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

Table 3-55. Explorer 41 Characteristics

 

Also called:

Interplanetary Monitoring Platform G (IMP-G)

Date of launch (range):

June 21, 1969 (WTR)

Launch vehicle:

Delta E

Shape:

octagonal with 4 solar paddles

Weight (kg):

78.7

Dimensions (m):

0.71, diameter

0.25, height

Power source:

solar arrays plus AgCd battery

Prime contractor:

in-house

Date of reentry:

Dec. 23, 1972

Responsible NASA center:

GSFC

Project manager:

Paul Butler

Project Scientist:

Frank B. McDonald

Objectives:

To obtain measurements from the plasma and energetic particle experiments to allow continuation and extension of studies of the environment within and beyond earth's magnetosphere (7th in series).

Experiments (responsible organization):

.

 

Low-energy telescope (Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc.)

Ion chamber (Univ. of California, Berkeley)

Low-energy solar flare electron detector (Univ. of CA, Berkeley)

Composition of cosmic rays (Univ. of Chicago)

Low-energy proton and electron differential energy analyzer (Univ. of Iowa)

Low-energy proton differential energy analyzer (Univ. of IA)

Cosmic ray anisotropy (Southwest Center for Advanced Studies)

Solar proton detector (GSFC and Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins)

Plasma composition and ion energy distribution (GSFC and Univ. of Maryland)

Low-energy proton and alpha detector (GSFC)

Energy vs energy loss (GSFC)

Magnetic fields (GSFC)

Results:

Successful; also used in July-Aug. 1972 to observe solar flare activity.

 

Reference: MOR S-861-69-07, June 13, 1969; and NASA Hq. Release 69-89, "IMP-G," June 15, 1969.

 


-
Back -