Discoverer 36

{{Infobox spaceflight

| name = Discoverer 36

| image =

| image_caption =

| mission_type = Optical reconnaissance

| operator = US Air Force/NRO

| Harvard_designation = 1961 Alpha Kappa 1

| SATCAT =

| mission_duration = 4 days

| spacecraft =

| spacecraft_type = KH-3 Corona

| spacecraft_bus = Agena-B

| manufacturer = Lockheed

| launch_mass = {{convert|1150|kg}}

| launch_date = {{start-date|12 December 1961, 20:40|timezone=yes}} UTC

| launch_rocket = Thor DM-21 Agena-B 325

| launch_site = Vandenberg LC-75-3-4

| decay_date = {{end-date|8 March 1962}}

| landing_date =

| landing_site =

| orbit_epoch =

| orbit_reference = Geocentric

| orbit_regime = Low Earth

| orbit_periapsis = {{convert|223|km|mi|sp=us}}

| orbit_apoapsis = {{convert|445|km|mi|sp=us}}

| orbit_inclination = 81.1 degrees

| orbit_period = 91.2 minutes

| apsis = gee

}}

File:Thor Agena B with Discoverer 36 lift-off (Dec. 12 1961).gif

Discoverer 36, also known as Corona 9029, was an American optical reconnaissance satellite which was launched in 1961. It was a KH-3 Corona satellite, based on an Agena-B rocket.{{cite web|url=http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/kh-3.htm|title=KH-3 Corona|first=Gunter|last=Krebs|publisher=Gunter's Space Page|accessdate=30 June 2010}} It was the penultimate KH-3 satellite to be launched, the last successful mission, and the most successful of the program.{{cite web|url=http://www.fas.org/spp/military/program/imint/kh-3.htm|title=KH-3 Corona|first=Christina|last=Lindborg|first2=John|last2=Pike|date=9 September 2000|accessdate=30 June 2010|publisher=Federation of American Scientists}}

The launch of Discoverer 36 occurred at 20:40 UTC on 12 December 1961. A Thor DM-21 Agena-B rocket was used, flying from Launch Complex 75-3-4 at the Vandenberg Air Force Base.{{cite web|url=http://planet4589.org/space/log/launchlog.txt|title=Launch Log|first=Jonathan|last=McDowell|publisher=Jonathan's Space Page|accessdate=30 June 2010}} Upon successfully reaching orbit, it was assigned the Harvard designation 1961 Alpha Kappa 1. OSCAR 1, the first amateur radio satellite, was launched aboard the same rocket.

Discoverer 36 was operated in a low Earth orbit, with a perigee of {{convert|223|km}}, an apogee of {{convert|445|km}}, 81.1 degrees of inclination, and a period of 91.2 minutes.{{cite web|url=http://planet4589.org/space/log/satcat.txt|title=Satellite Catalog|first=Jonathan|last=McDowell|publisher=Jonathan's Space Page|accessdate=30 June 2010}} The satellite had a mass of {{convert|1150|kg}},{{cite web|url=http://www.astronautix.com/craft/kh3.htm|title=KH-3|first=Mark|last=Wade|publisher=Encyclopedia Astronautica|accessdate=30 June 2010|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100918005311/http://astronautix.com/craft/kh3.htm|archivedate=18 September 2010}} and was equipped with a panoramic camera with a focal length of {{convert|61|cm}}, which had a maximum resolution of {{convert|7.6|m}}.{{cite web|url=http://msl.jpl.nasa.gov/programs/corona.html|title=Corona|publisher=NASA|work=Mission and Spacecraft Library|accessdate=30 June 2010|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071003082210/http://msl.jpl.nasa.gov/Programs/corona.html|archivedate=3 October 2007}} Images were recorded onto {{convert|70|mm|adj=on|sp=us}} film, and returned in a Satellite Recovery Vehicle four days after launch.{{cite news|title=Bail Out Into Sea: Frogmen Recover Latest Capsule|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CY4tAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zp0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=5930%2C3375900|accessdate=1 January 2016|agency=Associated Press|publisher=The Gazette|date=18 December 1961|location=Montreal, Quebec|page=2}} The Satellite Recovery Vehicle used by Discoverer 36 was SRV-525. Once its images had been returned, Discoverer 36 remained in orbit until it decayed on 8 March 1962.

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