Decerrber 2 , 1970

R E L E A S E NO: 70-203

OJECT: SAS-A
(To be l a u n c h e d no
e a r l i e r t h a n Dee, 12)

LAUNCH PLATPORM--------------------------------------------- 14
O P E R A T I O N S CONTROL, T R A C K I N G & DATA ACQUISITION------------- 15
LAUNCH AND O R B I T S E Q U E N C E OF EVENTS------------------------- 16-17
P R O J E C T , E X P E R I M E N T A N D LAUNCH TEAM------------------------- 18-20

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11/20/70

6
 NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION (202) 9Q-4155
NEWS . WASHINGTON,D.C. 20546 mm: (202) 963-6925
FOR RELEASE: WEDNESDAY A . M .
December 2 . 1 9 7 0
RELEASE NO: 70-203
f

The f i r s t American s a t e l l i t e t o be launched b y a n o t h e r

c o u n t r y w i l l be p l a c e d i n E a r t h o r b i t by a team of I t a l i a n
space e n g i n e e r s o p e r a t i n g from a mobile launch p l a t f o r m
l o c a t e d i n t h e I n d i a n Ocean. The launch w i l l take p l a c e o f f
t h e c o a s t of Kenya i n E a s t A f r i c a n o e a r l i e r t h a n December 1 2 .

The s p a c e c r a f t i s t h e S ronomy Satellite-A (SAS-A) ,

42 i n t h e N a t i o n a l A e r o n a u t i c s and Space A d m i n i s t r a t i o n ' s

Explorer series. It i s t h e f i r s t s a t e l l i t e equipped w i t h

s e n s i t i v e e x p e r i m e n t s t o d e t e c t high-energy X-ray s o u r c e s i n
s p a c e , and i s a l s o known as t h e X-ray E x p l o r e r ,

S u c c e s s f u l o p e r a t i o n of t h e astronomy s a t e l l i t e w i l l
a l l o w s c i e n t i s t s t o take t h e n e x t g i t s t e p i n astronomy --
t h e c a t a l o g i n g of powerful X-ray s o u r c e s b o t h w i t h i n and o u t -
side o u r g a l a x y , t h e M i l k y Way, During t h e f i r s t day of
operation of i t s s c i e n t i f i c instruments, the s a t e l l i t e i s
e x p e c t e d t o c o l l e c t more d a t a t h a n has been o b t a i n e d w i t h
sounding r o c k e t s i n the e ars since t h e e c l e r x e o f X-ray
astronomy was b o r n .
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When c o r r e l a t e d w i t h r a d i o and o p t i c a l astronomy

f i n d i n g s , t h i s i n f o r m a t i o n w i l l g i v e astronomers a new
dimension f o r u n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e m y s t e r i e s o f t h e high-
energy phenomena o f o u r galaxy a n d t h o s e which govern t h e
p r i n c i p a l p h y s i c a l p r o c e s s e s of t h e u- n i v e r s e . '
.-

The X-ray E x p l o r e r w i l l be launched n o e a r l i e r t h a n

10 a.m. East A f r i c a n t i m e ( 2 a . m . EST).

A four-stage, s o l i d - p r o p e l l a n t Scout launch v e h i c l e w i l l

b o o s t t h e 315-pound (142.8 k i l o g r a m ) E x p l o r e r s a t e l l i t e
i n t o a c i r c u l a r o r b i t a l o n g t h e e q u a t o r , some 342 s t a t u t e
m i l e s (550 k i l o m e t e r s ) h i g h . The s p a c e c r a f t w i l l c i r c l e t h e

globe once about e v e r y h o u r and a h a l f and has a d e s i g n

l i f e t i m e o f six months.

O r b i t i n g above t h e E a r t h ' s atmosphere, opaque t o X-rays

and most o t h e r energy from s p a c e , t h e X-ray E x p l o r e r w i l l
s c a n t h e s k y s y s t e m a t i c a l l y f o r X-ray s o u r c e s i n t h e energy
r a n g e of 2 , 0 0 0 t o 20,000 e l e c t r o n v o l t s . ( V i s i b l e star l i g h t

covers a r a n g e o f a b o u t two e l e c t r o n v o l t s . ) In addition t o

p i n p o i n t i n g t h e i r l o c a t i o n , t h e s a t e l l i t e w i l l r a d i o data on
t h e i n t e n s i t y , s p e c t r a l d i s t r i b u t i o n ( f r e q u e n c y ) and t i m e

v a r i a t i o n o f t h e d e t e c t e d X-ray s o u r c e s .

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The s a t e l l i t e a l s o w i l l map a d i f f u s e X-ray background

t h a t c o v e r s t h e e n t i r e sky a l m o s t u n i f o r m l y . Information
on t h e d i s t r i b u t i o n and e n e r g y s p e c t r u m of t h i s X-ray
background s h o u l d p r o v e i n v a l u a b l e i n d e t e r m i n i n g i t s o r i g i n .

The long-observing t i m e of t h e s a t e l l i t e , compared t o a

f e w m i n u t e s f o r t h e t y p i c a l sounding r o c k e t e x p e r i m e n t , w i l l

p e r m i t t h e o b s e r v a t i o n of X-ray s o u r c e s from a b o u t 3 0 t i m e s
f a i n t e r t h a n t h o s e observed t h u s f a r . With t h i s i n c r e a s e d

s e n s i t i v i t y , a s t r o n o m e r s s p e c u l a t e t h a t t h e number o f observed
X-ray s o u r c e s w i l l i n c r e a s e from a b o u t 4 0 to s e v e r a l hundred.

The X-ray E x p l o r e r w i l l o f f e r a s t r o n o m e r s t h e unique

o p p o r t u n i t y t o c o o r d i n a t e X-ray r e s e a r c h w i t h o t h e r areas o f
astronomy. Once X-ray s o u r c e s have b e e n i d e n t i f i e d w i t h known
v i s i b l e o b j e c t s , simultaneous observation of s e l e c t e d stars
can b e made i n t h e v i s i b l e , u l t r a v i o l e t , i n f r a r e d , r a d i o and
X-ray r e g i o n s of t h e e n e r g y spectrum.

Once new e x p l o d i n g s t a r s are d i s c o v e r e d and t h e i r l o c a t i o n s ,

p i n p o i n t e d , t h e X-ray E x p l o r e r can b e maneuvered t o view them.
Any X-ray d e t e c t e d i n t h e s e e x p l o d i n g s t a r s w i l l g i v e v a l u a b l e
c l u e s a b o u t t h e t e m p e r a t u r e s and d e t a i l s o f t h e n u c l e a r
p r o c e s s e s which are o c c u r i n g .

