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NEVWS RELEASE
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
400 MARYLAND AVENUE, SW, WASHINGTON, D. C. 20546
TELEPHONES: WORTH 2-4155 ----- WORTH3-6925

FOR RELEASE: P.M.'s Tuesday

January 21, 1964

RELEASE NO: 64-li

NASA TO LAUNCH SECOND ECHO COD4EMTICATIONS SATELLITE

Another Echo passive communications satellite will be

launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
no earlier than January 23.

The 135-foot diameter balloon will be injected into a

800-mile-high circular, near-polar orbit at an inclination
of 82 degrees by a Thor-Agena launch vehicle from Vandenburg
Air Force Base, Pacific Missile Range, Calif. Without acces-
sories it weighs 535 pounds; with accessories -- canister,
beacon transmitters and other equipment -- it will weigh 770

pounds.

Orbital injection, canister opening and balloon inflation

will take place south of Madagascar. The canister will open
and the laminated, Mylar plastic and aluminum balloon will
partially inflate with residual air. This process will be

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continued as a cheniicaliin-,de Echo changrs nto gas, fully

expanding the balloon. anpnister opSng and inflation wisll

be witnassecd by scientists iJn Pretoria, South Africa. via a
televi.vion srst-er.' mounted on the Agena rocket.

The spacecraft is desigi-ed to perm-Lit co-nduWcti.on o'f passive

satellite corinun-.cat:ons ',;:pcriments (radio, tbelet-ype and
facsimnie) as well a.. to accumulate data about the spacecraft's
orbital environ-nent. It is designed to be rigid enough to
withstand the stresses of space and rem-ain spherical without
collapsing after the in-flating gas has leaked out.

Echo C is expected to show whether such a satellite will

stay spherical as long as it is in orbit. Ii it does, it will
provide a large and unchanging reflecting surface, long life-
timc and multiple access (many tranumi;3:s.`on"s from different

ground stations at the sams time). In addition, unlike active

co.-miunlcation satellites which rsquire specific ground equipment
to wiork with specific equi)ment in thze satellite, passive satel-
lite ground communicatLons technrclogy may improve radically
without requiring changes in the orb.'.ting spacecraft.

Overall direction of the EVho program is under ITASA's Office

oC S.pace Science and Applications 4:.th project management the

responsibility of Goddard Space FlLCht Center, Greenbelt, Md.

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The spacecraft was built b- the G. T. Schieldahl Co.,

NIorthfield, Minn.; the inflation system by GeophysicA4

Corporation of America, Viron Division, Anoka, I'inn.; the

canister by Grumman Aircraft Engineering Co., ]3sthpagea ,.Y.;

the TV system by Hallamore Electronics Division of the 2-egler

Corp., Anaheim, Calif.; and the beacons by Aero Geo Astro

Corp., Alexandria, Va.

The tfhor-Agena B launch vehicle is built by the.Douglas

Aircraft Co. (Thor), Santa Monica, Calif. and the Lockheed

Missile and Space Co. (Agena), Sunnyvale, Calif. Launch is

by the U.S. Air Force 6595th Aerospace rest %ling under the

direction of GSFC's Field Projects Branch. Vehicle systems

management is under NASA's Lewis Research Center, Cleveland,

Ohio.

On its first orbit, Echo C will not be visible to most

of the world. Perhaps the first persons to see Echo will be

those living in Iran or the Soviet Union. Residents of remote

areas of Alaska probably will be the first Americans to view

the new Echo. The first good look from the eastern part of th~e

United States will be more than ten hours after launcn as it

crosses from the Gulf of Mexico over Mississippi, Tennessee,

Kentucky, Indiana and Michigan. However, to see Echo at all,

the skies must be clear in order to see the sun strike the

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moving satellite 800 miles above the dark Earth below.

Tfhis occurs at dawn or dusk.

Precise orbital elements and visibility predictions may

not be available for several days after launch because

initial efforts of tracking experts must go into computing

pointing data (the precise direction from a ground location to

the satellite) for experimenters.

Among the experimenters are the Collins Radio Co., Dallas,

Tex., under contract to GSFC; the Naval Research Laboratory,

Washington, D.C.; and the Naval Electronics Laboratory, San

Dfego, Calif.

