Sep 15 1963
From The Space Library
NASA announced EXPLORER XVI meteoroid-detection satellite, launched Dec. 16, 1962, had ceased transmitting usable experimental data On July 25, 1963. Throughout its 71/2 months Of transmitting useful data, EXPLORER XVI fulfilled all its primary objectives. The satellite reported these results (One mil equals 1,000th Of an inch) : 44 penetrations Of one-mil beryllium-copper; 11 penetrations Of two-mil beryllium copper; 6 penetrations Of one-mil stainless steel; One penetration of two-mil- copper; and one penetration Of three-mil copper. There were no penetrations of five-mil beryllium-copper or six-mil stainless steel. One cadmium-sulfide cell was penetrated in such a way that. sunlight saturated it and rendered it inoperable More than 15,000 meteoroid hits were recorded by microphone impact sensors which covered about one-tenth Of total exposed experiment surface. These sensors did not measure penetration. (NASA Release 63203; LaRC Release)
Third command and data acquisition station in TIROS meteorological satellite CDA system became operational, the Fairbanks, Alaska, station joining those at Wallops Island, Va., and Pt. Mugu, Calif. CDA stations receive cloud-cover photographs and Other data from Orbiting TIROS satellites, relay them to Weather Bureau's National Weather Satellite Center, Suitland, Md., for analysis. (NASA Release 63-206)
Dr. W. E. Morrow, Jr., of MIT's Lincoln Laboratory, told International Scientific Radio Union in Tokyo that Project West Ford had "demonstrated that a significant communications capacity between large ground terminals can be provided by a dipole belt so diffused as to be barely detectable by optical astronomers and virtually undetectable by radio astronomers." He disclosed that Only about half Of the 400 million released dipoles had proved effective as signal reflectors, but the project has already fulfilled virtually all its major Objectives." (Simons, Wash,. Post, 9/16/63; Space Bus. Daily, 9/16/63, 388)
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