Engineering:Discoverer 33
 | |
| Mission type | Optical reconnaissance |
|---|---|
| Operator | United States Air Force /NRO |
| Mission duration | Failed to orbit |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Corona KH-2 |
| Bus | Agena-B |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed |
| Launch mass | 1,150 kilograms (2,540 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 23 October 1961, 19:23 UTC |
| Rocket | Thor DM-21 Agena-B 329 |
| Launch site | Vandenberg Air Force Base LC-75-3-5 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Epoch | Planned |
Discoverer 33, also known as Corona 9026, was an American optical reconnaissance satellite which was lost in a launch failure in 1961. It was the eighth of ten Corona KH-2 satellites, based on the Agena-B.[1]
The launch of Discoverer 33 occurred at 19:23 UTC on 23 October 1961. A Thor DM-21 Agena-B rocket was used, flying from Launch Complex 75-3-5 at the Vandenberg Air Force Base .[2] The launch ended in failure after the Agena suffered a hydraulics system malfunction that led to premature main engine shutdown.[3]
Discoverer 33 was intended to have operated in a low Earth orbit. It had a mass of 1,150 kilograms (2,540 lb),[4] and was equipped with a panoramic camera with a focal length of 61 centimetres (24 in), which had a maximum resolution of 7.6 metres (25 ft).[5] It would have recorded images onto 70-millimeter (2.8 in) film, and returned this in a Satellite Recovery Vehicle at the end of its mission. The Satellite Recovery Vehicle carried by Discoverer 33 was SRV-553.
References
- ↑ Krebs, Gunter. "KH-2 Corona". Gunter's Space Page. https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/kh-2.htm. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- ↑ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. http://planet4589.org/space/log/launchlog.txt. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
- ↑ Lindborg, Christina; Pike, John (9 September 2000). "KH-3 Corona". Federation of American Scientists. http://www.fas.org/spp/military/program/imint/kh-3.htm. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
- ↑ Wade, Mark. "KH-3". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 18 September 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100918005311/http://astronautix.com/craft/kh3.htm. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
- ↑ "Corona". Mission and Spacecraft Library. NASA. Archived from the original on 3 October 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20071003082210/http://msl.jpl.nasa.gov/Programs/corona.html. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
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