Solar Maximum Mission

Solar Maximum Mission
NamesSolarMax
SMM
Mission typeHeliophysics
OperatorNASA
COSPAR ID1980-014A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.11703
Websitehao.ucar.edu
Mission duration9 years, 9 months, 18 days
Spacecraft properties
BusMultimission Modular Spacecraft
ManufacturerFairchild Industries
Launch mass2,315 kg (5,104 lb)
Dimensions4 × 2.3 m (13.1 × 7.5 ft)
Start of mission
Launch date14 February 1980, 15:57:00 UTC
RocketDelta 3910
D-151
Launch siteCape Canaveral LC-17A
End of mission
DisposalDeorbited
Decay date2 December 1989
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Eccentricity0.00029
Perigee altitude508.0 km (315.7 mi)
Apogee altitude512.0 km (318.1 mi)
Inclination28.5 degrees
Period94.80 minutes
Mean motion15.19
Epoch14 February 1980, 15:57:00 UTC

The Solar Maximum Mission satellite (or SolarMax) was designed to investigate Solar phenomena, particularly solar flares. It was launched on February 14, 1980. The SMM was the first satellite based on the Multimission Modular Spacecraft bus manufactured by Fairchild Industries, a platform which was later used for Landsat 4 and Landsat 5[1] as well as the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite.

After an attitude control failure in November 1980 it was put in standby mode until April 1984 when it was repaired by a Shuttle mission.

The Solar Maximum Mission ended on December 2, 1989, when the spacecraft re-entered the atmosphere and burned up over the Indian Ocean.[2]

Instruments

Experiments on board the Solar Maximum Mission
Name Target Principal Investigator
Coronagraph/Polarimeter: 446.5–658.3 nm, 1.5- 6 sq.solar radii fov, 6.4 arcsec res. Solar corona, prominences, and flares House, Lewis L., High Altitude Observatory
Ultraviolet Spectrometer and polarimeter 175.0–360.0 nm raster imager, 0.004 nm sp.res. Solar UV, Earth's atmosphere Tandberg-Hanssen, Einar A., NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
Soft X-ray Polychromator: raster imager, crystal spectrom. in parts of 0.14–2.25 nm Solar flares, active solar regions Acton, Loren W., Lockheed Palo Alto, Culhane, J University College, London, Leonard, Gabriel, Alan-Henri, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Hard X-ray Imaging Spectrometer: fov 6.4 arcmin, 8 or 32 arcsec res, 3.5–30 keV Solar active regions and flares de Jager, Cornelis, University of Utrecht
Hard X-ray Burst Spectrometer: CsI(Na), 15 energy channels covering 20–260 keV Solar flares and active regions Frost, Kenneth J., NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Gamma-ray Spectrometer: NaI(T1),0.01-100 MeV in 476 channels, 16.4 s per spectrum solar gamma-rays Chupp, Edward L, University of New Hampshire
Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor: 0.001-1000 micrometer solar flux solar irradiance Willson, Richard C, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Failure and repair

Astronaut George Nelson attempts to capture the Solar Maximum Mission satellite during STS-41-C.

The white-light coronagraph/polarimeter (C/P) took coronal images for about six months from March 1980 before suffering an electronics failure in September that prevented operation.[2]

In November 1980, the second of four fuses in SMM's attitude control system failed, causing it to rely on its magnetorquers in order to maintain attitude. In this mode, only three of the seven instruments on board were usable, as the others required the satellite to be accurately pointed at the Sun. The use of the satellite's magnetorquers prevented the satellite from being used in a stable position and caused it to "wobble" around its nominally sun-pointed attitude.[3] SMM was left in standby mode for 3 years.[2]

The first orbiting, uncrewed satellite to be repaired in space, SMM was notable in that its useful life compared with similar spacecraft was significantly increased by the direct intervention of a crewed space mission. During STS-41-C in April 1984, the Space Shuttle Challenger rendezvoused with the SMM, astronauts James van Hoften and George Nelson attempted to use the Manned Maneuvering Unit to capture the satellite and to bring it into the orbiter's payload bay for repairs and servicing. The plan was to use an astronaut-piloted Maneuvering Unit to grapple the satellite with the Trunnion Pin Attachment Device (TPAD) mounted between the hand controllers of the Maneuvering Unit, null its rotation rates, and allow the Shuttle to bring it into the Shuttle's payload bay for stowage. Three attempts to grapple the satellite using the TPAD failed. The TPAD jaws could not lock onto Solar Max because of an obstructing grommet on the satellite not included in its blueprints.

