AS-105

AS-105 was the fifth and final orbital flight of a boilerplate Apollo spacecraft, and the third and final launch of a Pegasus micrometeoroid detection satellite. It was launched by SA-10, the tenth and final Saturn I rocket, in 1965.

AS-105

Launch of SA-10 carrying AS-105
Mission type	Spacecraft aerodynamics; micrometeoroid investigation
Operator	NASA
COSPAR ID	1965-060B
SATCAT no.	1468
Distance travelled	912,064,090 kilometers (566,730,350 mi)
Orbits completed	~22,152
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Apollo BP-9 Pegasus 3
Launch mass	1,451 kilograms (3,199 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	July 30, 1965, 13:00:00 (1965-07-30UTC13Z) UTC
Rocket	Saturn I SA-10
Launch site	Cape Kennedy LC-37B
End of mission
Decay date	November 22, 1975 (1975-11-23)
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Perigee altitude	521 kilometers (324 mi)
Apogee altitude	536 kilometers (333 mi)
Inclination	28.8 degrees
Period	95.2 minutes
Epoch	3 September 1965
Apollo program

Overview

AS-105 was an Apollo boilerplate spacecraft; boilerplate BP-9A was used for the flight. The spacecraft reentered on November 22, 1975. The Saturn launch vehicle (SA-10) was similar to those of missions AS-103 and AS-104. As on the previous mission, the boilerplate service module was equipped with a test installation of a reaction control engine package.

The primary flight objective was to continue demonstration of the launch vehicle's iterative guidance mode and evaluation of system accuracy.

Launch

AS-105 was launched from Cape Kennedy Launch Complex 37B at 08:00 EST (13:00 GMT) on July 30, 1965, on the last Saturn I rocket, SA-10. A planned thirty-minute hold ensured that launch time coincided with the opening of the Pegasus launch window. The launch was normal and the payload was inserted into orbit approximately 10.7 minutes after lift-off. The total mass placed in orbit, including the spacecraft, Pegasus spacecraft, adapter, instrument unit, and S-IV stage, was 34,438 pounds (15,621 kg).

The spacecraft was separated 812 seconds after lift-off and the separation and ejection system operated as planned. The Pegasus 3 spacecraft, which was attached to the S-IV stage of the Saturn I and stowed inside the boilerplate service module, was deployed 40 seconds after command initiation at 872 seconds. Pegasus 3 was a 1423.6 kilogram (3138.6 pound) micrometeoroid detection satellite, which was bolted to the S-IV.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

External links

• NSSDC: SA-10
• Range safety data for Saturn SA-10
• SA-10 flight mechanical summary technical memorandum, Jul. 13, 1965
• Vibration and acoustic analyzes, Saturn SA-10 flight
• Saturn SA-10/Pegasus C postflight trajectory