Explorer 6
E1034213
Explorer 6 was an early NASA Earth-orbiting satellite launched in 1959 that returned some of the first images of Earth from space and studied the planet’s radiation environment.
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Earth observation satellite
ⓘ
NASA spacecraft ⓘ artificial satellite ⓘ |
| apoapsis | ~41,900 km ⓘ |
| carriedInstrument |
Faraday cup
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
ionization chambers ⓘ micrometeorite detectors ⓘ scintillation counters ⓘ television scanner ⓘ |
| communicationBand |
ultra high frequency
ⓘ
very high frequency ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| endOfUsefulOperations | 1959-10-06 ⓘ |
| epoch | early Space Age ⓘ |
| firstImageDate | 1959-08-14 ⓘ |
| firstImageDescription | crude television image of a sunlit area of the central Pacific Ocean and its cloud cover GENERATED ⓘ |
| followedBy | Explorer 7 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| historicalSignificance |
among the first satellites to return images of Earth’s cloud cover
ⓘ
contributed to early understanding of Earth’s radiation belts ⓘ |
| imageResolution | very low resolution television scan ⓘ |
| inclination | ~47 degrees ⓘ |
| launchDate | 1959-08-07 ⓘ |
| launchSite |
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Cape Canaveral, Florida NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| launchVehicle | Thor-Able NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| mass | ~64 kg ⓘ |
| missionObjective |
measure trapped radiation
ⓘ
obtain images of Earth from space ⓘ study Earth’s radiation environment ⓘ study cosmic rays ⓘ study geomagnetic field ⓘ study micrometeoroids ⓘ |
| missionStart | 1959-08-07 ⓘ |
| notableFor | returning some of the first images of Earth from space ⓘ |
| operator | NASA ⓘ |
| orbitType | highly elliptical Earth orbit ⓘ |
| periapsis | ~237 km ⓘ |
| powerSource |
batteries
ⓘ
solar cells ⓘ |
| precededBy | Explorer 5 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| program | Explorer program NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| reasonForEndOfOperations | power degradation ⓘ |
| spaceAgency | National Aeronautics and Space Administration NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| spacecraftBusShape | paddlewheel ⓘ |
| spacecraftType | scientific satellite ⓘ |
| status | mission completed ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.