As in the case of Echo I, still in orbit, still visible

and still partly effective as a radiowave reflector, the new

Echo is expected to be seen by more persons than any other

man-made object in the historyr of the world.

NASA has long been interested in controlled inflation sys-

tems for erecting large, platforms in space without the

tremendous weight drawbacks that mechanical systems presently

entail. Inflatable devices could be used to deplcny huge air-

borne antennas or Earth-orientation devices which use the Earth'z

gravity gradient to name just two possibilities.

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 1i th tho i: ->-3onto be te.ted on this flight,
2r;tom

the 135- foo' -:lherc *.zfl utili-ze a ;l.o rer more controlle7t
in-la'A;ng r.et'hod t:h.ch ril' take about °0 min.ute- to comnplet.
TPhts wj.ll allo-i t.hs zatoll':te to hold muchihi . essurez
andc w-i.th slo'!S :.tiOl thc-re 'ff.ll -lot ob az:im'ch cfhance as
pre-i.ously fo- uttr n too much stress too fat on the thin
skin, thus cautirnag it to bur:;t. The slhin lz made of Mylar
plastie .00035 inche7, thick with .00018 inch thick aluninum

alloy foil bonded on both side,;.

In order to prevent heat reflected from the Sun from

dariainf: the track-ing beacons on the spacecraft or the laminate

itself, the balloon ts coated Uith alodine, a chemical acid

,:hich changes the surf~ae to improve its reflecting properties.

To keep as even temperature as possible between the Sun

side and the shade side of the sphere, the inside surface is

coated with black India ink.

HIASA's John Thole, Spacecraft Systems Manager at GSFC,

is credited with devislIng the inflation system wi1 th tho clevelop-

ment :ork being done by Geophysics Co7rp. The heart of the syst3tem

'the method of' packaging 72 thinly folued anct specially treated

plast c bags conta-ning chamical wafers of' pyrazole. ',l-ien these

crystals of pyrazole are ex:posed to the heat oC the Sun they
tu-rn in'no Tapor f1' nt the sphere 4 t1h 'za.

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In order for proper inflation to occur, the small

plastic bags are fastened on one side to the inside skin of
the balloon in a definite pattern. When the sphere is injected
into orbit and is partially inflated by residual air into a
soft, round shape, solar heat begins its work. It first melts
a wax sealant on the outer edge of each plastic bag. This
causes the bag to expand and unfold inside the satellite. This
in turn exposes thousands of tiny perforated holes on the inner
folds of the small bags which allow the pyrazole to escape in-
side the balloon in the form of gas. Because the chemical en-
velopes are positioned in such a way that each releases gas at
a different time, the gradual pressure build-up is achieved.
It will take about 90 minutes to achieve full pressure, thus
allowing higher pressures to be contained than were previously
obtainable. This means a stronger space structure and better
reflectivity.

The Space Tracking and Data Acquisition Network (STADAI)

station at Johannesburg, South Africa, will monitor the beacon
signals aboard. This data will be transmitted to GSFC where it
will be used to cormpute the satellite's orbit and pointing angles
for ground communication stations antennas.

Another station, at Majunga, in the Malagasy Republic, will

obtain temperature and pressure data pertaining to the start of

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inflation. Other STADAIT stations are located at Fairbanks,

Alaska; Winkf'ield, England; St. Johns, Newfoundland; Santiago,
Chile; Lima, Peru; '1uito, Ecuador; Woomera, Australia; Blossom
Point, Md.; Fort myers, Fla.; East Grand Forks, Minn.; Goldstone
Lali, Calif.; and a Pacific Missile Range Station at South
Point,Hawaii, will obtain balloon skin temperature and other
data. The Smithsonian Astronomical Observatory tracking net-
work will also participate.

Based on an agreement between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R.

(The Dryden-Blagenrovov agreement), communications experiments
using the Echo satellite, are expected to be carried on in 1964,
although no definite schedule for such experiments has been
established.

The Echo Team

NASA Headquarters: Dr. Homer E. Newell, Associate Adminis-
trator for Space Science & Applications,
overall program management.
Robert F. Garbarini, Director of Applica-
tLons.
Leonard Jaffe, Director, Communicationi
& Navigational Satellite Programs.
Donald P. Rogers, Echo Project Officer
Edmund Buckley, Director, Office of
Tracking & Data Acquisition, Echo
Tracking Manager.