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s h o r t as f i v e h o u r s Or as l o n g as 24 h o u r s , depending
upon t h e amount of maneuvering r e q u i r e d ,

NASA c o n t r o l l e r s w i l l maneuver t h e X-ray E x p l o r e r from

t h e ground b y e n e r g i z i n g an e l e c t r o m a g n e t c o n t a i n e d in the
s p a c e c r a f t ' s a t t i t u d e c o n t r o l system. E l e c t r i c a l energy
s u r g i n g t h r o u g h t h i s d e v i c e Causes t h e e l e c t r o m a g n e t t o a c t
as a compass n e e d l e , a t t e m p t i n g t o a l i g n i t s e l f w i t h t h e
n o r t h - s o u t h l i n e s of t h e E a r t h ' s magnetic f i e l d . Thus,
t h e s p a c e c r a f t can be p o i n t e d t o any d i r e c t i . o n i n t h e s k y .

A c o n t r a c t f o r t h e l a u n c h of t h e X-ray Explorer, signed

by the U.S. and I t a l y , implements a Memorandum of Understanding
s i g n e d b y t h e two c o u n t r i e s i n February 1 9 6 9 , c a l l i n g f o r use
of I t a l y ' s San Marco launch p l a t f o r m o f f t h e east c o a s t of'
A f r i c a f o r launch o f U . S . satellites.

Under t h e terms Of t h e c o n t r a c t , s i g n e d by NASA and t h e

U n i v e r s i t a d e g l i Stud5 d i Roma ( U n i v e r s i t y o f Rome), NASA w i l l

p r o v i d e t h e launch r o c k e t and t h e s a t e l l i t e . The U n i v e r s i t y ' s
C e n t r o Ricerche A e r o s p a z i a l i (Aerospace Research C e n t e r ) w i l l
b e reimbursed f o r a s s e m b l y , checkout Of t h e launch v e h i c l e

a d launch of t h e s a t e l l i t e .

The I t a l i a n l a u n c h team, t r a i n e d b y NASA a t i t s Wallops

Station, Va., r a n g e SuCCeSsfUllY launched t h e San Marco-I

s a t e l l i t e from Wallops i n 1 9 6 4 and t h e San Marco-I1 s a t e l l i t e

from t h e San Marco p l a t f o r m i n 1967.

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Use o f I t a l y ' s San Marco p l a t f o r m e n a b l e s NASA t o

p l a c e t h e X-ray E x p l o r e r i n t o an e q u a t o r i a l o r b i t w i t h t h e
smaller Scout r o c k e t r a t h e r t h a n t h e l a r g e r l a u n c h v e h i c l e s
r e q u i r e d f o r a c h i e v i n g t h e same o r b i t from Cape Kennedy.

An e q u a t o r i a l o r b i t was s e l e c t e d f o r t h i s s a t e l l i t e t o
b y p a s s t h e South A t l a n t i c area where t h e E a r t h ' s r a d i a t i o n

belts d i p close t o the surface. T h i s r a d i a t i o n c o u l d degrade

t h e s p a c e c r a f t ' s e l e c t r o n i c s y s t e m s and t h e X-ray experiment.

The X-ray E x p l o r e r i s t h e f i r s t o f three s p a c e c r a f t approved

f o r f l i g h t under t h e S m a l l Astronomy S a t e l l i t e program conducted
by NASA's O f f i c e of Space S c i e n c e and A p p l i c a t i o n s . This

program has a b a s i c o b j e c t i v e of s u r v e y i n g t h e c e l e s t i a l s p h e r e
i n s e a r c h of s o u r c e s o f X-rays and gamma r a y s b o t h w i t h i n and
o u t s i d e of o u r g a l a x y .

Later SAS s p a c e c r a f t may b e approved t o s t u d y o t h e r

r e g i o n s of t h e e l e c t r o m a g n e t i c spectrum -- u l t r a v i o l e t and
infrared.

The SAS s p a c e c r a f t are unique i n t h a t t h e s c i e n t i f i c

i n s t r u m e n t s f o r e a c h m i s s i o n are c o n t a i n e d i n a s e p a r a t e l y
f a b r i c a t e d s e c t i o n which I s f i t t e d t o a common bus s e c t i o n .
Power, a t t i t u d e c o n t r o l , communications, data s t o r a g e and o t h e r
i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n n e c e s s a r y t o s u p p o r t t h e m i s s i o n are c o n t a i n e d
i n the bus s e c t i o n .
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Management of t h e SAS program i s d i r e c t e d by t h e

Goddard Space F l i g h t C e n t e r , G r e e n b e l t , Md. The X-ray
experiment was d e s i g n e d and developed by t h e American S c i e n c e
and E n g i n e e r i n g Co., I n c . , a t Cambridge, Mass., which i s
a l s o t h e p r i n c i p a l e x p e r i m e n t e r for t h i s m i s s i o n . Fabrication
of t h e s p a c e c r a f t and i n t e g r a t i o n of t h e experiment w i t h it
was accomplished a t t h e Johns Hopkins U n i v e r s i t y ' s Applied
P h y s i c s L a b o r a t o r y i n Howard County, Md., under c o n t r a c t to
Goddard.

The S c o u t Launch V e h i c l e i s managed f o r NASA by i t s

Langley Research C e n t e r , Hampton, V a . It was developed by

Ling-Temco-Vought , Aerospace Corp., Dallas.

(END OF GENERAL RELEASE; BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOLLOWS)

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SAS-A MISSION OBJECTIVES

The p r i m a r y o b j e c t i v e o f t h e S m a l l Astronomy S a t e l l i t e - A
(X-ray E x p l o r e r ) i s to develop a c a t a l o g o f c e l e s t i a l X-ray
s o u r c e s by s y s t e m a t i c s c a n n i n g o f t h e c e l e s t i a l s p h e r e i n
t h e energy r a n g e o f 2 , 0 0 0 to 2 0 , 0 0 0 e l e c t r o n v o l t s .

O p e r a t i n g above t h e E a r t h ' s e n e r g y o b s c u r i n g atmosphere,

t h e s a t e l l i t e w i l l s e a r c h f o r X-ray s o u r c e s b o t h w i t h i n and
o u t s i d e o u r g a l a x y , t h e M i l k y Way.
Measurements made on known and new X-ray s o u r c e s d e t e c t e d
w i l l i n c l u d e t h e i r p o s i t i o n , s t r e n g t h , s p e c t r a l composition
and t i m e v a r i a t i o n from minutes t o months. Expected a c c u r a c y
f o r t h e l o c a t i o n o f t h e s t r o n g e r X-ray s o u r c e s i s one a r c -
minute and a b o u t 15 arc-minutes f o r t h e weaker s o u r c e s .

