: SOLRAD-1 Long_Name: Solar Radiation-1 End_Group Group: Synonymous_Platform_Names Short_Name: solrad-1 End_Group Creation_Date: 2007-01-14 Online_Resource: http://www.nasm.si.edu/nasm/dsh/artifacts/SS-OSO1.htm Sample_Image: http://www.weltraumforschung.de/Images/solrad1.jpg Group: Platform_Logistics Launch_Date: 1962-03-07 Primary_Sponsor: United States Department of Defense End_Group End_Group
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