NSSDCA ID: 1961-010A-03
Mission Name: P 14 (Explorer 10)The optical aspect sensor consisted of a sun-moon-earth sensor and associated electronics. The earth-moon part of the sensor consisted of a fan field of vision, 3 deg wide and 120 deg long, which swept through the sky as the probe rotated in space. The appearance of the moon or earth in the field of view of the sensor caused a step change in subcarrier frequency. The sun part of the sensor consisted of a digital coded slit 2 deg wide and 100 deg long. The appearance of the sun in the field of view of the slit caused a discrete frequency on the subcarrier which corresponded to the position of the sun in the field of view. A more detailed description may be found in Albus, J. S., and D. H. Schaefer, "Satellite attitude determination digital sensing and on-board processing," IEEE Trans. on Space Electron. and Telem., Vol. SET-9, pp. 71-77, September 1963. $$
Questions and comments about this experiment can be directed to: Coordinated Request and User Support Office
Name | Role | Original Affiliation | |
---|---|---|---|
Mr. James S. Albus | Principal Investigator | NASA Goddard Space Flight Center |