2018-10-30 13:00:59.0 [sritz]
insert Definition (id: null
text: ESSA-3 satellite replaced ESSA-1. It provided cloud-cover photography to the US's National Meteorological Center for the purpose of preparing weather analyses and forecasts. The spacecraft was designed and configured exactly the same as NIMBUS-1. The total weight of the spacecraft was 912 pounds.
The spacecraft was an 18-sided polygon, 42 inches in diameter, 22 inches high and weighed 320 pounds; it was made of aluminum alloy and stainless steel, then covered with 9100 solar cells. The solar cells served to charge the 63 nickel-cadmium batteries.
The two cameras were mounted 180-degrees opposite each other along the side of the cylindrical craft. The "cartwheel" configuration of the TIROS-9 was selected as the orbital configuration for the ESSA satellites. Therefore, a camera could be pointed at some point on Earth every time the satellite rotated along its axis. The spacecraft operating system was the same as on the TIROS-9. The craft was placed in its planned Sun-synchronous 101 degree inclination retrograde orbit. The ESSA-3 system transmitted images covering 2000-square mile areas with 2-mile resolution from every location once per day.
ESSA-3 Stats:
Launch Date: October 02, 1966
Operational Period: 736 days until deactivated by NASA on December 02, 1968
Launch Vehicle: Thrust Augmented Three-Stage Delta
Launch Site: Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA
Type: Weather Satellite
language code: en);
ESSA-3 satellite replaced ESSA-1. It provided cloud-cover photography to the US's National Meteorological Center for the purpose of preparing weather analyses and forecasts. The spacecraft was designed and configured exactly the same as NIMBUS-1. The total weight of the spacecraft was 912 pounds.
The spacecraft was an 18-sided polygon, 42 inches in diameter, 22 inches high and weighed 320 pounds; it was made of aluminum alloy and stainless steel, then covered with 9100 solar cells. The solar cells served to charge the 63 nickel-cadmium batteries.
The two cameras were mounted 180-degrees opposite each other along the side of the cylindrical craft. The "cartwheel" configuration of the TIROS-9 was selected as the orbital configuration for the ESSA satellites. Therefore, a camera could be pointed at some point on Earth every time the satellite rotated along its axis. The spacecraft operating system was the same as on the TIROS-9. The craft was placed in its planned Sun-synchronous 101 degree inclination retrograde orbit. The ESSA-3 system transmitted images covering 2000-square mile areas with 2-mile resolution from every location once per day.
ESSA-3 Stats:
Launch Date: October 02, 1966
Operational Period: 736 days until deactivated by NASA on December 02, 1968
Launch Vehicle: Thrust Augmented Three-Stage Delta
Launch Site: Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA
Type: Weather Satellite (en)