On or after 16 June 1971 the Planetary Atmosphere Experiments Test (PAET) spacecraft will be launched from Wallops Island by a four-stage Scout launch vehicle for a 22,000 feet per second entry about 85 nautical miles (NM) northeast of Bermuda. Flight time is about 14 minutes. The spherically blunted conical forebody and a hemispherical afterbody spacecraft is 36 inches in diameter, 25 inches long, and weighs 137 pounds. The PAET primary mission objective is to demonstrate in the earth s atmosphere the capability of selected experiments to determine the structure and composition of an unknown planetary atmosphere from a probe vehicle entering the atmosphere at high speed. Secondary objectives include investigation of the effect of radio signal attenuation on relay communications and flight performance data on the entry vehicle and low density ablator heat shield. The atmosphere structure experiment developed by Ames Research Center will determine the altitude profiles of ambient pressure, temperature, and density by measurements of vehicle accelerations from entry to impact and pressure and temperature measurements from Mach number 2 to impact. The atmosphere composition experiments will obtain data on atmospheric gases in the atomic mass range of 10 to 90 using a quadrupole mass spectrometer developed by Goddard Space Flight Center, and nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide fractions from radiometric observations of entry vehicle shock layer. The g-channel radiometer used for this latter measurement was developed by Ames Research Center. All data will be telemetered and received by Wallops and Bermuda range instrumentation. Effects of sunlight on the radiometer system measurements constrain the launch to the hours of 1300 EDT to 1700 EDT. Entry vehicle recovery will be attempted; however, it is not mandatory for mission success.
Launch of the Planetary Atmosphere Experiments Test (PAET)
1971
28 pages
Report
No indication
English
Planetary Atmosphere Experiments Test /PAET/
NTRS | 1971
PAET entry heating and heat protection experiment
AIAA | 1972
|PAET Entry Heating and Heat Protection Experiment
AIAA | 1973
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