Pageos (Passive GEOS)
A 30-meter diameter sphere made from 0.0125-mm Mylar
externally coated with vapor-deposited aluminum. It was inflated in orbit
to serve as a giant reflector of sunlight that could be photographed from
the surface. In this way, Pageos enabled, over a five-year period, the determination
of the precise relative location of continents, islands and other land masses.
Pageos was the second (following GEOS 1) NASA
satellite in the National Geodetic Satellites Program. The launch, orbit,
separation, inflation, and operation went according to plan, with more than
40 ground stations taking part in the observation program. The orbit was
generally considered too high for drag-density study, although some work
was done in this area by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.
| launch date |
Jun. 23, 1966 |
| launch vehicle |
TA Thor-Agena D |
| launch site |
Vandenberg Air Force Base |
| orbit |
2,953 × 5,207 km × 84.4° |
| mass |
55 kg |
Related category
• SATELLITES
AND SPACE PROBES
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