NSSDCA/COSPAR ID: 1975-037A
SAS-C was the third in the series of small spacecraft whose objectives were to survey the celestial sphere for sources radiating in the X-ray, gamma-ray, UV, and other spectral regions. The primary missions of SAS-C were to measure the X-ray emission of discrete extragalactic sources, to monitor the intensity and spectra of galactic X-ray sources from 0.2 to 60 keV, and to monitor the X-ray intensity of Scorpio X-1.
The spacecraft was launched from the San Marco platform off the coast of Kenya, Africa, into a near-circular, equatorial orbit. This spacecraft contained four instruments: the Extragalactic Experiment, the Galactic Monitor Experiment, the Scorpio Monitor Experiment, and the Galactic Absorption Experiment. In the orbital configuration, the spacecraft was 145.2 cm high and the tip-to-tip dimension was 470.3 cm. Four solar paddles were used in conjunction with a 12-cell nickel-cadmium battery to provide power over the entire orbit. The spacecraft was stabilized along the Z axis and rotated at about 0.1 deg/s. Changes to the spin-axis orientation were by ground command, either delayed or in real time. The spacecraft could be made to move back and forth plus or minus 2.5 deg across a selected source along the X axis at 0.01 deg/s. The experiments looked along the Z axis of the spacecraft, perpendicular to it, and at an angle.
Launch Date: 1975-05-07
Launch Vehicle: Scout
Launch Site: San Marco Platform, Kenya
Mass: 196.7 kg
Nominal Power: 65 W
Questions and comments about this spacecraft can be directed to: Coordinated Request and User Support Office
Name | Role | Original Affiliation | |
---|---|---|---|
Mr. John R. Holtz | Program Manager | NASA Headquarters | |
Dr. James E. Kupperian, Jr. | Project Manager | NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | |
Dr. Carl E. Fichtel | Project Scientist | NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | fichtel@lheavx.gsfc.nasa.gov |
Dr. Nancy G. Roman | Program Scientist | NASA Headquarters |
The SAS-3 Archive at HEASARC