User:SpacePod9/sandbox

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Losat-L" redirects here. For the anti-tank missile system, see MGM-166 LOSAT.
This page is about the American military satellite. For other uses, see SpacePod9/sandbox (disambiguation).

LACE
LACE being serviced before launch
NamesLosat-L
USA-51
Mission typeTechnology demonstration
OperatorStrategic Defense Initiative Organization
COSPAR ID1990-015A
SATCAT no.20496
Mission duration3 years
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerNaval Research Laboratory
Launch mass3,175 pounds (1,440 kg)
DimensionsBody: 1.2m x 1.2m x 2.4m (height)
Start of mission
Launch dateFebruary 14, 1990, 16:15:00 (1990-02-14UTC16:15) UTC
RocketDelta II 6920-8[1]
Launch siteLC-17B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station[1]
ContractorMcDonnell Douglas Space Systems
Entered serviceApril 15, 1990
End of mission
DisposalDecommissioned
DeactivatedFebruary 14, 1993
Decay dateMay 24, 2000 (2000-05-25)
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Eccentricity0.00123
Perigee altitude532.00 km (287.26 nmi)
Apogee altitude549.00 km (296.44 nmi)
Inclination43.000 degrees
Period95.30 minutes
Epoch1990-02-14 00:00:00 UTC[2]
Main telescope[3]
NameUltraviolet Plume Instrument (Plume Camera)
TypeMakutsov-Cassegrain
Diameter10 cm
Focal length600 cm
Collecting area78 cm2
Wavelengths195-300 nm
Instruments
  • Army Background Experiment (ABE)
  • Radiation Detection Experiment (RDE)
  • Sensor Array Subsystem (SAS)
  • Ultraviolet Plume Instrument (UVPI)
 


The Low-Power Atmospheric Compensation Experiment (LACE), also referred to as Losat-L (Low-altitude Satellite) and USA 51, was a military satellite developed by the Naval Research Laboratory for the United States' Strategic Defense Initiative in the late 1980s and early 1990s, otherwise referred to as the "Star Wars" program.

Background[edit]

The LACE mission concept began in February 1985 when the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization approached the Naval Research Laboratory to develop an experiment to characterize laser signals transmitted and received through the Earth's atmosphere from a ground station to an orbiting experiment. The laboratory had been involved with spaceflight since the dawn of the space race, having led the Navy's Vanguard program up until 1959. Since then the laboratory had developed satellites to perform experiments relating to solar radiation, radio transmission through the ionosphere, gravity gradient stabilization, and ocean surveillance, among others.[4]

In July 1985, the Laser Communication Experiment (LACE) began development. The simple, spaceborne experiment was planned to be flown on the next flight of NASA's Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF), launched aboard the Space Shuttle. Because the LDEF was a completely passive payload, LACE would've required additional power and communication subsystems to function properly. After the Challenger disaster, shuttle launches were delayed indefinitely, and the LDEF would remain in orbit from the beginning of its first mission until 1990. This led to the further development of LACE into a full satellite by June 1986, and the availability of expendable launch vehicles such as the Atlas, Titan, and Delta rockets to launch government payloads such as LACE. The satellite would later be renamed to be the Low-power Atmospheric Compensation Experiment. [5]: 2 [6]: 1 

Spacecraft[edit]

"LACE did not have any propellants or thrusters on-board to keep its orientation stable. Instead, it relied on gravity-gradient stabilization to always keep itself in a fixed orientation relative to the Earth's surface. (In which axes?)

Instruments[edit]

Sensor Array Subsystem (SAS)[edit]

Ultraviolet Plume Instrument (UVPI)[edit]

The purpose of the Ultraviolet Plume Instrument (UVPI) experiment was to accurately image and track the plume of a rocket launched from Earth's surface in the ultraviolet spectrum.

"The UltraViolet Plume Instrument (UVPI) was a pointable, telescopic instrument mounted on the earth-facing side of the LACE spacecraft. Its mission was to collect images of rocket plumes in the near-ultraviolet and midultraviolet regimes from a space-based platform. It was also used to collect background image data of Earth, Earth's limb, and celestial objects. Background imaging included the day, night, and dawn limb, aurora, sunlit and moonlit clouds, and the Earth's surface.

