SP-4012 NASA HISTORICAL DATA BOOK: VOLUME III
PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS 1969-1978

 

 

Table 3-129. Apollo 15 Subsatellite Characteristics

 

Also called:

A-15 Particles and Fields Subsatellite

Date of launch (range):

July 26, 1971 (ETR)

Date of ejection:

Aug. 4, 1971

Launch vehicle:

Saturn V

Shape:

hexagonal

Weight (kg):

36

Dimensions (m):

0.79 length

0.36, diameter

Power source:

solar cells plus AgCd battery Prime contractor: TRW

Date of reentry:

N/A Selenocentric orbit in 1984

Responsible NASA center:

JSC

Objectives:

To gather data for one year related to the moon's magnetic field, lunar gravity, and the solar wind; ejected from Apollo 15 command and service module scientific instrument module bay.

Experiments (responsible organization):

Particle shadows and boundary layer (Univ. of California at Berkeley)

Magnetometer (Univ. of California at Los Angeles)

S-band transponder (JPL)

Results:

Returned data successfully until early 1972.

Reference: NASA Hq. Release 71-119k, "Apollo 15 Press Kit," July 15, 1971; and NASA Hq. Release, "Apollo 15 Lunar Satellite," July 4, 1971.


-
Back -