Nimbus B was a meteorological satellite launched as part of the Nimbus program. It was released on May 18, 1968 from the Vandenberg Air Force Base, Lompoc, California, by means of a Thor-Agena launch vehicle, together with the SECOR 10 satellite. Nimbus B never achieved orbit because a malfunction in the booster guidance system forced the destruction of the spacecraft and its payload during launch.
 | |
| Mission type | Weather satellite |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | NIMBS-B |
| Mission duration | Launch failure |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | RCA Astrospace |
| Launch mass | 571.5 kilograms (1,260 lb)[1] |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | May 18, 1968, 08:23:00 UTC[2] |
| Rocket | Thorad-SLV2G Agena-D |
| Launch site | Vandenberg SLC-2E |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Epoch | Planned[1] |
The Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator SNAP-19 RTG was salvaged from the water, refurbished and later flown on Nimbus 3.[3]
Gallery
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Nimbus B undergoes testing in an echo-free chamber. -
The hunt was on for the Nimbus remains—divers, submarines and navy vessels all scoured the ocean in search of the craft. -
A team of divers and search vessels scoured the Pacific Ocean in search of remains of Nimbus-B. -
Intact SNAP-19 fuel capsule is shown among debris on Pacific Ocean floor, resulting from the aborted launch of a Nimbus B.
Instruments
edit- High Data Rate Storage System (DHRSS)
- High and Medium-Resolution Infrared Radiometers (HRIR/MRIR)
- Image Dissector Camera System (IDCS)
- Infrared Interferometer Spectrometer (IRIS)
- Monitor of Ultraviolet Solar Energy (MUSE)
- Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (SNAP-19)
- Real-time transmission System (RTTS)
- Satellite Infrared Spectrometer (SIRS)
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b "Nimbus B". National Space Science Data Center Master Catalog. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan C. "GCAT orbital launch log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
- ^ "Nimbus B". NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
External links
edit- The Day the Nimbus Weather Satellite Exploded by the Smithsonian Magazine
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