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earlier than December 13. Relay will be the first space com-
munication experiment to link three continents -- North America,
Europe and South America.
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wide communication.
Nutley, New Jersey, USA, and one near Rio de Janiero operated
by Radio Internacional de Brazil by authority of the Brazilian
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THE RELAY SPACECRAFT AND SYSTEMS OPERATION
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transponder to be used during a test will be made by ground com-
mand from the test station. The traveling wave tube, especially
designed for Relay by RCA uses a platinum-cobalt magnet and has
an overall efficiency of 21%. Each of the Relay transponders can
handle wideband one-way signals, such as television, or two-way
telephone traffic and other narrowband signals.
Wideband signals are recieved from the ground stations at
a frequency of 1727 MC and transmitted by the satellite to the
grounds at 4170 MC.
Two-way telephone and other narrow band traffic are trans-
mitted on the following frequencies:
Ground to satellite: 1726.6 MC West-East and North-South
Satellite to ground: 4165 MC West-East and North-South
Ground to satellite: 1723.3 MC East-West and South-North
Satellite to ground: 4175 MC East-West and South-North
The most complex electronic system carried in Relay is the
telemetry and command equipment. It consists of an antenna, two
command receivers, two subcarrier demodulators, two command de-
coders, two telemetry transmitters, one command control unit, and
one telemetry encoder. The duplicate units are to insure relia-
bility of the system's operation.
The Command System has 20 command channels which control op-
eration of the communication transponders, and telemetry system.
Each command is repeated five times, providing further redundancy.
The signals are received, demodulated, decoded, and applied to the
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The Relay telemetry encoder is the most complicated single
element in the entire spacecraft. It encodes data from sensors
within the satellite and transmits to the ground through 128
channels at the rate of one channel per second. The encoder
comprises 5,186 parts, including 581 transistors and 1,378
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Just before Relay is mutually visible between ground sta-
'ions, the NASA test station will pick up the tracking beacon
and exercise commands for obtaining telemetry on its operating
condition. If the systems are in good condition, the test sta-
tion then sends another command to turn one of the communications
transponders and set the mode for wideband or narrowband trans-
missions. Test station operations require about 5 to 10 minutes.
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RELAY'S RADIATION EXPERIMENTS 12
components.
are unprotected.
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The short-circuit current will be measured in monitoring radia-
be monitored every second, each for about 0.78 seconds time. The
spin rate of the spacecraft will allow for approximately two pulses
the amount of radiation to which the solar cells and diodes are
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Bell Telephone Laboratories and the State University of Iowa
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GROUND STATIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL TESTING OF
EXPERIMENTAL COMMUNICATION SATELLITES
in the United States, Europe, Brazil and Japan. The American Tele-
are provided to the stationL by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Cen-
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American Telephone and Telegraph Company, was launched by NASA on
July 10, 1962 These stations will conduct similar tests and demo-
The Relay launch will bring three additional stations into the
Company station at Nutley, New Jersey, and one located near Rio de
210 feet in diameter and 161 feet high. A maser and FM feedback
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,ceive television and still pictures using British, European and
this year by receiving voice signals from the satellite with a 30-
Relays
located at Nutley, New Jersey, nine miles west of New York City.
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The ITT fixed station employs a 40-fcot "dish" antenna and
circuits per voice channel, or 144 total circuits for these pur-
as 16 hours.
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NASA has negotiated contractual agreements with the American
Committee.
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command encoder. The command system can sequence and control the
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THE DELTA LAUNCH VEHICLE 22
utility.
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In addition to lengthening the second stage, a lighter,
used for the first time in the Delta program. Use of the
is unchanged.
Hleight: 87 feet
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Third Stage (Allegany Ballistics Laboratory X-248 solid
motor):
Fuel: Solid
Thrust: About 3,000 pounds
Burning Time: 40 seconds (After 15
minute
coast)
Guidance System (Bell Telephone Laboratories)
Firing Sequence:
The first stage falls away on burnout. The second
stage ignites immediately. The nose fairing which covers
third stage and payload is jettisorned during second stage
burning. The second and third stages coast for 15 minutes
after second stage burnout. Then, the third stage is spin
stabilized, and the second stage falls away, and the third
stage is ignited. The third stage reaches an orbital
velocity of almost 17,000 miles per hour.
Project management of the Delta program is charged to
the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland.
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( (6}) TIROS IV, February 8, 1962
(7) Orbiting Solar Observatory,
t; March 7, 1962
() Ariel (A joint NASA-United Kingdom ionospheric
experiment), March 7, 1962
(9) TIROS V, June 19, 1962
(10) Telstar, active communications satellite,
July 1C, 1962
(11) TIROS VI, September 18, 1952
(12) Explorer XIV, scientific satellite,
October 2, 1962
(13) Explorer XV, scientific satellite,
October 27, 1962
Future Delta assignments include the second Relay,
Syncom - a 24-hour orbit active repeater coimmunication
satellite, Tiros, Orbiting Solar Observatory, Atmospheric
Structure Satelli te, and t.he Inter-planetary iionitoring
Probe.
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.A SAA Pl-sOJET ;-',ELAY' , .r S
_'NASA Headquarters
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