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H I G H ENERGY ASTRONOMY

The window of v i s i b l e l i g h t t h r o u g h which man has a l w a y s

looked i n t o s p a c e shows o n l y a small p a r t of t h e e v e n t s
o c c u r i n g o u t s i d e t h e atmosphere of o u r p l a n e t . Even t h e
v i s u a l images w e see from E a r t h are d i s t o r t e d and clouded b y
t u r b u l e n c e and s c a t t e r i n g of l i g h t i n t h e atmosphere.
A new world of phenomena came i n t o view when a second
window was opened t o t h e u n i v e r s e w i t h t h e d i s c o v e r y a b o u t
38 y e a r s ago t h a t r a d i o s i g n a l s from s p a c e c o u l d b e d e t e c t e d
on E a r t h .
A s man l e a r n e d how to surmount t h e a t m o s p h e r i c v e i l w i t h
s p a c e v e h i c l e s such as b a l l o o n s , sounding r o c k e t s and s a t e l l i t e s ,
t h e u n i v e r s e began coming i n t o view on a l l f r e q u e n c i e s of t k e
energy spectrum.
High energy astronomy i s concerned w i t h t h e m o s t e n e r g e t i c
forms o f r a d i a t i o n -- X - r a y s , gamma r a y s , and cosmic p a r t i c l e s .
The o b s e r v a b l e energy r a n g e e x t e n d s from s o f t X - r a y s , about
250 e l e c t r o n volts, to t h e h i g h e s t e n e r g y cosmic r a y s , a l m o s t
100 million b i l l i o n electron volts. I n c o n t r a s t , a l l of t h e
v i s i b l e l i g h t c o v e r s a r a n g e o f a b o u t two e l e c t r o n v o l t s .
A Geiger c o u n t e r r o c k e t e d i n t o s p a c e aboard a sounding
r o c k e t i n 1 9 6 2 b y American S c i e n c e and E n g i n e e r i n g a s t r o n o m e r s
s u r p r i s e d t h e world b y r e v e a l i n g t h e e x i s t e n c e of s e v e r a l
X-ray s o u r c e s w i t h i n our M i l k y Way g a l a x y . T h i s f i r s t major
s u r p r i s i n g a s t r o n o m i c a l o b s e r v a t i o n w i t h a s p a c e v e h i c l e above
t h e E a r t h ' s atmosphere proved to b e t h e b i r t h of X-ray astronomy.

S i n c e t h a t b e g i n n i n g , j u s t e i g h t y e a r s ago, X - r a y
astronomy r e s e a r c h w i t h sounding r o c k e t s and b a l l o o n s has
r e v e a l e d t h e e x i s t e n c e of X-ray s t a r s and X-ray g a l a x i e s , s o
c a l l e d because t h e i r X-ray e n e r g y f a r exceeds t h e i r v i s i b l e
ok r a d i o e n e r g y .
To d a t e , some 4 0 d i s c r e t e s o u r c e s o f X - r a y s have been
d i s c o v e r e d a g a i n s t a d i f f u s e X-ray background t h a t c o v e r s t h e
e n t i r e s k y a l m o s t u n i f o r m l y . N e a r l y a l l of t h e s e s o u r c e s are
b e l i e v e d to l i e i n o u r g a l a x y and are c h a r a c t e r i z e d b y a n
a v e r a g e X-ray power about 1 , 0 0 0 t i m e s g r e a t e r t h a n t h e t o t a l
energy o u t p u t of o u r Sun.
The s t r o n g e s t known X-ray s o u r c e , S C O X-1 l o c a t e d i n t h e
c o n s t e l l a t i o n Scorpius, w a s h a r d l y noticed by o p t i c a l o r r a d i o
a s t r o n o m e r s . It appeared t o them as a n o r d i n a r y f a i n t s t a r .
Y e t , t h i s s t a r r a d i a t e s 1 0 0 t i m e s more power i n X-rays as i t
does i n v i s i b l e l i g h t . The t r u e n a t u r e of t h i s s t a r i s s t i l l
a m y s t e r y and t h e r e i s no a c c e p t a b l e t h e o r y as to why i t s h o u l d
e m i t s o much more X-ray t h a n v i s i b l e e n e r g y .

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One X-ray s o u r c e i s t h o u g h t to o r i g i n a t e i n t h e d i s t a n t
r a d i o g a l a x y V i r g o A (M87). The X-ray power of t h i s s o u r c e
i s about 70 t i m e s i t s r a d i o power.

Most X-ray s o u r c e s have y e t t o be i d e n t i f i e d w i t h v i s i b l e

or r a d i o c o u n t e r p a r t s , even though t h e r e i s s t r o n g e v i d e n c e
t h a t t h e y a r e a s s o c i a t e d w i t h supernova (exploded s t a r s ) and
p u l s a r s . Weaker e v i d e n c e l i n k s X-rays w i t h r a d i o g a l a x i e s
and q u a s a r s .
I n one c a s e , p u l s e d X - r a y s have been observed coming from
t h e Crab n e b u l a ( a s t a r remnant b e l i e v e d to have exploded n i n e
c e n t u r i e s a g o ) a t t h e r a t e of a b o u t 30 pulses-per-second. Each
p u l s e c o n t a i n s as much energy as c o u l d b e produced b y c o l l e c t i n g
t h e e n t i r e e l e c t r i c a l o u t p u t of o u r p r e s e n t t e r r e s t r i a l c i v i l i -
z a t i o n for 1 0 m i l l i o n y e a r s .
These f i n d i n g s r e p r e s e n t a major b e g i n n i n g s t e p toward
t h e g o a l o f u n d e r s t a n d i n g t h e h i g h energy phenomena i n our
g a l a x y and t h o s e which govern t h e p r i n c i p a l p h y s i c a l p r o c e s s e s
of t h e u n i v e r s e .
S c i e n t i s t s t h i n k t h a t t h e t i m e i s now r i p e f o r d e t a i l e d
studi.es of t h e X-ray phenomena a l r e a d y d i s c o v e r e d and f o r much
more thorough s u r v e y s of t h e s k y t o d e t e r m i n e t h e numbers and
t y p e s of o b j e c t s e m i t t i n g h i g h energy X - r a y s . Also c o r r e l a t i o n s
between X - r a y , v f s i b l e , u l t r a v i o l e t , i n f r a r e d and r a d i o a s t r o n -
omy o b s e r v a t i o n s must b e done to f u r t h e r t h e u n d e r s t a n d i n g of
t h e n a t u r e of t h e X-ray s o u r c e s .

The a d v e n t o f t h e X-ray E x p l o r e r , f i r s t i n t h e S m a l l
Astronomy S a t e l l i t e s e r i e s , now makes i t p o s s i b l e f o r man to
t a k e a g i a n t s t e p i n astronomy. Its s y s t e m a t i c d e t e c t i o n of
X-ray s o u r c e s some 30 times weaker t h a n t h e weakest known s o u r c e
i s expected to r e v e a l a heaven f u l l of X-ray s t a r s . I n t h i s
r e s p e c t , t h e s a t e l l i t e has been compared to t h e development of
t h e f i r s t l a r g e o p t i c a l t e l e s c o p e which d i s c l o s e d b i l l i o n s of
v i s i b l e s t a r s i n t h e heavens n o t s e e n b y t h e naked e y e .
Quick r e a t i o n c o r r e l a t i o n of X-ray s o u r c e s w i t h o p t i c a l
and r a d i o s o u r c e s w i l l p r o v i d e a s t r o n o m e r s new i n s i g h t a b o u t
t h e p h y s i c a l s t r u c t u r e and e n e r g y b a l a n c e of t h e o b j e c t s i n
t h e u n i v e r s e as w e l l as t h e major energy t r a n s f e r s o c c u r i n g
i n the universe.
S i n c e X-rays a r e v e r y p e n e t r a t i n g , t h e y may p r o v i d e a
means of s t u d y i n g r e g i o n s n e a r t h e c e n t e r of o u r g a l a x y t h a t
are n o t a c c e s s i b l e i n o t h e r w a y s .

