8 P * 3i X - 6 7 3 - 6 3 - 7 9

- L%-24J

. THE ARI'EL I S'ATELllfE-

OTS PRICE
-
s XEROX

L
/
.------e------
\

6"

. .! . &GODOARO
-
SPACE FLIGHT CENTER
- -*
GREENBELT, MD.
 THE A R I E L I S A T E L L I T E

Robert C . Baumann, Chief

Spacecraft Integration and Sounding Rocket Division

The A r i e l I Satellite (Figure 1) is an integrated scientific labora-

tory specifically designed to obtain knowledge of the ionosphere and its
complex relationship to the sun.

This scientific laboratory i n space is completely self-contained

and other than a single command function operates independently of ex-
t e r n a l control.

There a r e no opportunities to repair o r adjust the instrumentation

i n this laboratory once the rocket leaves the launching pad. Consider
being unable to service your automobile, adjust your television s e t ,
have your washing machine repaired, for a period of a year. H o w
many items in everyday use would be operative after one year with no
maintenance? I will give data on A r i e l ' s operation status later in my
p r e s entation.

Let us now turn our attention to the components that go into making
this laboratory in space. F i r s t we shall look a t the electronics, then
briefly a t the structure and associated hardware.

The various electronic sub-systems a r e represented by the Ariel I

functional diagram (Figure 2). I will not go into detail on the various
probes, sensors, or experiment conditioning circuits since they a r e con-
sidered p a r t of the experiment instrumentation. I w i l l , however, go into
limited detail on the other sub-systems indicated.

The power system for Ariel consists of four solar paddles, two
battery packs of 10 Nickel-cadmium cells each, a shunt voltage limiter,
a battery charging current limiter, a battery switching network, an
undervoltage detector system and four converters.

1
 The four solar paddles a r e covered with p on n silicon solar cells
and, p r i o r t o radiation damage i n space, were capable of providing, de-
pending on Ariel's aspect to the sun, from 0.5 to 2 amperes a t 15 volts,
which is 7.5 to 30 watts of power.

The shunt voltage limiter regulates the solar paddle-battery

charging voltage to 14.5 volts.

The battery charging current limiter regulates the battery charging

c u r r e n t to a value not i n excess of 0.5 ampere.

The battery switching network selects the battery with the highest
voltage to operate the satellite.

The undervoltage detector system includes an undervoltage detector,

a converter, a relay and the shut-down timer. Operation of this system
t u r n s off Ariel entirely, with the exception of the t i m e r , for approxi-
mately 18 hours, to provide maximum power for recharging the batteries.

The converters a r e DC to DC converters which supply regulated

voltages to Ariel's electronic subsystems.

Ariel contains a high speed and a low speed encoder system. F o r

increased reliability, operation of the HS encoder is independent of the
operation of the LS encoder. However, the two a r e synchronized to
facilitate correlation of data.

The high speed encoder information is transmitted continually while

the low speed encoder information is recorded on the tape recorder.
b

To give you a n indication a s to the complexity of the Encoder sub-

systems they contain:

520 transistors
860 r e s i s t o r s
59 diodes
125 capacitors
4 digital oscl.
7 analog oscl.

TOTAL - 1575 electronic components

2
 Ariel contains a programmer whose main function i s to control thc
transmission of the HS and LS encoder data to the ground.

To transmit the data stored by the tape r e c o r d e r , an R F command

is sent to Ariel from a ground station. The data which has been r e -
corded during the 100-minute orbit i s played back i n approximately
2 minutes. The tape recorder automatically goes back into the record
mode.

A means for automatically removing the tape recorder drive motor

power is incorporated i n the system to protect against overloads. The
R F command f r o m the ground resets the circuit s o that if the overload
is removed the system will again function.

Ariel's Command Receiver i s basically a double-super-heterodyne

unit with an amplitude-modulation detector. It performs the single
command function of tape recorder playback.

Ariel's phase modulated transmitter is fully transistorized and

delivers 260 milliwatts of power to the antenna system at a frequency
of 136.410 megacyles.

Let us now turn briefly to the structure and associated hardware.

In the orbital configuration the satellite weighs 133.8 lbs. Ariel's

basic structure is 23 inches in diameter by 22 inches high. It is con-
structed primarily of epoxy-bonded filaments of fiberglass and
machined-wrought aluminum alloys. _

Figure 3 shows the main structural shelf. Notice the machined

b r a c e s which perform the dual task of supporting the shelf and structure
and provide mounting surfaces for the appendages.

Figure 4 shows the fiberglass upper and lower domes, and the
cylindrical mid-skin section p r i o r to thermal coating.

The appendages a r e shown in Figure 5. Notice the fiberglass inertia

booms and the aluminum solar paddle a r m s . T w o of the paddle a r m s
have two hinges, while two only have one. The hinges in a l l c a s e s allow
the appendage to be folded within the nose cone envelope and l a t e r to
assume orbital configuration.

3
 Figure 6 shows some of the electronic sub-systems, the de-spin
mechanism, the tape recorder , one of the battery packs ,and the escape-
ment mechanism that was used to restrain the experiment sensor
booms erection.

Figure 7 shows the experimenters' sensors and electronics.

Using the various sub-systems mentioned, adding a few others, and

wiring these all together gives the integrated scientific laboratory now
known a s Ariel I.

Figure 8 is a cut-away view of Ariel I. Starting at the top and

moving clockwise you can s e e the location of the various experiment
s e n s o r s a s follows:

The Mass Spectrometer probe

The Cosmic Ray Analyzer
There a r e three Lyman Alpha detectors, one located
on the equator, one 45" above and one 45" below the
equator.
The Electron Density boom
The Aspect Sensor Assembly
The X-ray gauge-a second sensor is located on the
lower dome directly below the one shown.
The Electron temperature probe-a second sensor is
located on the spin axis a t the bottom of the
satellite.

