Lewis (satellite)
| Mission type | Technology Remote sensing UV Astronomy |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1997-044A |
| SATCAT no. | 24909 |
| Mission duration | 1-3 years (planned) 3 days (achieved) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | T200B |
| Manufacturer | TRW |
| Launch mass | 288 kilograms (635 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 23 August 1997, 06:51:01 UTC |
| Rocket | SLC-6 |
| Contractor | Lockheed Martin |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | 26 August 1997 |
| Decay date | 28 September 1997 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 124 kilometers (77 mi) Planned: 523 kilometres (325 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 134 kilometers (83 mi) Planned: 523 kilometres (325 mi) |
| Inclination | 97.5 degrees |
| Epoch | 23 August 1997, 02:51:01 UTC[1] |
| Instruments | |
| HSI LEISA UCB | |
Lewis was an American satellite which was to have been operated by NASA as part of the Small Satellite Technology Initiative. It carried two experimental Earth imaging instruments, and an ultraviolet astronomy payload. Due to a design flaw it failed within three days of reaching orbit, before it became operational.
Lewis was a 288 kilograms (635 lb) spacecraft, which was designed to operate for between one and three years.[2] It was built by TRW under a contract which was signed on 11 July 1994.[2] Its primary instruments were the Hyperspectral Imager, the Linear Etalon Imaging Spectral Array and the Ultraviolet Cosmic Background experiment.[3] A number of technology demonstration payloads were also flown.
Launch
Lewis was launched by a
Mission failure
On 26 August, the satellite began spinning out of control at a rate of 2
See also
References
- ^ "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Trajectory Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
- ^ a b Wade, Mark. "Lewis". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
- ^ a b Krebs, Gunter. "Lewis (SSTI-1)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
- ^ "NASA loses contact with Lewis craft". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. August 28, 1997. p. 5A. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
- ^ Isbell, Douglas; Koris, Sally (August 26, 1997). "Lewis Spacecraft encounters difficulties". NASA/TRW. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
- ^ "Doomed satellite re-enters atmosphere". CNN. September 28, 1997. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
- ^ "Lewis spacecraft". ASTRONET. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
- ^ Isbell, Douglas (June 23, 1998). "Lewis spacecraft failure board report released". NASA. Retrieved March 27, 2010.