This led to an improvised plan which nearly ended the satellite's mission. The improvisation had the astronaut use his hands to grab hold of a solar array and null the rotation with a push from the Maneuvering Unit's thrusters. Instead, this attempt induced higher rates and in multiple axes; the satellite was tumbling out of control and quickly losing battery life. SMM Operations Control Center engineers shut down all non-essential satellite subsystems and with a bit of luck were able to recover the satellite minutes before total failure. The ground support engineers then stabilized the satellite and nulled its rotation rates for capture with the Shuttle's robotic arm. This proved to be a much better plan. The satellite had been fitted with one of the arm's grapple fixtures so that the robotic arm was able to capture and maneuver it into the shuttle's payload bay for repairs.[3]

During the mission, the SMM's entire attitude control system module and the electronics module for the coronagraph/polarimeter instrument were replaced, and a gas cover was installed over the X-ray polychromator.[3] Their successful work added five more years to the lifespan of the satellite. The mission was depicted in the 1985 IMAX movie The Dream Is Alive.

Discovery of comets

10 comets were discovered in images from the SMM, all of which are members of the Kreutz sungrazer group.[4][5]

Designation Alternate Observation date Discoverer Ref
C/1987 T2 (SMM-1) - 1987-Oct-05 O. C. St. Cyr [6]
C/1987 U4 (SMM-2) - 1987-Oct-17 O. C. St. Cyr [7]
C/1988 M1 (SMM-3) 1988l 1988-Jun-27 O. C. St. Cyr [8]
C/1988 Q1 (SMM-4) 1988m 1988-Aug-21 D. Kobe
C. Waugh		 [9]
C/1988 T1 (SMM-5) 1988n 1988-Oct-11 O.C. St. Cyr [10][11]
C/1988 U1 (SMM-7) 1988q 1988-Oct-24 A. L. Stanger [12][13]
C/1988 W1 (SMM-6) 1988p 1988-Nov-18 O.C. St. Cyr [14][15]
C/1989 L1 (SMM-8) 1989m 1989-Jun-02 O.C. St. Cyr
D. L. Kobe		 [16][17]
C/1989 N3 (SMM-9) 1989q 1989-Jul-08 O.C. St. Cyr [18][19]
C/1989 S1 (SMM-10) 1989x 1989-Sep-28 O.C. St. Cyr [20][21]

Findings

A coronal transient as seen by the SMM on May 5, 1980.

Significantly, the SMM's ACRIM instrument package showed that contrary to expectations, the Sun is actually brighter during the sunspot cycle maximum (when the greatest number of dark 'sunspots' appear). This is because sunspots are surrounded by bright features called faculae, which more than cancel the darkening effect of the sunspot.

The major scientific findings from the SMM are presented in several review articles in a monograph.[22]

