ESSA-8
![]() An ESSA satellite
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Mission type | Weather satellite |
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Operator | ESSA/NASA[1] |
COSPAR ID | 1968-114A |
SATCAT № | 3615 |
Spacecraft properties | |
Manufacturer | RCA Astro |
Launch mass | 297 kilograms (655 lb)[2] |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 15 December 1968, 17:21:04[3] | UTC
Rocket | Delta N |
Launch site | Vandenberg SLC-2E |
End of mission | |
Disposal | Decommissioned |
Deactivated | 12 March 1976 |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Regime | Low Earth |
Semi-major axis | 7,816.70 kilometers (4,857.07 mi) |
Eccentricity | 0.0031481 |
Perigee | 1,421 kilometers (883 mi) |
Apogee | 1,470 kilometers (910 mi) |
Inclination | 101.31 degrees |
Period | 114.63 minutes |
Epoch | 7 December 2013, 13:01:30 UTC[4] |
ESSA-8 was a weather satellite launched by NASA on December 15, 1968. It operated for 2,644 days until it was deactivated on March 12, 1976. ESSA-8 was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA.
ESSA-8 was an 18-sided polygon. It measured 110 centimetres (42 in) in diameter by 22 inches (56 cm) in height, with a mass of 130 kilograms (290 lb). It was made of aluminum alloy and stainless steel covered with 10,020 solar cells. The cells charged 63 nickel–cadmium batteries, which served as a power source. The satellite could take 8 to 10 pictures every 24 hours. Each photo covered a 5,200-square-kilometre (2,000 sq mi) area at a resolution of 3.2 kilometres (2 mi) per pixel.
ESSA-8's mission was to replace ESSA-6, and provide detailed cloud pattern photography to ground stations worldwide. Partners in the project included NASA, ESSA, RCA, the U.S. Weather Bureau, and the NMC.
References
External links
- http://www.earth.nasa.gov/history/essa/essa8.html
- http://www.met.fsu.edu/explores/Guide/Essa_Html/essa8.html
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