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X-ray astronomy o f f e r s s c i e n t i s t s new o p p o r t u n i t y t o

s t u d y some of t h e most dynamic aspects of s t e l l a r o b j e c t s .
Many a s t r o p h y s i c i s t s b e l i e v e w e may be o b s e r v i n g t h e climax
of t h e s t e l l a r e v o l u t i o n p r o c e s s .
Whereas o p t i c a l astronomy t e l l s t h e s c i e n t i s t about a
s t a r ' s t h e r m a l p r o c e s s e s -- t h e e v e n t s t h a t j u s t b o i l a l o n g
-- high energy astronomy ( i n c l u d i n g X-rays) r e v e a l s t h e non-
t h e r m a l e v e n t s . These are t h e t r u l y d i s r u p t i v e p r o c e s s e s
which r e p r e s e n t major changes i n t h e way energy i s d i s t r i b u t e d .

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 -11-

THE SPACECRAFT AND ITS OPERATIONS

The SAS spacecraft is unique in that it utilizes a common

control section to carry and support custom experiments on
separate missions. This design is intended to minimize costs
for follow-on programs.
The control section consists of an aluminum shell which
houses all the systems necessary for attitude control, data
storage, power storage and regulation, and communications.
The 140-pound (63.6 Kg) experiment is supported on the upper
end of the 175-pound (79.5 kilograms) control section.
The lightweight cylindrical shell of the control section
measures about two feet (61 centimeters) in diameter by two
feet long. Four solar paddles, hinged to the outer rim of
this shell, provide an average of 27 watts of raw power to the
spacecraft and experiment day and night.
Folded against the spacecraft during launch, these paddles
extend perpendicular to the control section in orbit where they
measure about 1 3 feet (3.9 meters) tip to tip. Two command
antennas and a single telemetry antenna are mounted to the ends
of three of the solar paddles.
In orbit, the spacecraft rotates at the rate of five
revolutions per hour causing the experiment window to sweep
across teh sky in search of X-ray sources. Stabilization of
the spacecraft at this slow rotation is provided by an internal
wheel that spins like a gyroscope. An electromagnet system
helps control the spin rate and a nutation damper provides
, further stabilization.
The most unique feature of the spacecraft is its attitude
control system which also contains an electromagnet. When
energized, this device acts like a compass needle and attempts
to align the spacecraft with the Earth's magnetic field. Thus,
the spacecraft can be pointed to any direction in the sky upon
ground command.

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1

Y
m
I

AND

\ Y SATELLITE - A
 -12-

THE X-RAY EXPERIMENT

The X-ray astronomy i n s t r u m e n t i s a n advanced v e r s i o n of

an experiment p r e v i o u s l y flown on sounding r o c k e t s and i s a l s o
d e s i g n e d f o r u s e on manned s p a c e c r a f t , It was d e s i g n e d and
b u i l t by American S c i e n c e and E n g i n e e r i n g , I n c . , Cambridge,
Mass.
T h i s 140-pound (63.6 U l o g r a m ) experiment package i s
d i v i d e d i n t o two e s s e n t i a l l y i d e n t i i a l h a l v e s , each independent
of t h e o t h e r . Beyond t h e redunaancy p r o v i d e d by t h e two similar
h a l v e s , each experiment s i d e c o n t a i n s r e d u n d a n t e l e m e n t s .
Each experiment h a l f b a s i c a l l y c o n s i s t s of a n X-ray d e t e c t o r ,
a mechanical c o l l i m a t o r which d e f i n e s t h e viewing d i r e c t i o n
of t h e d e t e c t o r , and t h e n e c e s s a r y p r o c e s s i n g e l e c t r o n i c s .
For h i g h r e s o l u t i o n , t h e c o l l i m a t o r on one s i d e of t h e
experiment w i l l p r o v i d e a narrow one-by-ten d e g r e e f i e l d of
view. For h i g h s e n s i t i v i t y , t h e o t h e r s i d e ' s c o l l i m a t o r w i l l
p r o v i d e a wide ten-by-ten d e g r e e f i e l d of view. Both s i d e s
of t h e experiment s c a n t h e same p a t h i n t h e c e l e s t i a l s p h e r e .

The l o c a t i o n of d e t e c t e d X-ray s o u r c e s w i t h r e s p e c t to t h e
c e l e s t i a l s p h e r e i s t h e n determined w i t h t h e a i d of s t a r and
Sun s e n s o r s a l i g n e d w i t h t h e experiment c o l l i m a t o r s .

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 -13-

SCOUT LAUNCH VEHICLE

Scout is NASA's only solid propellant launch vehicle with

orbital capacity. The first development Scout was launched
July 1, 1960. The SAS-A mission is expected t o be the 72nd
Scout hunch. Since the Scout was recertified in 1963., the
h m c h vehicle has attained a 94 per cent success record.
Scout B is a four-stage solid propellant rocket system*
Scout No- S-175 and the spacecraft will be set on an initial
launch azimuth of goo t o obtain a 342 statute mile (550
meter) circular orbit with 2.90 inclination and 95.6 minutes
t o complete one revolution.
The four Scout motors -- Algol 11, Castor 11, Antares 11,
and Altair 111 -- are interlocked with transition sections
that contain guidance, control,,ignition, and instrumentation
systems, separation mechanics and the spin motors needed t o
stabilize the fourth stage. Control is achieved by aerodynamic
surfaces, jet vanes and hydrogen peroxide jets.
The launch vehicle is approximately 73 feet (22.25 meters)
long and weighs about 40,000 pounds (17,144 kilograms) a t
liftoff.
The Scout program is managed by NASA's Langley Research
Center, Hampton, Va. The launch vehicle is built by LTV Aerospace
CorP=, Dallas. The San Marco launch complex is owned and
operated by the Italian government and this Scout Will be
l a ~ ~ h ebyd an Italian launch crew.

