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

308 Orion, Project
first century, the origin and evolution of life, from the
Big Bang to the present day. Included in this investigation
are the formation of chemical elements, galaxies,
stars, and planets, the formation and development of life
on Earth, and the quest for extrasolar planets and extraterrestrial
life. Missions associated with the Origins program
fall chronologically into four groups. Precursor
missions include the Hubble Space Telescope, FUSE
(Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer), WIRE (Wide
Field Infrared Explorer), SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory
for Far Infrared Astronomy), and SIRTF (Space
Infrared Telescope Facility). Following these will be the
first-generation missions employing either large, lightweight
optics or collections of small telescopes working
in harness to provide images equivalent to those obtainable
with a single, much larger instrument. They include
SIM (Space Interferometry Mission) and NGST (Next
Generation Space Telescope). Prior to SIM, a preliminary
mission known as Starlight will be launched to prove
the technology of space-based interferometry. The firstgeneration
missions will serve as technological steppingstones
to the second-generation missions, including the
Terrestrial Planet Finder, and the third-generation missions,
including the Planet Imager and Life Finder.
Orion, Project
See article, pages 309–312.
Orlets
Russian photo-reconnaissance satellites similar to the
Yantartype but carrying a small amount of onboard propellant
for maneuvering and also a film-return capsule
mechanism with 22 separate capsules. These features
extend the mission duration of an Orlets satellite to
between six months and a year.
OSO Missions
Ørsted
A Danish microsatellite designed to map Earth’s magnetic
field, measure the charged particle environment,
and study auroral phenomena. Data from the mission
complement those collected by Magsat. The spacecraft
is named after the Danish physicist Hans Christian
Ørsted (1777–1851), who discovered electromagnetism
in 1820.
Launch
Date: February 23, 1999
Vehicle: Delta 7926
Site: Cape Canaveral
Orbit: 644 × 857 km × 96.5°
Size: 34 × 45 ×68 cm
Mass: 62 kg
OSCAR (Orbiting Satellite for Communication
by Amateur Radio)
A long-running series of small satellites built and operated
by radio “hams” around the world. OSCARs have no fixed
design but are lightweight (typically about 30 kg) and generally
are launched free of charge, when space is available,
as secondary payloads on rockets carrying much heavier,
primary payloads. OSCAR 1 was launched by the American
Department of Defense. In 1969, the Amateur Radio
Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) was set up to coordinate
work on the OSCAR series.
OSO (Orbiting Solar Observatory)
A series of stabilized orbiting platforms developed by the
Goddard Space Flight Center for observing the Sun and
(continued on page 312)
Launch site: Cape Canaveral
Launch
Spacecraft Date Vehicle Orbit Mass (kg)
OSO 1 Mar. 7, 1962 Delta 522 × 553 km × 32.8° 208
OSO 2 Feb. 3, 1965 Delta C 294 × 306 km × 32.8° 247
OSO C Aug. 25, 1965 Delta C Launch failure 280
OSO 3 Mar. 8, 1967 Delta C 546 × 570 km × 32.8° 281
OSO 4 Oct. 15, 1967 Delta C 552 × 555 km × 32.9° 272
OSO 5 Jan. 22, 1969 Delta C 538 × 559 km × 33.0° 291
OSO 6 Aug. 9, 1969 Delta N 489 × 554 km × 32.9° 290
OSO 7 Sep. 29, 1971 Delta N 326 × 572 km × 33.1° 635
OSO 8 Jun. 21, 1975 Delta 1914 539 × 553 km × 32.9° 1,066