Engineering:Proton 4

From HandWiki
Proton 4
NamesProton-2 1 N-6 #1
COSPAR ID1968-103A
Spacecraft properties
BusN-6
Launch mass17 t (19 tons)
Start of mission
Launch date16 November 1968
RocketProton-K[1]
Launch siteTyuratam (Baikonur Cosmodrome), U.S.S.R.
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Perigee altitude248 km
Apogee altitude477 km
Inclination51.55°
 

Proton 4 was the last in a series of spacecraft designed to study the energy spectrum and the chemical composition of cosmic rays. The spacecraft was cylindrical in form and had extended solar panels and antennas. Proton 4 also studied the possible collisions of cosmic ray particles with the nuclei of hydrogen, carbon, and iron. It was hoped that the postulated fundamental particle, the quark, might be discovered during this flight. The spacecraft was in orbit for 250 days.[1]

References