The UVPI consisted of two image-intensified CCD cameras that were boresighted and shared a Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope. The tracker camera was sensitive in the near-ultraviolet/visible wavelength region, had a field of view approximately 14 times larger in each dimension than the plume camera, and was used to locate, acquire, and track a target. The plume camera collected images at four wavelengths from 195 to 350 nm, selected with a filter wheel. The field of view was 0.184 x 0.137 degrees. Its photometric range and sensitivity were optimized for nighttime operations. The tracker camera could image stars as dim as visual magnitude 7. Normal frame rate was 5 per second, but the zoom mode rate was 30 per second with a reduced field of view."[7]

Army Background Experiment (ABE)[edit]

The Army Background Experiment was commissioned by the U.S. Army Strategic Defense Command to measure the space neutron background radiation from the LACE satellite. It consisted of four borated plastic scintillator rods 8 in. long by 3 in. in diameter attached to a fold-out panel on the nadir side of LACE. The rods would detect neutrons originating from atmospheric escape, and from the spacecraft's body. The experiment was jointly developed by the Grumman Corporation and the Los Alamos National Laboratory, with the support of the U.S. Department of Energy. Within a few months after the launch of LACE, the ABE was reported to be operating nominally, and it was expected to remain in operation through LACE's expected 30 month lifetime.[8]

Data from ABE was provided to the SDIO for the development of spaceborne systems to discriminate between warheads and decoys.[9]

Radiation Detection Experiment (RDE)[edit]

The Radiation Detection Experiment (RDE) was an experiment on the earth-facing side of LACE to detect electromagnetic radiation. It was designed by The Aerospace Corporation for the U.S. Air Force. It collected data for 14 months throughout LACE's mission.[6]: 1–3, 9, 19 

Operational History[edit]

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet...

LACE was launched aboard a Delta II Rocket from Launch Complex 17B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on February 14, 1990, separating from the RME satellite approximately 15 minutes later[10][5]: 18 

About a month after launch, it was reported that LACE and RME had experienced some setbacks in their missions, but none critical enough to end their mission. A Pentagon official stated that LACE's retroreflector system wasn;t sending back signals at the expected power level, which that official speculated that the issue could be due to heat damage to a reflector.[11]

LACE would proceed smoothly through the rest of its 60-day check-out phase, and it began its planned 30-month mission shortly after.[5]: 18 

Exactly 3 years after its launch date, LACE was deactivated by the SDIO, ending its mission. It decayed into the atmosphere on May 24, 2000.[2]

The LACE program's net funding was $122.3 million over its lifetime.[6]: 23 

Plume Observations[edit]

Space Shuttle[edit]

Several attempts were made between 1990 and 1992 to image the plumes fired by the Space Shuttle from its Orbital Manuvering System pods and Reaction Control System thrusters as it orbited in low-earth orbit at a lower orbital inclination than LACE. The UVPI was listed as a secondary experiment in about half of the shuttle's missions launched during LACE's operation, including in pre-flight press kits and media resource kits, and post-flight mission summaries published by NASA.[a] Shuttle astronauts were briefed on the UVPI experiment during training sessions before their missions,[12] and they took photos of thruster firings onboard the shuttle done to support the UVPI, particularly on STS-50.[13] However, no thruster firings were successfully imaged by the UVPI while the space shuttle was in orbit. There were a number of reasons why it was difficult for this to happen, according to "The NRL LACE Program Final Report":[6]: 15 

  • Two bodies traveling at orbital velocities were involved.
  • The observation opportunity inevitably occurred away from LACE ground stations and had to be controlled by stored commands.
  • The shuttle could and did change its orbit after the controlling commands were stored in the LACE satellite.
  • NASA could never guarantee that there would be plume-generating activity during the few seconds of the observation opportunity.

For example, during the STS-44 mission, the SDIO planned to observe thruster firings from the Space Shuttle Atlantis's OMS and PRCS pods with LACE and the UVPI over four to six orbital conjunctions.[14] However, due to Atlantis maneuvering to avoid a spent Soviet booster in orbit, and a failure of one of its IMUs, NASA's flight rules brought the mission to an early end.[15]

Table of UVPI Plume Observation Attempts[edit]

