Discoverer 9

Image:Thor Agena A with Discoverer 9, 4 February 1960.gif

"Discoverer" was the civilian designation and cover for the Corona satellite photo-reconnaissance series of satellites managed by the Advanced Research Projects Agency of the Department of Defense and the U.S. Air Force. The primary goal of the satellites was to replace the U-2 spyplane in surveilling the Sino-Soviet Bloc, determining the disposition and speed of production of Soviet missiles and long-range bombers assess. The Corona program was also used to produce maps and charts for the Department of Defense and other US government mapping programs.{{cite web|url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1959-002A|title=Discoverer 1|publisher=NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive|access-date=24 October 2020}}

The first series of Corona satellites were the Keyhole 1 (KH-1) satellites based on the Agena-A upper stage, which not only offered housing but whose engine provided attitude control in orbit. The KH-1 payload included the C (for Corona) single, vertical-looking, panoramic camera that scanned back and forth, exposing its film at a right angle to the line of flight.{{cite web |title=Corona: America's First Satellite Program |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/books-and-monographs/corona.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612220818/https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/books-and-monographs/corona.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 12, 2007 |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |access-date=25 January 2020 |date=1995}}{{rp|26}} The camera, built by Fairchild Camera and Instrument with a f/5.0 aperture and {{convert|61|cm}} focal length, had a ground resolution of {{convert|12.9|m}}. Film was returned from orbit by a single General Electric Satellite Return Vehicle (SRV) constructed by General Electric. The SRV was equipped with an onboard small solid-fuel retro motor to deorbit at the end of the mission. Recovery of the capsule was done in mid-air by a specially equipped aircraft.{{cite web|url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/kh-1.htm|title=KH-1 Corona|first=Gunter|last=Krebs|publisher=Gunter's Space Page|accessdate=7 November 2020}}

Discoverer began with a series of three test flights whose satellites carried no cameras, all launched in the first half of 1959. There followed five operational Discoverer satellites, all of them partial or complete failures.{{rp|236}} Following the subsystem issues which prevented the recovery of the film capsules on Discoverer 7 and Discoverer 8 in November 1959, flight tests were suspended for several months of intensive corrective engineering.{{cite web|url=https://www.nro.gov/Portals/65/documents/foia/declass/WS117L_Records/468.PDF|title=Military Space Projects Report of Progress for January - February 1960|date=1960|access-date = 7 November 2020}}{{rp|93}}

The battery-powered Discoverer 9 was of similar configuration to prior Discoverer satellites, being housed in an Agena-A stage and composed of a satellite bus and SRV equipped with the C camera.{{rp|236}}

Only a quarter load ({{convert|10|lb}} of film was carried on Discoverer 9 to accommodate the first Transit on Discoverer (TOD) payload,{{rp|20}} designed to test orbital tracking techniques for the Transit navigational satellite program.{{cite book|title=Something New Under the Sun Satellites and the Beginning of the Space Age|author = Helen Gavaghan|publisher = Springer|location=New York|isbn=978-1-4612-7218-2|date=1998|page=98|oclc=1159214844}}

Launch took place 4 Feb 1960 at 18:51:45 GMT from Vandenberg LC 75-3-4 by a Thor DM-21 Agena-A rocket.{{Cite web|url=http://planet4589.org/space/log/launchlog.txt|title=Launch Log|last=McDowell|first=Jonathan|publisher=Jonathon's Space Report|access-date=7 November 2020}}At liftoff the umbilical tower failed to retract and the helium quick fill disconnect line was yanked from the Agena, resulting in loss of helium control gas to the stage. The Thor experienced main engine cutoff at T+145 seconds instead of the intended 165 seconds, resulting in premature separation and ignition of the Agena which due to the control gas loss became unstable in flight and it shut down after 17 seconds of burning due to tumbling. Either of these issues would have left Discoverer 9 with insufficient velocity to reach orbit, and the satellite fell into the Pacific {{convert|400|miles}} downrange.{{cite web|url=https://www.nro.gov/Portals/65/documents/foia/declass/WS117L_Records/468.PDF|title=Military Space Projects Report of Progress for January - February 1960|date=1960|access-date = 7 November 2020}}

CORONA achieved its first fully successful flight with the mission of Discoverer 14, launched on August 18, 1960.{{rp|59}} The program ultimately comprised 145 flights in eight satellite series, the last mission launching on 25 May 1972.{{rp|245}} CORONA was declassified in 1995,{{rp|14}} and a formal acknowledgement of the existence of US reconnaissance programs, past and present, was issued in September 1996.{{rp|4}}

{{reflist|refs=

}}

{{Portal|Spaceflight}}

{{Discoverer}}

{{Keyhole}}

{{Orbital launches in 1960}}

Category:Spacecraft launched in 1960

Category:Spacecraft which reentered in 1960