End of mission

SMM's orbit slowly decayed due to atmospheric drag taking it down into denser regions. The March 1989 geomagnetic storm was reported to have led to SMM dropping half a kilometre at the start of the storm and 5 kilometres over the whole period.[23] The satellite eventually lost attitude control on November 17, 1989, and re-entry and burn-up occurred on December 2, 1989, over the Indian Ocean.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ M. Suzuki (11 February 1999). "TOPEX/Poseidon – Description of Mission". University of Texas. Archived from the original on 20 November 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d "Solar Maximum Mission (SMM)". hao.ucar.edu. National Center for Atmospheric Research. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "STS-41-C Press Kit" (PDF). NASA. March 1984. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  4. ^ G. W. Kronk. "The Sungrazing Comets: SMM Sungrazers". Cometography.com. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  5. ^ R. M. MacQueen; O. C. St. Cyr (1991). "Sungrazing comets observed by the solar maximum mission coronagraph". Icarus. 90 (1): 96–106. doi:10.1016/0019-1035(91)90071-Z. ISSN 0019-1035.
  6. ^ "C/1987 T2 (SMM) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  7. ^ "C/1987 U4 (SMM) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  8. ^ "C/1988 M1 (SMM) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  9. ^ "C/1988 Q1 (SMM) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  10. ^ D. W. Green (25 October 1988). "Comet 1988n (SMM 5)". Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. 4668. Bibcode:1988IAUC.4668....1S.
  11. ^ "C/1988 T1 (SMM) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  12. ^ D. W. Green (17 December 1988). "Comet 1988q (SMM-7)". Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. 4692. Bibcode:1988IAUC.4692....1S.
  13. ^ "C/1988 U1 (SMM) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  14. ^ D. W. Green (3 December 1988). "Comet 1988p (SMM 6)". Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. 4684. Bibcode:1988IAUC.4684....1S.
  15. ^ "C/1988 W1 (SMM) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  16. ^ D. W. Green (7 June 1989). "Comet 1989m (SMM 8)". Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. 4793.
  17. ^ "C/1989 L1 (SMM) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  18. ^ D. W. Green (19 July 1989). "Comet 1989q (SMM 9)". Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. 4815. Bibcode:1989IAUC.4815....1S.
  19. ^ "C/1989 N3 (SMM) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  20. ^ D. W. Green (25 October 1989). "Comet 1989x (SMM 10)". Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. 4884. Bibcode:1989IAUC.4884....1S.
  21. ^ "C/1989 S1 (SMM) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  22. ^ K. T. Strong; J. L. R. Saba; B. M. Haisch; J. T. Schmelz (1999). The Many Faces of the Sun: A Summary of the Results from Nasa's Solar Maximum Mission. New York, USA: Springer. Bibcode:1999mfs..conf.....S. ISBN 978-0-387-98481-0.
  23. ^ J. Allen; L. Frank; H. Sauer; P. Reiff. "Effects of the March 1989 Solar Activity". Eos. Vol. 70, no. 46. American Geophysical Union. pp. 1479–1488. doi:10.1029/89EO00409.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Solar Maximum Mission.

Read other articles:

Rosanna Lambertucci

Rosanna Lambertucci Rosanna Lambertucci (Roma, 30 novembre 1945[1]) è una conduttrice televisiva, nutrizionista, conduttrice radiofonica, giornalista, scrittrice e divulgatrice scientifica italiana. Indice 1 Biografia 2 Vita privata 3 Opere 4 Televisione 5 Radio 6 Pubblicità 7 Note 8 Altri progetti 9 Collegamenti esterni Biografia Nata in una famiglia di industriali, laureata in giurisprudenza[2], intraprese la sua collaborazione con la Rai alla radio, dove Luciano Rispoli l...

 

Winx Club season 1

Season of television series Winx ClubSeason 1 Italian DVD cover (left) and artwork for the 2011 specials (right)No. of episodes26ReleaseOriginal networkRai Due4Kids TVNickelodeon (2011 specials)Original release28 January (2004-01-28) –26 March 2004 (2004-03-26)Season chronologyNext →Season 2List of episodes The first season of the animated series Winx Club aired from 28 January to 26 March 2004, consisting of 26 episodes. The series was created by Iginio Straffi, who ...

 

Человек прямоходящий

† Человек прямоходящий Научная классификация Домен:ЭукариотыЦарство:ЖивотныеПодцарство:ЭуметазоиБез ранга:Двусторонне-симметричныеБез ранга:ВторичноротыеТип:ХордовыеПодтип:ПозвоночныеИнфратип:ЧелюстноротыеНадкласс:ЧетвероногиеКлада:АмниотыКлада:Синапсиды...