UVPI Plume Observation Activity[6]: 16 
Date Target Rehearsals Observation Attempts Comments
March 1990 Titan 0 0 Launch outside LACE pass
July 1990 SPEAR II 4 2 Launch outside LACE pass
August 1990 SPFE 1 (Nikha) 3 1 Plume observed; 1st successful observation
November 1990 Titan 3 0 Launch outside LACE pass
November 1990 DMSP 0 0 Launch outside LACE pass
December 1990 Shuttle (STS-35) 0 3 Daylight, remote; no plume
December 1990 LCLV 1 0 Launch rescheduled
December 1990 Starbird 3 1 Plume observed; 2nd successful observation
December 1990 LCLV 2 0 Launch rescheduled
February 1991 LCLV 3 1 Plume observed; 3rd successful observation
February 1991 Strypi 5 1 Plume observed; 4th successful observation
April 1991 SPFE 2 (Nikha) 5 0 Launch outside LACE pass
May 1991 Shuttle (STS-39) 0 1 Night, remote; no plume
May 1991 GBI/ERIS[b] 3 0 Launch outside LACE pass
June 1991 AST 3 0 Launch rescheduled
July 1991 Pegasus 2 0 Launch outside LACE pass
November 1991 Shuttle (STS-44) 0 0 Early return; no opportunity
March 1992 Shuttle solid (STS-45) 2 1 Plume observed; ground burn

Gallery[edit]

  • The LACE satellite, Space Shuttle, and ground station during an observation attempt.
    The LACE satellite, Space Shuttle, and ground station during an observation attempt.
  • LACE and RME aboard a Delta II rocket before launch
    LACE and RME aboard a Delta II rocket before launch
  • LACE undergoing inspection in an acoustic chamber
    LACE undergoing inspection in an acoustic chamber
  • The plume of a Black Brant XI third stage as imaged by the UVPI
    The plume of a Black Brant XI third stage as imaged by the UVPI

Further Reading[edit]

  • Walters, Wesley F. (June 1990). "Dynamic Analysis of the Low Power Atmospheric Compensation Experiment (LACE) Spacecraft" (PDF). Defense Technical Information Center. Monterey, CA: Naval Postgraduate School. Retrieved April 4, 2024.

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Eleven shuttle missions in total:
    STS-35[Shuttle 1][Shuttle 2]: 2–43 
    STS-39[Shuttle 3][Shuttle 2]: 2–47 
    STS-43[Shuttle 4][Shuttle 2]: 2–49 [Shuttle 5]
    STS-44[Shuttle 6][Shuttle 2]: 2–51 [Shuttle 7]
    STS-42[Shuttle 2]: 2–52 
    STS-45[Shuttle 2]: 2–53 [Shuttle 8]
    STS-49[Shuttle 9][Shuttle 2]: 2–54 [Shuttle 10]
    STS-50[Shuttle 2]: 2–56 [Shuttle 11]
    STS-46[Shuttle 12][Shuttle 2]: 2–58 [Shuttle 13]
    STS-47[Shuttle 14]
    STS-53[Shuttle 15]
  2. ^ Ground-Based Interceptor / Exoatmospheric Reentry Interceptor Subsystem[16]

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ a b The Boeing Company (October 2000). "Delta II Payload Planner's Guide" (PDF). Huntington Beach, CA: Boeing Launch Services. p. B-2. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 28, 2006. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Williams, Dr. David R. (October 28, 2022). Bell, II, E. (ed.). "LACE". NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive. NASA. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  3. ^ Malaret, E. R.; Cardon, J. G.; Perez, L.; Smathers, H. W.; Horan, D. M. (September 1, 1993). "Ultraviolet Plume Instrument Calibration and Sensor Assessment" (PDF). Defense Information Technology Center. Washington, DC: SDI Office, Space Systems Development Department. pp. 3–4. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  4. ^ McDowell, Jonathan (1997). "Naval Research Laboratory Satellites 1960-1989" (PDF). Journal of The British Interplanetary Society. 50: 427–432. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Naval Research Laboratory (October 1, 1991). "LACE" (PDF). Defense Technical Information Center. Washington DC: Naval Research Laboratory. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e Horan, D. M.; Perram, R. E.; Palma, R. E. (August 27, 1993). "The NRL LACE Program Final Report" (PDF). Defense Technical Information Center. Washington, DC: Naval Research Laboratory. ADA270861. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  7. ^ Williams, Dr. David R. (October 28, 2022). Bell, II, E. (ed.). "Ultraviolet Plume Instrument (UVPI)". NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive. NASA. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  8. ^ Feldman, W. C.; Auchampaugh, G. F.; Shunk, E. R. (February 17, 1994). "Initial Results of the Army Background Experiment" (PDF). Defense Technical Information Center. University of California, Los Alamos National Laboratory. pp. 1–11. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  9. ^ Darling, David (2003). The Complete Book of Spaceflight: From Apollo 1 to Zero Gravity. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. pp. 228–229. ISBN 0-471-05649-9. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  10. ^ Halvorson, Todd (February 15, 1990). "Delta deploys 'Star Wars' satellites". Florida Today. Cocoa, Florida. pp. 1, 10. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  11. ^ "LACE/RME experiencing some difficulty". Defense Daily. Vol. 166, no. 58. Access Intelligence. March 27, 1990. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  12. ^ NASA (December 19, 1991). "STS-49 Astronaut Training - Ultraviolet Plume Instrument Familiarization Briefing". National Archives Catalog. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  13. ^ NASA (July 9, 1992). "STS-50". National Archives Catalog. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  14. ^ "Shuttle crewman will make observations of military targets; SDIO seeking four to six conjuctions". Defense Daily. Vol. 173, no. 20. Access Intelligence. October 29, 1991. pp. 162+. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  15. ^ "Shuttle returns early/SDI experiment cancelled". Defense Daily. Vol. 173, no. 42. Access Intelligence. December 3, 1991. p. 356. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  16. ^ "Ground-based Interceptor (GBI)". Missile Threat. Center for Strategic and International Studies. July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2024.

