Thor SLV-2A Agena B (original) (raw)

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Thor SLV-2A Agena B

Part of Thor

Thor Agena B upgraded with addition of three Castor 1 strap-on motors.

AKA: DSV-2C;SLV-2C;Thor Agena B SLV-2A/B;Thrust Augmented Thor. Status: Retired 1966. First Launch: 1963-06-29. Last Launch: 1966-05-15. Number: 2 . Payload: 400 kg (880 lb). Thrust: 1,571.00 kN (353,174 lbf). Gross mass: 67,500 kg (148,800 lb). Height: 31.00 m (101.00 ft). Diameter: 2.44 m (8.00 ft). Apogee: 1,000 km (600 mi).

More at: Thor SLV-2A Agena B.

Family: orbital launch vehicle. Country: USA. Engines: Bell 8081, MB-3-3. Spacecraft: Ferret, Alouette, Nimbus, DME. Launch Sites: Vandenberg, Vandenberg SLC2E, Vandenberg SLC1E. Stages: Agena B, Delta Thor TA, Castor 1. Agency: Douglas.

1963 June 29 - . 22:30 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Thor SLV-2A Agena B.

OPS 1440 - . Payload: Ferret 4 / Agena B 2314. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: CIA, USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: SIGINT. Spacecraft: Ferret. Decay Date: 1969-10-26 . USAF Sat Cat: 613 . COSPAR: 1963-027A. Apogee: 530 km (320 mi). Perigee: 487 km (302 mi). Inclination: 82.30 deg. Period: 94.80 min.
An Air Force Thor/Agena B launched from Vandenberg established a number of distinctive records. It was the 200th Thor to be launched since Number 101 was launched at Cape Canaveral on 25 January 1957. It was the first, last and only-Thrust Augmented Thor/Agena B to be used by the Air Force. It was the final Agena B (#2314) to be employed with a Thor booster.

1966 May 15 - . 07:55 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Thor SLV-2A Agena B.

Nimbus 2 - . Payload: Nimbus C. Mass: 414 kg (912 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Class: Earth. Type: Weather satellite. Spacecraft: Nimbus. USAF Sat Cat: 2173 . COSPAR: 1966-040A. Apogee: 1,176 km (730 mi). Perigee: 1,093 km (679 mi). Inclination: 100.30 deg. Period: 108.00 min.
The last Thrust Augmented Thor/Agena B was used to place NASA's NIMBUS II meteorological satellite into orbit. TV, IR cloud cover photos. The spacecraft carried an advanced vidicon camera system for recording and storing remote cloud cover pictures, an automatic picture transmission camera for providing real-time cloudcover pictures, and both high- and medium-resolution infrared radiometers (HRIR and MRIR) for measuring the intensity and distribution of electromagnetic radiation emitted by and reflected from the earth and its atmosphere. The spacecraft and experiments performed normally after launch until July 26, 1966, when the spacecraft tape recorder failed. Its function was taken over by the HRIR tape recorder until November 15, 1966, when it also failed. Some real-time data were collected until January 17, 1969, when the spacecraft mission was terminated owing to deterioration of the horizon scanner used for earth reference.

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