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Joseph tMahon, Agena Program Manager.

Goddard Space Flight Dr. Harry J. Goett, Director.

Center:
Herbert Eaker, Echo Project Manager.
Norman Martin, Project Coordinater.
John M. Thole, Assistant Echo Project
Manager.
E. A. Rothenberg, Agena Coordinator.
Thomas E. Ryan, Goddard Tracking &
Daba Systems Manager.
Joseph Schwartz, Associate Chief,
Goddard Launch Operations Branch.

Lewis Research Center: Dr. S. C. Himmel, Project Manager

Thor-Agena systems management.

Contractors

G. T. SchjelAahl Co.: Balloon

Grumman Aircraft Canister
Engineering Corp.:
Viron Division of Inflation system
Geophysics Corporation of
America:
Aero-Geo-Astro Corp.: Tracking beacons
Douglas Aircraft Co.: Thor booster stage
Lockheed Missiles and Agena B seoond stage
Space Co.:
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TECMIfCAL DESCRIPTION
The Spacecraft

Echo C will be folded in a cocoon-liko canister atop

the Agena B stage of the booster as it stands on the pad
before liftoff.

It is made of Mylar plastic .0035 inches thick,.with

.00018 inch thick aluminum alloy foil bonded to either side.
This laminate is coated on both sides with alodine. The
inside surface is coated with black India ink.

The spacecraft is made of 106 gores, each 4j feet wide

at the balloon's equator, joined together by simple butt
splicing. There are 54-inch end caps on. both poles of the
balloon, with overlapping joints. All joints are bonded to-
gether with 1-inch strips.

Bea-cons

Two beacon transmitters are mounted opposite each other

on Echo's equator. They are 132 inches square, 0.750-inch
thick, with a flexible, 20-inches high quarter-wave antenna.
Power comes to each transmitter from four triangular-shaped
solar cell modules grouped about the antenna, each connected
across a bank of 16 series-connected nickel-cadmium cells,

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which power the beacon when the modules are in darkness.

The beacons, with a power output of 35mw, operate in the
36 mc range, with subcarrier frequencies telemetering data
from sensors about balloon skin temperature and internal
pressure. Beacon and power supply systems weigh 12 pounds.

Tracking

Improved acquisition and tracking ia a goal of Echo

C. The communications capability of Echo I was often limited
by the time required for the two ground stations to acquire
the satellite. Experiments are planned at high frequer.cies
and narrow antenna beamwiidths in order to make the experiments
harder, the results more meaningful.

Tracking facilities and radar will be used to evaluate

several search modes, in both bistatic and monostatic tests.
One such will be done by an array of small 30-foot parabolic
antennas at Ohio State University. In one mode, a fan-shaped
beam is used for acquisition, then switched to a very narrow
pencil beam for tracking and communications.

Echo Experiments

Experimenters are the Naval Research Laboratory of

Washington, D.C.; the Naval Electronics Laboratory of San Diegc,
Calif.; which are operating on a oooperative basis and the

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Collins Radio Company of Dallas, Texas, under contract to

GSFC. The U.S. Air Force and Lincoln Laboratory iill par-

ticipate, as will the Bell Telephone Laboratories. Experi-

ments are expected to be conducted between the United Kingdom

and the Soviet Union. The American Radio Relay League (ham
operators) is planning independent experiments.

Radar experiments to evaluate the shape and surface

quality of Echo will be correlated with data from Echo static
inflation ground tests.

In post-injection phase, optics will help determine the

orbit and its perturbations and aid in air-density studies.
O)tics swill also be used to di3cover Irregularities in balloon
shape, if any.

Propagation experiments will be performed: path loss,

Faraday effect, Doppler effect, dispersive effects, selective

fading; and signal statistics.

Mcdulation characteristics Will be observed.

Voice, teletype and slowed-down video signals will be

transmitted on narrowioan.d FM.

Wideband FM- signals will be compared with Echo I data.

Voice, teletkzype, slo-.ed-do;vm video, and digital data will be
transmitted.
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tests will
Pulse-code modulation and single sideband

be made with equipment available.

