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Applications Technology Satellites

{{Short description|Series of experimental satellites launched by NASA}}

File:Applications Technology Satellite 3 (ATS 3).png

The Applications Technology Satellites (ATS) were a series of experimental satellites launched by NASA, under the supervision of, among others, Wernher von Braun. The program was launched in 1966 to test the feasibility of placing a satellite into geosynchronous orbit.{{cite web|url=http://www.met.fsu.edu/orgs/explores/satellites/Ats/index.html|title=ATS - Applications Technology Satellites (ATS I-V)|publisher=FSU Department of Meteorology|url-status = dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929154555/http://www.met.fsu.edu/orgs/explores/satellites/Ats/index.html|archivedate=2011-09-29}} The satellites were primarily designed to act as communication satellites, but also carried equipment related to meteorology and navigation. ATS-6 was the world's first educational satellite as well as world's first experimental Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) as part of the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE) between NASA and ISRO.{{cite web |url=http://msl.jpl.nasa.gov/Programs/ats.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070522141635/http://msl.jpl.nasa.gov/Programs/ats.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=22 May 2007 |website=wayback machine: ATS Nasa Page |publisher=NASA |accessdate=13 April 2019|title=ATS (Applications Technology Satellites) Program }}

Summary of Missions

class="wikitable"
Mission

! Launch Date

! Duration

! Major investigations

! Notable mission highlights

ATS-1

| December 7, 1966

| 18 years

| Spin stabilization, investigated the geostationary environment, space communications

| First full-Earth cloud cover images{{cite web | title=The 50th Anniversary of ATS-1 | website=NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) | date=2016-12-06 | url=https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/content/50th-anniversary-ats-1 | access-date=2020-10-05}}

ATS-2

| April 6, 1967

| 6 months

| None

| Launch vehicle failure caused spacecraft to reach undesirable orbit. Limited data was obtained.{{cite report|title=Atlas-Agena flight performance for the Applications Technology Satellite ATS-2 mission|url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19690017882.pdf|publisher=NASA Technical Reports Server|access-date=November 8, 2022}}

ATS-3

| November 5, 1967

| At least 20 years

| Spin stabilization, communications tests

| First color images from space.{{cite web | title=The First Color Images of the Earth from Space | website=Geography Realm | date=Mar 13, 2019 | url=https://www.geographyrealm.com/the-first-color-images-of-the-earth-from-space/ | access-date=Feb 2, 2022}} ATS-3 was also used as a communications satellite, providing links to Antarctica and the Pacific Basin

ATS-4

| August 10, 1968

| 2 months in low orbit, failed to reach geostationary orbit, full mission did not occur

| Intended (failed) objective of inserting a gravity-gradient-stabilized spacecraft into a geosynchronous orbit

| Intended for geostationary orbit. Launch vehicle failure left it in a near useless LEO orbit.Lewis Research Center (1972) [https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19720017275 Atlas-Centaur AC-17 performance for applications technology satellite ATS-D mission] NASA TM X-2525 Little data was obtained.{{cite web |last1=Garner |first1=Robert |title=ATS |url=https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/missions/ats.html |website=Goddard Space Flight Center |publisher=NASA |access-date=22 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226202828/http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/missions/ats.html |archive-date=2021-02-26 |location=Greenbelt, MD |date=2010-01-22 |quote=ATS-4 was to investigate the possibilities of a gravity gradient stabilization system. A Centaur upper stage failure stranded ATS-4 in a much lower than planned orbit, making the satellite nearly useless. Despite this, NASA engineers successfully turned on several of the experiments to collect as much information as possible during the craft's short life. The low orbit and resulting atmospheric drag caused ATS-4 to re-enter Earth's atmosphere and break apart on Oct. 17, 1968. |url-status=live}}

ATS-5

| August 12, 1969

| 3 year design life

| Communications tests, intended (failed) testing of an ion engine

| Spacecraft entered an unintended spin and encountered excessive acceleration. This caused damage to the ion engine.{{cite web|last=Krebs|first=Gunter D.|title=ATS 2, 4, 5|website=Gunter's Space Page|access-date=February 11, 2023|url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/ats-4.htm}}

ATS-6

| May 30, 1974

| 5 years

| Tested several communications technologies, satellite assisted search and rescue, and broadcast television.{{cite web|title=ATS-6 Final Engineering Performance Report|first=Robert O. |last=Wales |url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19820008274/downloads/19820008274.pdf|date=November 1981|publisher=NASA|access-date=February 4, 2023|pages=76–78}}

| First satellite to broadcast educational content.{{cite web|title=First educational satellite launches, May 30, 1974|date=May 30, 2019|first=Suzanne |last=Deffree |url=https://www.edn.com/first-educational-satellite-launches-may-30-1974/|website=edn.com|access-date=February 11, 2023}}

See also

{{Portal|Spaceflight}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

{{Commons category|Applications Technology Satellites}}

  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20070522141635/http://msl.jpl.nasa.gov/Programs/ats.html ATS] at NASA's Mission and Spacecraft Library
  • [http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/missions/ats.html ATS, Past NASA Missions]
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20100430082248/http://science.nasa.gov/missions/ats/ ATS, NASA Science Missions]
  • [https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19690023658_1969023658.pdf ATS-E - Press Kit]

{{ATS Satellites}}

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