P78-1
The P78-1
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| Mission type | Solar physics |
|---|---|
| Operator | DoD Space Test Program |
| COSPAR ID | 1979-017A |
| SATCAT no. | 11278 |
| Mission duration | 6 years, 6 months, 20 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Ball Aerospace |
| Launch mass | 1,331 kilograms (2,934 lb) |
| Dry mass | 850 kilograms (1,870 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | February 24, 1979, 08:24:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Atlas F |
| Launch site | Vandenberg SLC-3W |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Destroyed by ASAT |
| Destroyed | September 13, 1985 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Sun-synchronous |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Eccentricity | .0022038 |
| Perigee | 515 kilometres (320 mi) |
| Apogee | 545 kilometres (339 mi) |
| Inclination | 97.6346 |
| RAAN | 182.5017 |
| Argument of perigee | 99.6346 |
| Mean anomaly | 260.9644 |
| Mean motion | 15.11755304 |
| Epoch | 1985 09 13.72413718 |
| Instruments | |
| Gamma-ray spectrometer, a white light spectrograph, an extreme ultraviolet spectrometer, a high latitude particle spectrometer, an aerosol monitor, and an X-ray monitor | |
P78-1 or Solwind was a United States satellite launched aboard an Atlas F rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on February 24, 1979. The satellite operated until it was destroyed in orbit on September 13, 1985 to test the ASM-135 ASAT anti-satellite missile.
The satellite's Orbiting Solar Observatory (OSO) platform included a solar-oriented sail and a rotating wheel section. Ball Aerospace was the primary contractor for design and construction, and provided the attitude control and determination computer programs. The P78-1 carried a gamma-ray spectrometer, a white-light coronagraph, an extreme-ultraviolet imager, an X-ray spectrometer, a high-latitude particle spectrometer, an aerosol monitor, and an X-ray monitor. The X-ray monitor, designated NRL-608 or XMON, was a collaboration between the Naval Research Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory. The white-light coronagraph and the ultraviolet imager were combined in a single package, designated NRL-401 or SOLWIND, which was built by the Naval Research Laboratory. The coronagraph was the flight spare of the white-light coronagraph on the OSO-7 satellite. The ultraviolet imager used a CCD imager, one of the first uses of a CCD in space.
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