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 -14-

LAUNCH PLATFORM

The San Marco l a u n c h p l a t f o r m , which l o o k s much l i k e

an off-shore o i l __d r i l l i n g ; i n s t a l l a t i o n , i s owned and o p e r a t e d
_ A -< -

b y t h e I t a l i a n government. It i s s t a t i o n e d i n Formosa Bay

three miles ( 4 . 8 K i l o m e t e r s ) o f f t h e c o a s t o f Kenya a b o u t
2 1/2 degrees s o u t h o f t h e Equator. A smaller p l a t f o r m , t h e
- --
S a n t a g f t a , l o c a t e d 500 y a r d s (457 meters) from San Marco,
c o n t a i n s t h e c o n t r o l and o p e r a t i o n s c e n t e r , range equipment
and t e s t rooms. The two p l a t f o r m s are connected b y submarine
c o n t r o l and power cables.
NASA w i l l reimburse t h e U n i v e r s i t y of Romels Aerospace
Research C e n t e r f o r launch c o s t s .
The p l a t f o r m was f i r s t used f o r t h e s u c c e s s f u l l a u n c h on
A p r i l 26, 1967 of t h e I t a l i a n s c i e n t i f i c s a t e l l i t e San Marc0
I1 i n a c o o p e r a t i v e i n t e r n a t i o n a l p r o j e c t i n which NASA pro-
v i d e d t h e Scout launch v e h i c l e .
The San Marco r o c k e t p l a t f o r m has 20 s t e e l l e g s f i r m l y
embedded i n t h e sandy seabed a t l a t i t u d e 2' -
56',40t1 S o u t h ,
longitude 40° -12' -
47" East --
ideal f o r e q u a t o r i a l space
l a u n c h i n g s . The 120-foot ( 3 6 . 5 meter) shed which houses t h e
Scout v e h i c l e p r i o r t o launch i s a i r c o n d f t i o n e d f o r enyipon-
m e n t a l c o n t r o l . A large p i t on t h e launch p l a t f o r m , open t o
t h e sea, w i l l a b s o r b t h e r o c k e t e x h a u s t o f t h e Scout f i r s t -
stage motor.
The S a n t a R i t a p i a t f o r m , a modified o i l d r i l l i n g platform
b u i l t by t h e I t a l i a n f i r m Nuovo Pignone, contains t h e nerve
c e n t e r o f t h e p r o j e c t , t h e c o n t r o l room, and houses t h e
t r a c k i n g and i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n r e q u i r e d t o launch and t r a c k t h e
scout.
There are 23 c a b l e s l i n k j - c g t h e San Marco'launch complex
wlth i t s sister platform. Some idea of t h e complexity of t h e
o p e r a t i o n can be g a i n e d from t h e f a c t t h a t t h e r e are more t h a n
3,000 c o n n e c t i o n s of v a r i o u s k i n d s l i n k i n g t h e two p l a t f o r m s .
Independent g e n e r a t o r s a t t h e two l o c a t i o n s produce e l e c t r i c i t y
a t two v o l t a g e s t o meet t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s of t h e s c i e n t i f i c
equipment and t h e h o u s i n g and o t h e r f a c i l i t i e s .

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 PL

NASA G-71- 1130

 -15-

OPERATIONS CONTROL, TRACKING AND DATA A C Q U I S I T I O N

The f o c a l p o i n t f o r c o n t r o l of t h e SAS-A l a u n c h i s t h e
base camp o f t h e San Maroo launch s i t e on Formosa Bay, Kenya.
Located on t h e c o a s t w i t h i n s i g h t of t h e o f f s h o r e l a u n c h
p l a t f o r m , t h i s camp i s l i n k e d b y v o i c e and t e l e t y p e communi-
c a t i o n s t o t h e SAS C o n t r o l C e n t e r a t t h e Goddard Space F l i g h t
C e n t e r o v e r t h e worldwide NASA Communications S y s t e m --
NASCOM.

A l l commands f o r t h e SAS-A, once i t i s i n o r b i t , o r i g i n a t e

a t t h e Goddard c o n t r o l c e n t e r .
The primary ground s t a t i o n f o r g e n e r a t i n g commands to t h e
s p a c e c r a f t as w e l l as t r a c k i n g and a c q u i r i n g data from it i s
t h e Q u i t o , Ecuador, s t a t i o n o f NASA's worldwide Space T r a c k i n g
and Data A c q u i s i t i o n Network ( S T A D A N ) .
A s t h e s p a c e c r a f t O r b i t s t h e g l o b e over t h e e q u a t o r about
once e v e r y 96 m i n u t e s , it cont-inuously r a d i o s s p a c e c r a f t and
experiment data back to t h e E a r t h . S i m u l t a n e o u s l y , an onboard
r e c o r d e r t a p e s t h i s same data f o r l a t e r playback a t 30 t i m e s
r e c o r d e d speed to t h e Q u i t o s t a t i o n once p e r o r b i t .
Three to f i v e of t h e s e t a p e d t r a n s m i s s i o n s w i l l b e t r a n s -
m i t t e d d a i l y to Goddard o v e r t h e NASCOM f o r a s s e s s i n g t h e con-
d i t i o n of t h e s p a c e c r a f t and i t s X-ray e x p e r i m e n t . Three of
t h e s e w i l l be s e n t from Goddard o v e r a data l i n k to t h e American
S c i e n c e and E n g i n e e r i n g , I n c . , i n Cambridge, Mass., f o r e x p e r i -
ment a n a l y s i s .
I n c a s e o f s e v e r e i o n o s p h e r i c s t o r m s o v e r South America,
s e v e r a l o t h e r f o r e i g n s t a t i o n s around t h e g l o b e can command
t h e s p a c e c r a f t ' s t a p e r e c o r d e r and t a k e d a t a from i t . These
i n c l u d e F r a n c e ' s C e n t r e N a t i o n a l d ' E t u d e s S p a t i a l e s (CNES)
s t a t i o n i n B r a z z a v i l l e , Congo R e p u b l i c ; and t h e Mobile I t a l i a n
T e l e m e t r y S t a t i o n a t t h e base camp of t h e San Marco l a u n c h S i t e .

I n a d d i t i o n to s e r v i n g as a t r a c k i n g beacon, t h e con-
t i n u o u s t e l e m e t r y s i g n a l from t h e s p a c e c r a f t a l l o w s ground
s t a t i o n s around t h e g l o b e to c o l l e c t v i t a l data from t h e s p a c e -
c r a f t s h o u l d i t s r e c o r d e r f a i l . These s t a t i o n s i n c l u d e :
S T A D A N ' s Q u i t o , Ecuador s t a t i o n ; CNES' Kourou, French Guiana
and B r a z z a v i l l e s t a t i o n s ; N A S A ' s Ascension I s l a n d s t a t i o n ;
I%a-ly's Kenya s t a t i o n ; and t h e B r i t i s h s t a t i o n i n S i n g a p o r e .

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85O

75"

60"

40"

200

0"

20'

40'

60'

75"

85' 140" 120" 100" 80" 60" 40" 20" 0" 20' 40" 60' 80° 100" 120" 140' 160'

I . .

