| definition
| - The RAE-1 spacecraft measured the intensity of celestial radio sources,
particularly the sun, as a function of time, direction, and frequency (0.2 to
20 MHz). The spacecraft was gravity gradient oriented. The spacecraft weight
was 193 kg, and average power consumption was 25 W. It carried two 750-ft-long
V-antennas, one facing toward the earth and one facing away from the earth. A
120-ft-long dipole antenna was oriented tangentially with respect to the
earth's surface. The spacecraft was also equipped with one 136-MHz telemetry
turnstile. The onboard experiments consisted of four step-frequency
Ryle-Vonberg radiometers operating from 0.45 to 9.18 MHz, two multichannel
total power radiometers operating from 0.2 to 5.4 MHz, one step frequency
V-antenna impedance probe operating from 0.24 to 7.86 MHz, and one dipole
antenna capacitance probe operating from 0.25 to 2.2 MHz. RAE-1 was designed
for a 1-year minimum operating lifetime. The spaecraft tape recorder
performance began to deteriorate after 2 months in orbit. In spite of several
cases of instrument malfunction, good data were obtained on all three antenna
systems. For more details, see R. R. Weber, J. K. Alexander, and R. G. Stone,
Radio Sci., v. 6, p. 1085, 1971.
- Auxiliary Information -
Launch Date and Time : 1968-07-04 17:31:00
Epoch Date and Time : 1968-07-07
Apogee (km or AU): 5861.
Perigee (km or AU): 5851.
Inclination (degree) : 120.6
Orbit Type : Geocentric
Information last updated on 1992-03-09
Group: Platform_Details
Entry_ID: RAE-A
Group: Platform_Identification
Platform_Category: Solar/Space Observation Satellites
Platform_Series_or_Entity: RAE (Radio Astronomy Explorer)
Short_Name: RAE-A
Long_Name: Radio Astronomy Explorer-A
End_Group
Group: Synonymous_Platform_Names
Short_Name: Explorer 38
End_Group
Group: Orbit
Orbit_Inclination: 120.6
Perigee: 5851
Apogee: 5861
End_Group
Creation_Date: 2008-01-02
Online_Resource: http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/masterCatalog.do?sc=1968-055A
Sample_Image: http://www.astronautix.com/graphics/r/rae.jpg
Group: Platform_Logistics
Launch_Date: 1968-07-04
Launch_Site: Vandenberg Air Force Base, USA
Primary_Sponsor: NASA
End_Group
End_Group (en)
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