The Space Technology Laboratories, Inc. (TRW) Satellite, Pioneer I, Reconstructed Replica

The Space Technology Laboratories, Inc. (TRW) Satellite, Pioneer I, engineered model in the foreground and TRW Satellite Pioneer 5 in the background

This is a engineered model of a Pioneer satellite intended to orbit the moon. Pioneer 1 was launched on October 11, 1958 but the final velocity was insufficient to escape the earth's gravity. The resulting trajectory took the satellite to an altitude of 70,700 mi. During the flight the spacecraft transmitted 43 hours of scientific data. It burned up upon reentry into the earth's atmosphere two days later. A replica was assembled in 1963 by the prime contractor, Space Technology Laboratories Inc (TRW) from original parts that failed to meet flight specifications. It was displayed at the Los Angeles Museum of Science until February 1964 and then donated to the Smithsonian Institution by TRW. It was displayed in the NASM Satellites gallery from 1976 to 1983, loaned to the Scottish Museum from May to December 1984 and then was part of a SI Traveling exhibition. It is now in display storage at the Udvar-Hazy Center.
Manufacturer: TRW Space & Technology Group
Country of Origin: United States of America
Dimensions: Overall: 2 ft. 5 in. wide x 2 ft. 6 in. deep, 24 lb. (73.7 x 76.2cm, 10.9kg)
Materials: Shell - laminated plastic

Pioneer 1 consisted of a thin cylindrical midsection with a squat truncated cone on each side. The cylinder was 74 cm in diameter and the height from the top of one cone to the top of the opposite cone was 76 cm. along the axis of the spacecraft and protruding from the end of the lower cone was an 11 kg solid propellant injection rocket and rocket case, which formed the main structural member of the spacecraft. Eight small low-thrust solid propellant velocity adjustment rockets were mounted on the end of the upper cone in a ring assembly which could be jettisoned after use. A magnetic dipole antenna also protruded from the top of the upper cone. The shell was composed of laminated plastic. The total mass of the spacecraft after venire separation was 34.2 kg, after injection rocket firing it would have been 23.2 kg.

The scientific instrument package had a mass of 17.8 kg and consisted of an image scanning infrared television system to study the Moon's surface to a resolution of 1 mill radian, an ionization chamber to measure radiation in space, a diaphragm/microphone assembly to detect micro meteorites, a spin-coil magnetometer to measure magnetic fields to 5 micro gauss, and temperature-variable resistors to record spacecraft internal conditions. The spacecraft was powered by nickel-cadmium batteries for ignition of the rockets, silver cell batteries for the television system, and mercury batteries for the remaining circuits. Radio transmission was at on 108.06 MHz through an electric dipole antenna for telemetry and Doppler information at 300 m W and a magnetic dipole antenna for the television system at 50 W. Ground commands were received through the electric dipole antenna at 115 MHz The spacecraft was spin stabilized at 1.8 rps, the spin direction was approximately perpendicular to the geomagnetic meridian planes of the trajectory.

It was intended to study the ionizing radiation, cosmic rays, magnetic fields, and micro meteorites in the vicinity of the Earth and in lunar orbit. Due to a launch vehicle malfunction, the spacecraft attained only a ballistic trajectory and never reached the Moon. It did return data on the near-Earth space environment. The spacecraft was launched on October 11, 1958 but it did not reach the Moon as planned due to a programming error in the upper stage causing a slight error in burnout velocity and angle (3.5 deg.). This resulted in a ballistic trajectory with a peak altitude of 113,800 km around 1300 local time. The real-time transmission was obtained for about 75% of the flight, but the percentage of data recorded for each experiment was variable. Except for the first hour of flight, the signal to noise ratio was good. The spacecraft ended transmission when it reentered the Earth's atmosphere after 43 hours of flight on October 13, 1958 at 03:46 UT over the South Pacific Ocean. A small quantity of useful scientific information was returned; showing the radiation surrounding Earth was in the form of bands and measuring the extent of the bands, mapping the total ionizing flux, making the first observations of hydro magnetic oscillations of the magnetic field, and taking the first measurements of the density of micro meteorites and the interplanetary magnetic field.

Below is video of the Thor Able Missile Launch of a Courier communication Satellite on 10/06/1960

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