Weather Satellites: ATS V

ATS V - Applications Technology Satellite V

Launch date: August 12, 1969

Launch site: Cape Canaveral, Florida

Launch vehicle: Atlas Centaur

PROGRAM OBJECTIVE:

Evaluate gravity-gradient stabilization and new imaging techniques for meteorological data retrieval (same as failed ATS IV).

SPACECRAFT DESCRIPTION:

Shortly after separation, the spacecraft began to wobble, and although control was restored and the satellite reached its destination (over the equator west of Ecuador), the satellite was spinning the wrong direction. Although some of the instrumentation on board functioned properly despite the wrong spin, the gravitational gradient and imagery acquisition experiments failed. WEFAX was still operational although no images were transmitted.

PARTICIPANTS:

NASA, Hughes, General Electric, Westinghouse, Lockheed, Jet Propulsion Laboratory