Spacecraft Brief Description
The objectives of the OSO satellite series were to perform solar
physics experiments above the atmosphere during a complete solar cycle
and to map the entire celestial sphere for direction and intensity of
UV light and X-ray and gamma radiation. The OSO 7 platform consisted
of a sail section, which pointed two experiments continually toward
the sun, and a wheel section, which spun about an axis perpendicular
to the pointing direction of the sail and carried four experiments.
Attitude adjustment was performed by gas jets and a magnetic torquing
coil. A pointing control permitted the pointed experiments to scan
the region of the solar disk in a 60- by 60-arc-min raster pattern.
In addition, the pointed section could be commanded to select and scan
any 7.5- by 5-arc-min region near the solar disk. Data were
simultaneously recorded on tape and transmitted by PCM/PM telemetry.
A command system provided for at least 155 ground-based commands.
Only real-time data have been received since May 1973, when the second
tape recorder failed. The spacecraft reentered the earth's atmosphere
July 9, 1974.
Auxiliary Information
Launch Date and Time : 1971-09-29 09:50:00
Epoch Date and Time : 1971-09-30
Orbit Type : Geocentric
Apogee(km) : 572.
Perigee(km) : 321.
Inclination : 33.1
Date of last update : 2003-01-28
Additional information available at
"http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/oso7/oso7.html"
Group: Platform_Details
Entry_ID: OSO-7
Group: Platform_Identification
Platform_Category: Solar/Space Observation Satellites
Platform_Series_or_Entity: OSO (Orbiting Solar Observatory)
Short_Name: OSO-7
Long_Name: Orbiting Solar Observatory-7
End_Group
Group: Synonymous_Platform_Names
Short_Name: OSO-7
End_Group
Group: Platform_Associated_Instruments
Short_Name: GAMMA RADIATION DETECTOR
End_Group
Group: Orbit
Orbit_Inclination: 33.1 degrees
Perigee: 321 km
Apogee: 572 km
End_Group
Creation_Date: 2007-12-14
Online_Resource: http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/oso7/oso7.html
Sample_Image: http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/Images/oso/oso7_flight.gif
Group: Platform_Logistics
Launch_Date: 1971-09-29
Primary_Sponsor: NASA
End_Group
End_Group (en)