NASA G-71- 1136

 -16-

LAUNCH AND ORBIT SEQUENCE OF EVENTS

The sequence o f e v e n t s from l i f t o f f u n t i l t h e space-

c r a f t i s f u l l y o p e r a t i o n a l i s as f o l l o w s :
Launch Sequence
Event Time ( s e c o n d s )

Liftoff 0.00

F i r s t stage b u r n o u t 76.35
Second stage i g n i t i o n 79 - 0 8
Second stage burnout 118.86
T h i r d stage i g n i t i o n 133.64
T h i r d stage burnout 169.45
Spin-up 545 779

T h i r d stage s e p a r a t i o n 547 27
F o u r t h stage i g n i t i o n 552.12

F o u r t h stage burnout &

orbital injection
Spacecraft separation
First Orbit

A l l o f t h e ground s t a t i o n s i n c l u d e d i n t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l
t r a c k i n g and data a c q u i s i t i o n s u p p o r t w i l l t r a c k o r c o l l e c t
data from t h e X-ray E x p l o r e r d u r i n g t h e f i r s t o r b i t . The
s p a c e c r a f t s h o u l d pass o v e r t h e Q u i t o , Ecuadcr, s t a t i o n about
one h o u r a f t e r l i f t o f f . A s t h e prime ground s t a t i o n , i t w i l l
confirm t h a t t h e s p a c e c r a f t has s e p a r a t e d from t h e f o u r t h stage
and g e n e r a l l y check t h e c o n d i t i o n of t h e s p a c e c r a f t b y c o l l e c t -
i n g data from t h e onboard tape r e c o r d e r . Commands from t h i s
s t a t i o n a l s o w i l l e n e r g i z e a momentum wheel and a n u t a t i o n
damper s y s t e m i n t h e s p a c e c r a f t for s t a b i l i z a t i o n p u r p o s e s .

Second O r b i t
During t h e second Quito pass, some two h o u r s a f t e r l a u n c h ,
this s t a t i o n w i l l c o l l e c t t a p e d data and g e n e r a l l y check t h e
s p a c e c r a f t I s c o n d i t i o n . The Sun shades f o r t h e s p a c e c r a f t s
s t a r s e n s o r w i l l be deployed and t h e l o w v o l t a g e p o r t i o n o f
t h e X-ray equipment w i l l be t u r n e d on and off f o r a check.

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 -17-

Third Orbit

Three h o u r s a f t e r l i f t o f f , Q u i t o w i l l e n e r g i z e t h e
s p a c e c r a f t ’ s magnetic de-spin d e v i c e t o slow t h e s p i n r a t e
from f i v e r p m t o 1 / 1 2 rpm.
Subsequent O r b i t s
It may b e s e v e r a l d a y s b e f o r e t h e s p a c e c r a f t i s i ’ U l l Y
s t a b i l i z e d and r o t a t i n g a t t h e d e s i r e d r a t e . A t t h i s p o i n t ,
t h e s p a c e c r a f t w i l l b e o r i e n t e d w i t h t h e magnetic a t t i t u d e
c o n t r o l s y s t e m s o t h a t t h e X-ray experiment can s c a n t h e
M i l k y Way t o c o l l e c t t h e f i r s t s c i e n t i f i c data. !The e x p e r i -
ment w i l l t h e n b e t u r n e d on. From t h i s p o i n t on, data w i l l b e
c o l l e c t e d c o n t i n u o u s l y , r e c o r d e d onboard t h e s p a c e c r a f t and
r a d i o e d once-per-orbit t o Q u i t o u n l e s s a contingency s i t u a t i o n
d i c t a t e s otherwise.

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 -18-

NASA H e a d q u a r t e r s , Washington, D . C .
( Program Dire c t i o n )

D r . John E . Naugle Associate Administrator f o r

Space Science & A p p l i c a t i o n s
Jesse L . M i t c h e l l D i r e c t o r , P h y s i c s and Astronomy
Programs
John R . Hotlz Program Manager
D r . Nancy Roman Program S c i e n t i s t
Leon Dondey Program Engineer
Joseph B. Mahon D i r e c t o r , Launch V e h i c l e s
and P r o p u l s i o n Programs
Robert W. Manville Program Manager, Small V e h i c l e s
and I n t e r n a t i o n a l P r o j e c t s
Paul E . Goozh Scout Program Manager
Gerald M. T r u s z y n s k i A s s o c i a t e A d m i n i s t r a t o r for
T r a c k i n g and Data A c q u i s i t i o n
James C . Bavely Chief of Network O p e r a t i o n s ,
OTDA

Goddard Space F l i g h t C e n t e r , G r e e n b e l t , Md.

( Proj e c t Management )

Dr. John F . C l a r k , D i r e c t o r D i r e c t or
D a n i e l G . Mazur D i r e c t o r o f Technology
m s . M a r j o r i e Townsend Project Scientist
Ronald K . Browning S p a c e c r a f t Manager
Donald Wrublik P r o j e c t O p e r a t i o n s and
Experiment Manager
Merrick Shawe Tracking S c i e n t i s t
Thomas Ryan T r a c k i n g and Data Systems
Manager
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 -19-

Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va.

(Scout Launch Vehicle)
R. D. English Head, Scout Project Office
L . R. Foster Head, Scout Operations
C. W. Winters Head, Launch Operations
D. M. Smith, Jr. Mechanical Systems
W. L. Sullivan Fluid Systems
R. P. Parks Electrical Systems
L. R. Tant Scout Payload Coordinator

University of Rome, Aerospace Research Center

(Launch Support)
Professor Luigi Broglio Director, Centro Ricerche
Aerospaziali
Professor Carlo Buongiorno Centro Ricerche Aerospaziali
Professor Michele Sirinian San Marco Launch Crew Director

American Science & Engineering Co., Inc., Cambridge, Mass.

(Experimental Development and Principal Experimenters)
Dr. Riccardo Giacconi Principal Investigator
Dr. Edwin Kellogg Co-experimenter
Dr. Herbert Gursky Co-experimenter
Gerald Austin Program Manager
Harvey Tananbaum Co-experimenter

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 -20-

Johns Hopkins University, Applied P h y s i c s L a b o r a t o r y

(Spacecraft Fabrication & Integration)
Henry R i b l e t Pro3 e c t Engineer
J o s e p h Nagrant Payload Engineer
Frederick F . Mobley Project Scientist

-end-
 NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE AbMlNlSTRATlON (202) 962-4355
NEWS WASHINGTON,D .c. 20546 TEW: (202) 963-6925
FOR RELEASE: IMMEDIATE
December 2, 1970

RELEASE NO: 70-203A

NOTE TO EDITORS:

The following background information of the National

Aeronautics and Space Administrationls Small Astronomy
Satellite (SAS) launch, now scheduled for Dec. 12 from the
San Marco Equatorial launch platform in the Indian Ocean,
is offered as a supplement to the SAS Press Kit issued earlier.