Over one year ago, on April 26, 1962, Ariel was placed into orbit.
Figure 9 shows some of the housekeeping data obtained up to April 15,
1963. The percent time in sunlight, temperature, spin r a t e , and aspect
angle have been monitored. Actual data points a r e shown as small
circles.

The P T 1 payload temperature is the temperature measured in UCL

stack #2 on the main shelf of Ariel and is indicative of average satellite
temperature. The curve follows the theoretical percent of time in sun-
light curve rather well. Ariel's internal temperature has ranged from
approximately +20 to +50" C.

The initial spin rate of approximately 3 8 rpm decayed to approxi-

mately 27 r p m and then increased a s shown. Solar p r e s s u r e on the

4
solar paddles, and Ariel's aspect with respect to the sun, contribute to
the spin rate increase.

The solar aspect angle is measured from the equator of the satel-
lite. The angle varies from approximately 42 degrees above the equator
to approximately 40 degrees below the equator. Initially the actual data
was very close to the theoretical data; now, however, current data shows
considerable variation, possibly due to radiation damage to the aspect
sensor solar cells.

Ariel started to malfunction on July 12, 1962. We on the project

feel that this is not completely unrelated to the July 9, 1962 high altitude
nuclear explosion.

Information about the satellite's performance since launch is shown

o n F i g u r e 10.

Low-speed data store lost in mid-August.

The boom electron temperature equipment was functional on April 1,

1963. The base electron temperature equipment started intermittent
malfunction at approximately July 9, 1962. Approximately 7570 of the
boom probe data and 25% of the base probe data was lost upon the mal-
function of the low-speed data store.

X-ray spectrometer-suspected calibration change occurred on, or

n e a r , May 4 , 1962. The existence of this change is not yet confirmed,
but a catastrophic failure occurred approximately on November 1 , 1962.
Approximately 1070 of data lost due to loss of low-speed data store.

Cosmic ray - geiger counter lost about September 1. Cherenkov

detector started to degrade during first 10070 sunlight period due to
overheating. Lost in mid-December. 75% of data lost due to loss of
low-speed data store.

Electron density - failed March 1963 - approximately 75% of data

lost due to l o s s of low-speed data store.

Lyman alpha failed on launch.

Aspect - functioning.

5
 -
Spin rate intermittent operation during f i r s t half of August and
f i r s t half of November. Operating since then.

Of the electronic sub-systems mentioned e a r l i e r , the following

were operating properly on April 15, 1963.

1. The power system.

2. The high speed encoder.
3. The command receiver - l a s t time tried, February 8.
4. The transmitter.
5. Undervoltage detector.
6. Recycle timer.

Of questionable operating status a r e the following:

1. The low speed encoder.

2. The tape recorder control circuits.
3. The programmer.

Figure 11 shows the percent of time of operation in the various

operational modes.

In conclusion, here a r e a few statistics related to Ariel I:

The equivalent total number of 24-hour days of operation with

modulation, hence, useful data, to 17 April 1963 was 174 days. The
tape r e c o r d e r operated for approximately 100 days. The undervoltage
system had operated 62 times a s of 17 April 1963. potentially adding
46 days to the satellite's life.

As of April 13, 1963 922 hours of usable data have been digitized,
and have been sent to the experimenters. (This is equivalent to approxi-
mately 180 million data points.)

On April 11, the satellite made its 5000th orbit of the earth, which
is equivalent to approximately 140 million miles.

The satellite has one year "killer" t i m e r s , which have a tolerance

of * l o % or 36.5 days. One might, therefore, normally expect Ariel I
to cease transmitting sometime between now and July 19, provided the
"killer" t i m e r s work and no undervoltages occur between now and then.

6
FIGURE 1 - A R I E L 1
 r'

?-
I
1 ep
I----
p1
- -1 I i

-Fl 1L
I
I d
I
I

I
B
+
1 -
I1 I _. I

I
I J !! I/
 LIJ
m
u,
at

w
u,
a
m
n
7
a
LL
--J
w
I
v,
-
0
z
0
(r

I
_-
 -10
--M
-d
-m
--N
--

/
 wz

V
 u
H
-iD 2
-0

-e
-m u
-N
W
4
-- W
a

a
W
d
 W
m
0
a
a
w
Q
I>
$
[I:
w
a
5t-
z
0
a
t-
0
W -N
m
w 0
(c
3 >-
e
a
t
v)
(c
W - a
a w
H >
w
e
z
n
0
e
W
0
-f
w

E /
0
m
> I

b;
-1

v)
 [SllVMl
lfldlflO AVMMV MVlOS

i-
I1:.
W
.-

lH911MflS % NI 'dW31 'W'd'M MI S33\193O MI

iiado O V O l AVd 31VM MldS 133dSV llVlOS
lld 1v EV
m
e

w
a
I
I
1
Qp
U
LL
W
LL

u
~

w
n
0
z

I Y

+
c
U
z
e
5
0
c
z
w
c
E
=
m
W

-
c
z

a
Y
c
U
m
w
e
0
4

=
4
E
0
z
L c:
0
E w
e
w
c *
U
w n w
e
z m 2:
0 0
m z u
c
w U t =Is
u
w
111
w
*
aE
111
z
Y
 a I 1
z
0
c
U
a
I Y
e
0
a
w

0
e
0
a
e

.,.,. . I

. . .,
. ,/,
. . I

- I ,
,
..., , I

,., .. ..

w
CI 5
U
c z
d 0
0
a
a
Y a
n a
z U
0
3

0.....
.....
.....
.....
.....
.....
.....
.....
.....
.....
.....
.....
.....
......
.....

I I I I
y3 0 v3 0
yc y3 cy