Space Shuttle Reports[edit]

  1. ^ Camp, David W.; Germany, D. M.; Nicholson, Leonard S. (January 1991). "STS-35 Space Shuttle Mission Report" (PDF). NASA Technical Reports Server. Houston, TX: NASA. p. 4. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Legler, Robert D.; Bennett, Floyd V. (September 2011). "Space Shuttle Missions Summary" (PDF). Mission Operations Johnson Space Center. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  3. ^ Hardie, Kenneth O.; Hill, William C.; Finkel, Seymour I. (August 30, 1991). "Mission Safety Evaluation Report for STS-39 - Postflight Edition" (PDF). NASA Technical Reports Server. Washington, DC: NASA - Office of Safety and Mission Quality. p. 2-8. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  4. ^ Hill, William C.; Finkel, Seymour I. (October 31, 1991). "Mission Safety Evaluation Report for STS-43 - Postflight Edition" (PDF). NASA Technical Reports Server. Washington, DC: NASA - Office of Safety and Mission Quality. p. 2-12. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  5. ^ "STS-43 Press Information" (PDF) (Press release). Rockwell International Space Systems Division Office of Media Relations. July 1991. pp. 7, 77. Retrieved May 3, 2024 – via NASA Johnson Space Center History Portal.
  6. ^ Orloff, Richard W., ed. (January 2001) [November 1991]. "Space Shuttle Mission STS-44 – Press Kit" (PDF). NASA. pp. 6, 22–23. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  7. ^ "STS-44 Press Information" (PDF) (Press release). Rockwell International Space Systems Division Office of Media Relations. November 1991. pp. 7, 51. Retrieved May 3, 2024 – via NASA Johnson Space Center History Portal.
  8. ^ "STS-45 Press Information" (PDF) (Press release). Rockwell International Space Systems Division Office of Media Relations. March 1992. p. 77. Retrieved May 3, 2024 – via NASA Johnson Space Center History Portal.
  9. ^ Orloff, Richard W., ed. (January 2001) [May 1992]. "Space Shuttle Mission STS-49 – Press Kit" (PDF). NASA. p. 5. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  10. ^ "STS-49 Press Information" (PDF) (Press release). Rockwell International Space Systems Division Office of Media Relations. May 1992. pp. 7, 41. Retrieved May 3, 2024 – via NASA Johnson Space Center History Portal.
  11. ^ "STS-50 Press Information" (PDF) (Press release). Rockwell International Space Systems Division Office of Media Relations. June 1992. pp. 9, 73. Retrieved May 3, 2024 – via NASA Johnson Space Center History Portal.
  12. ^ Orloff, Richard W., ed. (January 2001) [July 1992]. "Space Shuttle Mission STS-46 – Press Kit" (PDF). NASA. pp. 8, 53. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  13. ^ "STS-46 Press Information" (PDF) (Press release). Rockwell International Space Systems Division Office of Media Relations. July 1992. pp. 9, 65. Retrieved May 3, 2024 – via NASA Johnson Space Center History Portal.
  14. ^ Fricke, Jr., Robert W. (October 1992). "STS-47 Space Shuttle Mission Report" (PDF). NASA Technical Reports Server. Houston, TX: Lockheed Engineering and Sciences Company / NASA. p. 1. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  15. ^ Orloff, Richard W., ed. (January 2001) [December 1992]. "Space Shuttle Mission STS-53 – Press Kit" (PDF). NASA. p. 7. Retrieved April 21, 2024.