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 SAN MARC0 EQUATORIAL RANGE

The San Marco Range was proposed by Centro Ricerche

Aerospaziali (CRA) in 1961, based on the desirability of:
1. Establishing a seaborne mobile orbital launch facility
indepe'ndent of the mainland;
2. Providing an efficient and economic system capable of
accomplishing direct equatorial orbit.
I

These requirements were met by selecting two sea platforms

(similar to those employed for oil research in deep water) as
launching pad and instrumentation location.
This solution is also advantageous for t h e delivery of
large, heavy hardware, such as rocket motors. These items
can be directly transhipped from cargo ship to launching pad.
The other advantage of the San Marco Range as a launching
site for the Scout vehicle, is the possibility of injecting
directly into equatorial orbit relatively large payloads with
a reliable and economic rocket such as the Scout vehicle. It is
possible to obtain equatorial orbits from launch ranges located
in other latitudes, but this requires a "dogleg" maneuver which
necessitates a larger and more expensive rocket.
The availability of the San Marco Range is important because
of the variety of scientific experiments which require an equa-
torial orbit, particularly those related to the study of the
Earth's atmosphere gravitation, magnetic field, and radiation
belts.
The CRA, in selecting a launch site for the San Marco Range
in international waters, chose the region of Formosa Bay in the
Indian Ocean about three miles off the coast of Kenya, Africa,
with the range proper extending eastward from that point.
In 1962, the general design was completed and a formal
proposal was made to NASA for development of a joint cooperative
project to launch the San Marco I1 satellite with epperiments of
mutual scientific interest into equatorial orbit utilizing a
Scout vehicle. In the same year a Memorandum of Understanding
was signed between the former Italian Space Commission and'NASA
under the terms of which CRA would design and bulld t h e Range
equipped with a Scout launch complex and launching crew. CRA
would prepare the scientific satellite. N A S A agreed t o providc
the S c o u t launch vehicle, the training servi-cesfor t h e Italian
launch crew and the tracking network into which the CHA MoL)ile
Italian Telemetry Station (MITS) would be integrated.

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 CRA u t i l i z e d , f o r t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f t h e f a c i l i t y , two
e x i s t i n g o f f s h o r e p l a t f o r m s . A l a u n c h c o n t r o l c e n t e r was
developed on t h e p l a t f o r m , S a n t a R i t a , o b t a i n e d from t h e I t a l i a n
N a t i o n a l O i l Company (ENI). A l a u n c h p l a t f o r m was developed on
t h e sea-going p i e r , San Marco. The CRA was a l s o r e s p o n s i b l e
for t h e f a b r i c a t i o n of a l l Ground Support Equipment and i t s
i n t e g r a t i o n i n t o t h e complex.
M o d i f i c a t i o n s of t h e p l a t f o r m s and i n s t a l l a t i o n work
were accomplished i n L a S p e z i a , I t a l y , by CRA p e r s o n n e l d u r i n g
1965. The p l a t f o r m s were towed t o t h e P o r t of Mombasa, Kenya,
A f r i c a , where equipment i n s t a l l a t i o n c o n t i n u e d from June t o
November 1966.
The p l a t f o r m s were towed some 9 0 m i l e s n o r t h t o Formosa
Bay where f r o m December 1966 t o F e b r u a r y 1967 t h e Range was
i n t e g r a t e d , checked-out and v a l i d a t e d .
The f i r s t s a t e l l i t e was s u c c e s s f u l l y p l a c e d i n o r b i t from
t h i s s i t e on A p r i l 26, 1967, e s t a b l i s h i n g t h e San Marco
E q u a t o r i a l Mobile Range as a n o p e r a t i n g r a n g e .
G e o g r a p h i c a l c o o r d i n a t e s 8f t h e San Marco p l a t f o r m a r e
40'12 ' 45" l o n g i t u d e East and 2 5611811 South l a t i t u d e ,
The main components of t h e Range a r e t h e San Marco p l a t f o r m
and t h e S a n t a R i t a p l a t f o r m . A 'base camp l o c a t e d on t h e C o a s t ,
n e a r t h e v i l l a g e of Ngomeni, i s u t i l i z e d f o r t r a n s f e r of Range
p e r s o n n e l and i t e m s .
Dimensions of t h e San Marco p l a t f o r m a r e : l e n g t h 300 f t . ,
depth g O f t , It has 20 s t e e l l e g s embedded i n t h e sandy seabed.
On t h e p l a t f o r m i s t h e S t a n d a r d Scout Launch Complex which i n c l u d e s
t h e l a u n c h e r and t h e 120-foot shed which houses t h e Scout v e h i c l e
p r i o r t o launch i n a n a i r c o n d i t i o n e d environment. The o t h e r
main i t e m s a r e t h e p r e p a r a t i o n shed and t h e c l e a n room t o house
t h e s p a c e c r a f t b e f o r e i t i s mated w i t h t h e v e h i c l e . F a c i l i t i e s
i n c l u d e t h e hydrogen p e r o x i d e room t e r m i n a l b u i l d i n g , compressed
a i r s y s t e m , s t o r a g e and crew accommodations.
A large p i t on t h e l a u n c h p l a t f o r m , open t o t h e sea a b s o r b s
t h e r o c k e t e x h a u s t of t h e Scout f i r s t - s t a g e motor.

The S a n t a R i t a p l a t f o r m , c o n t a i n s t h e n e r v e c e n t e r of t h e
Range, t h e v e h i c l e c o n t r o l room ( b l o c k h o u s e ) and houses t r a c k i n g
and i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n equipment, radar and t e l e m e t r y s t a t i o n s .

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1 On board S a n t a R i t a t h e r e are a l s o t h e accommodations

f o r t h e launch and r a n g e crew, t h e main c a f e t e r i a and o t h e r
general services.
The main communication s y s t e m which c o n n e c t s t h e San
Marco Range w i t h t h e E a s t A f r i c a n telecommunications S t a t i o n
i n Mombasa and w i t h t h e r e s t of t h e world o r i g i n a t e s on t h e
S a n t a R i t a p l a t f o r m . Many v o i c e c h a n n e l s and t e l e t y p e c h a n n e l s
are a v a i l a b l e .
T h e r e a r e 23 submarine c a b l e s l i n k i n g t h e San Marco Launch
complex w i t h i t s s i s t e r p l a t f o r m . Some idea of t h e complexity
of t h e o p e r a t i o n can b e g a i n e d from t h e f a c t t h a t t h e r e a r e more
t h a n 3 , 0 0 0 c o n n e c t i o n s o f v a r i o u s k i n d s l i n k i n g t h e two p l a t f o r m s .
Independent g e n e r a t o r s a t t h e two l o c a t i o n s produce e l e c -
t r i c i t y a t two v o l t a g e s to meet t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s of t h e s c i e n t i f i c
equipment and t h e housing and o t h e r f a c i l i t i e s .
A t t h e p r e s e n t t i m e t h e San Marco Range has t h e c a p a b i l i t y
of p l a c i n g s c i e n t i f i c s a t e l l i t e s i n t o e q u a t o r i a l o r b i t s of t h e
f o l l o w i n g c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s w i t h a s t a n d a r d Scout r o c k e t , ( S c o u t
C):

Low o r b i t (500km.) 320 l b s .