Копыто

Копыто Имеется у таксона копытные Противоположно лапа  Медиафайлы на Викискладе Разрез лошадиного копыта Копы́то — твёрдое роговое образование вокруг дистальных пальцевых фаланг копытных млекопитающих. Для парнокопытных принят термин копытце[1]. В анатомич...

 

Federal University for Latin American Integration

Public federal university in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Federal University for Latin American Integration – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (March 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Federal University for Latin American IntegrationUniver...

 

Slayer

Disambiguazione – Se stai cercando l'omonimo manga, vedi Slayer (manga). SlayerGli Slayer all'Hellfest 2017 Paese d'origine Stati Uniti GenereThrash metal[1][2][3] Periodo di attività musicale1981 – 20192024 – in attività EtichettaMetal BladeDef JamAmericanNuclear Blast Album pubblicati16 Studio11 Live3 Raccolte2 Logo ufficiale Sito ufficiale Modifica dati su Wikidata · Manuale Gli Slayer sono un gruppo musicale thr...

Palin Sutan Alamsyah

Palin Sutan Alamsyah [[Kepala Luhak Tanah Datar]] ke-1Masa jabatan8 Oktober 1945 – 23 Januari 1946PresidenSoekarnoPendahuluJabatan baruPenggantiAli Akbar Informasi pribadiMeninggal4 Mei 1967KebangsaanIndonesiaSunting kotak info • L • B Palin Sutan Alamsyah atau dikenal sebagai Demang Palin adalah seorang birokrat pemerintah Hindia-Belanda yang setelah kemerdekaan Indonesia menjabat sebagai Kepala Luhak (sekarang Bupati) Tanah Datar, Sumatera Barat dari 8 Oktober 1...

 

Gas-generator cycle

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Gas-generator cycle – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message)Rocket engine operation method Gas-generator rocket cycle. Some of the fuel and oxidizer is burned separately to power the pumps and the...

 

2020–21 Toledo Rockets men's basketball team

American college basketball season 2020–21 Toledo Rockets men's basketballMAC Regular Season championsNIT, First RoundConferenceMid-American ConferenceDivisionWest DivisionRecord21–9 (15–4 MAC)Head coachTod Kowalczyk (11th season)Assistant coaches Jeff Massey Walter Offutt Justin Ingram Home arenaSavage ArenaSeasons← 2019–202021–22 → 2020–21 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings vte Conf Overall Team W   L   PCT W   L ...

Sirap bandung

Sirap BandungSirap bandung dan Mi rebus asal JohorTempat asalMalaysia[1]DaerahMalaysia , Singapura , Brunei , IndonesiaDibuat olehMuar,Johor [2][3]Sunting kotak info • L • BBantuan penggunaan templat ini  Media: Sirap Bandung Sirap bandung, atau air bandung adalah minuman yang populer di Asia Tenggara terutama di Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapura, dan Brunei. Minuman ini dibuat dengan melakukan pencampuran antara susu kental manis dan sirup mawar ya...

 

حنانيا الدمشقي

حنانيا الدمشقي حنانيا يعيد بصر القديس بولس، بريشة بيترو دا كورتونا، عام 1631 واحد من الرسل السبعون، أسقف الولادة غير معروف (ربما دمشق) الوفاة إليوثيروبوليس (التقليد) المقام الرئيسي كنيسة زرافور سورب أستفاتسين في يريفان، أرمينيا تاريخ الذكرى 25 يناير حنانيا (بالإغريقية: Ἀναν...

 

Justin Bieber

Justin BieberBieber pada tahun 2015LahirJustin Drew Bieber1 Maret 1994 (umur 30)[1]London, Ontario, KanadaPekerjaanPenyanyiPenulis laguSuami/istriHailey Baldwin ​(m. 2018)​Karier musikGenrePop, R&B[2]InstrumenVokal[3]Tahun aktif2008–sekarangLabelIsland Artis terkait Chance the Rapper Dan Kanter Diplo Ed Sheeran Poo Bear Skrillex Usher DJ Khaled Quavo Tanda tangan Justin Drew Bieber (/ˈbiːbər/; lahir 1 Maret 1994)[4]&#...

