Discoverer 37

Discoverer 37

Operator	US Air Force/NRO
Major contractors	Lockheed
Bus	KH-3 Corona''' Agena-B
Mission type	Optical reconnaissance
Launch date	13 January 1962 21:41 UTC
Carrier rocket	Thor DM-21 Agena-B 327
Launch site	Vandenberg LC-75-3-4
Mission duration	Failed to orbit
Mass	1,150 kilograms (2,500 lb)
Orbital elements
Regime	Low Earth (planned)

The launch of Discoverer 37

Discoverer 37, also known as Corona 9030, was an American optical reconnaissance satellite which was lost in a launch failure in 1962. It was the last KH-3 Corona''' satellite, which was based around an Agena-B.^[1]

The launch of Discoverer 37 occurred at 21:41 UTC on 13 January 1962. A Thor DM-21 Agena-B rocket was used, flying from Launch Complex 75-3-4 at the Vandenberg Air Force Base,^[2] however it failed to achieve orbit.^[3]

Discoverer 37 was intended to be operated in a low Earth orbit. It had a mass of 1,150 kilograms (2,500 lb),^[4] and was equipped with a panoramic camera with a focal length of 61 centimetres (24 in), which had a maximum resolution of 7.6 metres (25 ft).^[5] Images were to have been recorded onto 70-millimetre (2.8 in) film, and returned in a Satellite Recovery Vehicle at the end of the mission. The Satellite Recovery Vehicle which was to have been used by Discoverer 37 was SRV-571.^[4]

References

1. ^ Krebs, Gunter. "KH-3 Corona". Gunter's Space Page. http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/kh-3.htm. Retrieved 30 June 2010. 
2. ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. http://planet4589.org/space/log/launchlog.txt. Retrieved 30 June 2010. 
3. ^ Lindborg, Christina; Pike, John (9 September 2000). "KH-3 Corona". Federation of American Scientists. http://www.fas.org/spp/military/program/imint/kh-3.htm. Retrieved 30 June 2010. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Wade, Mark. "KH-3". Encyclopedia Astronautica. http://www.astronautix.com/craft/kh3.htm. Retrieved 30 June 2010. 
5. ^ "Corona". Mission and Spacecraft Library. NASA. http://msl.jpl.nasa.gov/programs/corona.html. Retrieved 30 June 2010.