High e l i p t i c o r b i t
( 4 0 0 km. p e r i g e e 2 7 , 0 0 0 k m . apogee) 1 0 0 l b s .

During 1971, i t i s e x p e c t e d t h a t u s e of a new Scout f i r s t

stage ( A l g o l 111) w i l l b o o s t t h e c a p a b i l i t i e s of t h e r a n g e t o
the following values:
Low o r b i t 450 l b s .
High e c c e n t r i c 150 l b s .
The San Marco Range a l s o has t h e c a p a b i l i t y o f l a u n c h i n g
sounding r o c k e t s u t i l i z i n g a sounding r o c k e t Omnitype l a u n c h e r .
The o v e r a l l o p e r a t i o n i s made p o s s i b l e t h r o u g h t h e coopera-
t i o n of s u c h Kenya t e c h n i c a l and s c i e n t i f i c o r g a n i z a t i o n s as
EAPT ( E a s t A f r i c a P o s t and Telecommunications), EARH ( E a s t
Africa R a i l r o a d and H a r b o u r s ) , E a s t A f r i c a Meteorologic S e r v i c e
and o t h e r s .

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 T h i s c o o p e r a t i v e e f f o r t i s provided f o r i n a n agreement
between t h e CRA and t h e Un’iversity o f N a i r o b i , and by a
memorandum between t h e Kenyan Government and t h e I t a l i a n
Government.
Under t h i s agreement t h e Kenyan Government leased a p i e c e
of l a n d , n e a r t h e v i l l a g e of Ngomeni, t o p r o v i d e a n area f o r
t h e San Marco Range Base Camp and t h e Mobile I t a l i a n Telemetry
Station.
The San Marco Range i s owned and o p e r a t e d by t h e U n i v e r s i t a
d e g l i S t u d i d i Roma ( U n i v e r s i t y o f Rome), t h r o u g h i t s C e n t r o
R i c e r c h e A e r o s p a z i a l i . The C e n t r o R i c e r c h e A e r o s p a z i a l i i s
r e s p o n s i b l e for management, o p e r a t i o n and maintenance of t h e
range.
The CRA i s a s p e c i a l i z e d s p a c e s c i e n c e and t e c h n o l o g y
laboratory consisting of:
1. E l e c t r o n i c l a b o r a t o r i e s f o r t h e d e s i g n and c o n s t r u c t i o n
of s a t e l l i t e s , s u c h as San Marco I , San Marco 11, San Marco C
and ELDO STV.
2 . A s p a c e environment l a b o r a t o r y f o r t h e ground t e s t i n g
of s a t e l l i t e s and s i m u l a t i o n o f t h e s p a c e environment.
3 . A guidance and p r o p u l s i o n l a b o r a t o r y where problems
connected w i t h r o c k e t s and v e h i c l e ground s u p p o r t equipment
are s t u d i e d .
4 . An a e r o s p a c e f l i g h t l a b o r a t o r y c o n s i s t i n g of h y p e r s o n i c ,
s u p e r s o n i c , a r c t u n n e l and wind t u n n e l , f o r t h e e x p e r i m e n t a l
s t u d y of a e r o s p a c e problems.
5. A computing, t r a c k i n g and communications l a b o r a t o r y
c o n s i s t i n g of a h i g h speed computer f a c i l i t y and MITS s t a t i o n .
6. The San Marco Range. L

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MITS STATION

The CRA Mobile I t a l i a n T e l e m e t r y S t a t i o n (MITS) l o c a t e d

a t t h e San Marco Range Base Camp, i s p a r t i c i p a t i n g i n t h e SAS-A
launch o p e r a t i o n .
The IVIT'I'S S t a t i o n c o n s i s t s of t h r e e a i r c o n d i t i o n e d v a n s ,
a h i g h g a i n a u t o t r a c k a n t e n n a mounted on a t r u c k and two 100 kw,
mobj.le powes g e n e r a t o r s . The main van c o n t a i n s t h e s t a t i o n
o p e r a t i n g on 136 Mhz c o m p a t i b l e w i t h t h e s t a n d a r d STADAN s y s t e m .
The o t h e r two vans c o n t a i n t h e s a t e l l i t e command s t a t i o n , t h e
computing f a c i l i t y f o r q u i c k o r b i t a l p a r a m e t e r d e t e r m i n a t i o n
and o t h e r c r u x i l i a r y equipment.
The s t a t l o n i s a l s o equipped w i t h a n i n t e r f e r o m e t r i c s y s t e m
of t h e M i n i t r p c k t y p e , f o r t r a c k i n g p u r p o s e s .

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CENTHT, IUCERCHF' !'.EROSPAZIALI, UNIVERSTTA DEGLI STUD1 I)I ROMA

P r o f . L u i g i B r o g l i o , D i r e c t o r CRA
Prof. C a r l o Buongiorno, Programs O f f i c e Manager
P r o f . Ugo P o n z i , Programs O f f i c e
Dr. Gennaro O r s i , Range A c t i v i t y C o o r d i n a t o r
San Marco Range
P r o f . Michele S i r i n i a n , Range S u p e r v i s o r and Launch C r e w D i r e c t o r
D r . Giuseppe Spampinato, T e s t Conductor
D r . G i a n f r a n c o M a n a r l n i , V e h i c l e Engineer S u p e r v l s o r
Dr. Giuseppe L i G o t t i , Range S a f e t y O f f i c e r
D r . Vincenzo Ambrogini, Guidance E n g i n e e r
M r . S a l v a t o r e P a r a c c h i n i , Meteorology S e r v i c e
Mr. A l f i o Maggiore, I n s t r u m e n t a t i o n Engineer
M r . Aldo Marasca, E l e c t r i c Power Engineer
M r . R a f f a e l e V i r n o L a m b e r t i , E l e c t r i c and P y r o t e c h n i c Engj-neer
Mr . Filippo B r u n e l l e s c h i , Range Coordlna.tor
M r . Adriano F a n t o n i , Q u a l i t y C o n t r o l E n g i n e e r
Mr. Giuseppe P i n z a r i , P l a t f o r m s Mechanical S e r v i c e s E n g i n e e r
Mr. E n r i c o Remiddi, TV S u p e r v i s o r
Communication Systems
D r . L a m b e r t 0 C e l l e t t i , Chief Engineer
M r . E n r i c o C i v i t e l l a , I n t e r n a l Communications System

Marine O p e r a t i o n s
Com. Wolfango Dlandini, C o n s u l t a n t
L o g i s t i c s and Ground O p e r a t i o n s
M r . S a l v a t o r e Romano
Administration
Dr. Tommaso G i a c o m e l l i
MITS S t a t i o n
P r o f . G i o r g i o R a v e l l i , C h i e f , E l e c t r i c L a b o r a t o r y and T r a c k i n g
Laboratory
Mr. Antonio Q u i n t i l l i , S t a t i o n Head

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