زيتون

  لمعانٍ أخرى، طالع زيتون (توضيح). اضغط هنا للاطلاع على كيفية قراءة التصنيف الزيتون ثمار الزيتون حالة الحفظ أنواع غير مهددة أو خطر انقراض ضعيف جدا المرتبة التصنيفية نوع[1]  التصنيف العلمي النطاق: حقيقيات النوى المملكة: النباتات الشعبة: مستورات البذور الطائفة: ثنا...

 

Henry Bonilla

American journalist (born 1954) Henry BonillaMember of the U.S. House of Representativesfrom Texas's 23rd districtIn officeJanuary 3, 1993 – January 3, 2007Preceded byAlbert BustamanteSucceeded byCiro Rodriguez Personal detailsBorn (1954-01-02) January 2, 1954 (age 70)San Antonio, Texas, U.S.Political partyRepublicanSpouse(s)Deborah Knapp (divorced)Sheryl White ShelbyChildren2EducationUniversity of Texas, Austin (BJourn) Henry Bonilla's voice Henry Bonilla speaks o...

 

Writing

Persistent representation of language Write redirects here. For other uses, see Write (disambiguation). The Rosetta Stone, with writing using three different scripts, was instrumental in deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs Writing is the act of creating a persistent representation of human language. A writing system uses a set of symbols and rules to encode aspects of spoken language, such as its lexicon and syntax. However, written language may take on characteristics distinct from those of any...

1922 Australian federal election

Australian federal election 1922 Australian federal election ← 1919 16 December 1922 (1922-12-16) 1925 → ← outgoing memberselected members →All 76[b] seats in the House of Representatives 38 seats were needed for a majority in the House 19 (of the 36) seats in the SenateRegistered2,980,424 4.58%Turnout1,646,863 (59.36%)[a](18.94 pp)   First party Second party Third party   Leader Matthew Charlton Billy Hughes...

 

Doron Medalie

Doron Medalieדורון מדליInformasi latar belakangLahir05 Desember 1977 (umur 46)Ramat Hasharon, IsraelGenrePop, MizrahiTahun aktif2001–kini Doron Medalie (Ibrani: דורון מדלי; lahir 5 Desember 1977)[1] adalah seorang penulis lagu, komponis dan pengarah gambar asal Israel. Lagu buatannya “Toy” memenangkan Kontes Lagu Eurovision 2018. Referensi ^ פסק זמן עם דורון מדלי. timeout.co.il. Diarsipkan dari versi asli tanggal 2016-03-03. Diakses ta...

 

مكانية صليحاوية (دار خوين)

مكانية صليحاوية مكنيه صلاحاويه  - قرية -  تقسيم إداري البلد  إيران المحافظة محافظة خوزستان المقاطعة مقاطعة الفلاحية قسم القسم المركزي القسم الريفي قسم دار خوين الريفي إحداثيات 30°47′09″N 48°27′04″E / 30.785833333333°N 48.451111111111°E / 30.785833333333; 48.451111111111   السكان ...

Akershus

County of Norway This article is about the region of Norway. For other uses, see Akershus (disambiguation). This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (January 2024) County in NorwayAkershusCountyAkershus fylkeAkershus Fortress, in modern Oslo, was the namesake and center of the region of Akershus since the Middle Ages, and was located within Akershus main county until 1919. FlagCoat of armsAkershus within NorwayC...

 

Welcome to the Wayne

Animated television series Welcome to the WayneGenreAdventureMystery fictionScience fantasyUrban fantasyComedyActionCreated byBilly LopezDeveloped by Michael Pecoriello Billy Lopez Directed byTahir RanaVoices of Alanna Ubach Billy Lopez Dana Steingold Theme music composer Anna Waronker Charlotte Caffey Opening themeWelcome to the Wayne! by Anna Waronker & Charlotte CaffeyEnding themeWelcome to the Wayne! (Instrumental)ComposerEgo PlumCountry of origin United States Canada Original languag...