The below links are temporary (The ones I haven't used yet)


Defense Daily / Military Space[edit]

More Defense Daily articles specifically about LACE and the shuttle (STS-44)

LACE NRL Home Page[edit]


NASA[edit]


Also https://spp.fas.org/military/program/cape/cape3-5.htm / https://ccspacemuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/histories/TheCapeExtended.pdf https://ccspacemuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/histories/Delta.pdf

https://www.ll.mit.edu/sites/default/files/other/doc/2018-04/MIT_Lincoln_Laboratory_history_book.pdf (pages 414 - 421)

Shuttle Missions[edit]

Extended content

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19960001128/downloads/19960001128.pdf

    • (STS-49, STS-50, STS-47), the latter describes it as a "payload of opportunity"


  • STS-43
    • https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19920013997/downloads/19920013997.pdf (Mission Safety Evaluation Report)
    • "The Orbiter will be used as a calibration target for space-based ultraviolet sensors. Imagery and/or signature data of the Shuttle Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) and Reaction Control System (RCS) burns during orbital trajectory intersection will be obtained using an instrument on the Low-Power Atmospheric Compensation Experiment (LACE) and an on-orbit Strategic Defense Initiative Organization (SDIO) satellite. No flight hardware is involved."
    • https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19930016768/downloads/19930016768.pdf (STS-43 Shuttle Mission Report)
    • "The objective of the Ultraviolet Plume Instrument (UVPI) was to use the Orbiter as a calibration target for space-based ultraviolet sensors. No flight hardware was required for this payload. No UVPI observation opportunities were identified either preflight or in real-time for this payload."

compensation experiment (LACE) satellite to observe Orbiter thruster firings. No UVPI opportunities/intersections occurred during the flight."

(Found a LOT of information about this mission and the UVPI on both the Press Kit and Media Resource Kits, including a helpful PD-USGov diagram.


No mention in PK, MRK is similar to STS-46s. https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/shuttle_pk/mrk/FLIGHT_046-STS-045_MRK.pdf "UVPI is a DOD payload of opportunity located on the Low-Power Atmospheric Compensation Experiment (LACE) satellite, a Strategic Defense Initiative Organization satellite in low Earth orbit. UVPI's sensors will be trained on the orbiter to obtain imagery and/or signature data to calibrate the sensors and to observe orbiter jet firings during cooperative encounters of the orbiter with the LACE satellite."

Seems like UVPI was planned to be a significant part of the STS-46 mission too. It has a whole section on this mission's MRK, which is unfortunately not searchable.

  • STS-50
    • Labeled photographs from astronauts about thruster firings for UVPI during flight as shown on NARA, the only shuttle mission to have such photos
    • https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19930016803/downloads/19930016803.pdf (STS-50 Shuttle Mission Report)
    • "A state vector was supplied to support investigations with the ultraviolet plume instrument (UPI); however, the vernier RCS thruster firings during the mission were not suitable for observation. "
    • https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/shuttle_pk/mrk/FLIGHT_048-STS-050_MRK.pdf (STS-50 MRK)
    • The UVPI is a payload of opportunity that will be conducted if time permits. It does not require any on-board hardware. It is a Department of Defense payload located on the Low-Power Atmospheric Compensation Experiment satellite, a Strategic Defense Initiative Organization satellite in low Earth orbit, UVPIs sensors will be trained on the orbiter to obtain imagery and/or signature data to calibrate the sensors and to observe jet firings during cooperative encounters of the orbiter with the LACE satellite.

there was no Orbiter observation opportunities during the mission."

information"


All of the above shuttle missions mention the UVPI as a secondary payload to their missions. Eleven in total, four made it to Moran's list, and none of which resulted in successful plumes that could be imaged by the UVPI experiment aboard LACE.

External Links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to LACE (satellite).
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:SpacePod9/sandbox&oldid=1225570638"