The Complete Book of Spaceflight: From Apollo 1 to Zero Gravity

16 ALOS (Advanced Land Observing Satellite)
ALOS (Advanced Land Observing Satellite)
A Japanese satellite designed to observe and map Earth’s
surface, enhance cartography, monitor natural disasters,
and survey land use and natural resources to promote
sustainable development. ALOS follows JERS and
ADEOS and will extend the database of these earlier
satellites using three remote-sensing instruments: the
Panchromatic Remote-sensing Instrument for Stereo
Mapping (PRISM) for digital elevation mapping, the
Advanced Visible and Near Infrared Radiometer type
2 (AVNIR-2) for precise land coverage observation, and
the Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar
(PALSAR) for day-and-night and all-weather land observation.
ALOS is scheduled for launch by Japan’s
NASDA (National Space Development Agency) in
2003.
Alouette
Canadian satellites designed to observe Earth’s ionosphere
and magnetosphere; “alouette” is French for “lark.”
Alouette 2 took part in a double launch with Explorer31
and was placed in a similar orbit so that results from the
two could be correlated. Alouette 2 was also the first mission
in the ISIS (International Satellites for Ionospheric
Studies) program conducted jointly by NASA and the
Canadian Defense Research Board. (See table, “Alouette
Missions.”)
Launch
Vehicle: Thor-Agena B
Site: Vandenberg Air Force Base
Mass: 145 kg
Alouette Missions
Spacecraft Launch Date Orbit
Alouette 1 Sep. 29, 1962 987 × 1,022 km × 80.5°
Alouette 2 Nov. 29, 1965 499 × 2,707 km × 79.8°
ALSEP (Apollo Lunar Science Experiment
Package)
See Apollo.
alternate mission
A secondary flight plan that may be selected when the
primary flight plan has been abandoned for any reason
other than abort.
altimeter
A device that measures the altitude above the surface of
a planet or moon. Spacecraft altimeters work by timing
the round trip of radio signals bounced off the surface.
Alouette A model of Alouette 1 at a celebration after the
launch of the real satellite. Canadian Space Agency
altitude
The vertical distance of an object above the observer. The
observer may be anywhere on Earth or at any point in the
atmosphere. Absolute altitude is the vertical distance to
the object from an observation point on Earth’s (or some
other body’s) surface.
aluminum, powdered
The commonest fuel for solid-propellant rocket motors.
It consists of round particles, 5 to 60 micrometers in
diameter, and is used in a variety of composite propellants.
During combustion the aluminum particles are oxidized
into aluminum oxide, which tends to stick together
to form larger particles. The aluminum increases the propellant
density and combustion temperature and thereby
the specific impulse (a measure of the efficiency of a
rocket engine).
American Astronautical Society (AAS)
The foremost independent scientific and technical group
in the United States exclusively dedicated to the advancement
of space science and exploration. Formed in 1954,
the AAS is also committed to strengthening the global
space program through cooperation with international
space organizations.
American Institute of Aeronautics and
Astronautics (AIAA)
A professional society devoted to science and engineering
in aviation and space. It was formed in 1963 through a
merger of the American Rocket Society (ARS) and the
Institute of Aerospace Sciences (IAS). The ARS was
founded as the American Interplanetary Society in New