AS-101
Mission type | Spacecraft aerodynamics |
---|---|
Operator | NASA |
COSPAR ID | 1964-025A |
SATCAT no. | 800 |
Mission duration | ~5 hours, 53 minutes |
Orbits completed | 54 |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft | Apollo BP-13 |
Launch mass | 7,700 kilograms (17,000 lb) |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | May 28, 1964, 17:07:00 | UTC
Rocket | LC-37B |
End of mission | |
Disposal | Uncontrolled reentry |
Last contact | May 28, 1964 | after 4 orbits
Decay date | June 1, 1964 |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Regime | Low Earth orbit |
Perigee altitude | 178 kilometers (96 nmi) |
Apogee altitude | 199 kilometers (107 nmi) |
Inclination | 31.7 degrees |
Period | 88.26 minutes |
Epoch | 30 May 1964[1] |
AS-101 (also designated SA-6) was the sixth flight of the
The test took place on May 28, 1964, lasting for four orbits (about six hours). The spacecraft and its upper stage completed a total of 54 orbits before reentering the atmosphere and crashing in the Pacific Ocean on June 1, 1964.The flight experienced a single anomaly: one of the eight first-stage Saturn I engines shut down early, but the guidance system compensated by burning the remaining seven engines longer. AS-101 was followed by four more flights to verify the launch aerodynamics of the Apollo command and service module (CSM) and its launch escape system (LES) tower.
Boilerplate Apollo
The first five launches of the Saturn I had carried
Flight
It took three attempts to launch the rocket from
The vehicle finally lifted off on May 28, 1964. There had been several delays during the countdown as liquid oxygen vapors obscured an optical window in the SA-6's instrument unit, so that a ground-based theodolite could not see it. This theodolite was required by the countdown computer in order for launch to proceed. Engineers deemed it non-critical and reprogrammed the computer, allowing the launch to proceed.
The ascent was normal up to 116.9 seconds after liftoff, at which point engine number eight shut off early. This was not planned, as it had been on
The second stage cut off at 624.5 seconds after launch (1.26 seconds earlier than predicted), with the stage and boilerplate spacecraft in a 182 kilometers (98 nautical miles) by 227 kilometers (123 nautical miles) orbit. It continued to transmit data for four orbits, after which the batteries failed. The vehicle made a total of 54 orbits, re-entering the atmosphere east of
Engine failure cause
Engineers were quick to find the cause of the failure of engine number eight. The teeth on one of the gears in the
References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
- ^ "NASA: SA-6". Archived from the original on May 14, 2011. Retrieved December 8, 2003.
- ^ a b NSSDC: SA-6
External links
- The Apollo Spacecraft: A Chronology Archived December 9, 2017, at the Wayback Machine
- NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive
- Moonport: A History of Apollo Launch Facilities and Operations Archived March 18, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/history/apollo/sa-6/sa-6.html Archived May 14, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- Stages to Saturn
- Postlaunch Report for Apollo Mission A-101