The Canister and Support equipment

is an oblate
The canister into which Echo is folded
inch thick, built of
spheroid of magnesium alloy about .1
equator. The folded
twco flanged half shells meeting at the
compartment is 39.6
balloon rests within the danister; the
Fiberglass covered
inches in diameter and 29.3 inches deep.
the balloon from
plastic foam and a plastic sheet protect
The canister and balloon
damage from vibration or shifting.
by a thermal-balance
are protected frown temperature extremes
coatings on the canister's outside surface.

support adapter
Atop the canister as it rests in its
batteries whiah
attached to the Agena base are two silver-zinc
charge, thus opening the
:rill furnish poser to fire the shaped
in space.
canister and releasing the balloon

halves permit secure

Flanges on the rims of the canister
and a place to store
mounting to the adapter, secure sealing
lacing tying the two
the shaped charge .which will sever the
-fired.
flanges togzether then the charge is
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The adapter atop the Agena B stage is of .064 inch thick

magnesium alloy, shaped like a truncated cone, 60 -nches in
diameter at the bottom, 42 inches at the top and 16 inches
high. The canister's bottom half is clamped against the pres-
sure of four separation springs (which fit into cutouts around
the adapter wall) by a machined ring.

The clamp is a Marman band, secured against the pressure

of the four separation springs by four explosive bolts, which,
when fired in space, will break the band, eJect the canister
from the adapter at a velocity of about 6 feet per second.

A microswitch will activate a 90-second-delay time, which

allows the canister time to clear away from the adapter and
orient itself before the shaped charge fires and severs the
tyrex lacing binding the canister flanges, upon which the two
halves will fly apart and release the balloon.

One other item of importance to the particular mission is

installed in the equipment compartment atop the Agena B stage.

This is the television system which will permit real-time

viewing of the canister's ejection from the Agena B, the
canister's opening and balloon inflation. The camera has a
50 mm FL lens with a Wratten 47B filter, and an automatic light
control. The camera and control unit are battery powered. The

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transmitter will beam FM signals, at about 255 mc with more

than 50 watts of power, to a 65 foot parabolic antenna at
the ground station in the Republic of South Africa. Two re-
ceivers and two video tape recorders will permit project
officials there to obtain a permanent record of Echo's in-
flation as they communicate by SCAMA (switching, conferencing
and monitoring arrangement) telephone and teletype with officials
at the launch site, and the Goddard Space Flight Center.

The Launch Vehicle

The launch vehicle is the Thor-Agena B, 86 feet high as

it stands on pad 1 of launch complex 75-1 at Vandenburg Air
Force Base, Pacific Missile Range, before launch.

The booster is the Thor which has contributed to so many

successful NASA launchings.

For this mission, the second stage Agena vehicle is pro-

grammed for a two burn mission. The first burn wIll occur
shortly after the booster separates from Agena. Approximately
50 minutes after launch and mpre than 12,000 miles from its
launch point, Agena will ignite for its final burn about 1,7q0
miles southeast of Johannesburg, Africa. If all goes well,
Agena's rocket power will inject the balloon into a circular
orbit of approximately 800 statute miles.

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First Stage Vehicle

Thor stands 56 feet high, measures 8 feet in diameter,

anzi-receives power from its Rocketdyne engine which burns

RP-1 fuel, oxidized with liquid oxygen; two smaller Rocketdyne

engines are usel for roll control and final adjustments to

the vehicle's flight trajectory. After 90 seconds of flight,

the ground controlled Bell Telephone Laboratory guidance sys-

tem steers the vehicle. Thor produces 170,000 pounds of thrust

at liftoff. The Douglas Aircraft Co., Santa Monica, Calif.,

builds Thor.

Second Stage Vehicle

The second stage vehicle, the Agena B, is 20 feet long a'n!.*

5 feet in diameter. Its engine burns UD1rTH (unsymmetrical di-

methylhydrazine) fuel and IRFNA (inhibited red fumting nitric

acid) oxidizer. It generates a thrust of 16,000 pounds and

burns for four minutes; Agena Aas re-start capability in space.

The upper stage Agena vehicle is built by the Lockheed Missile

and Space Co., Sunnyvale C-alif.

The Flight Plan

The Thor Agena B vehicle will rise straight up on liftoff

for 10 seconds, roll to its azimuth of 172 degrees,and be steered

by an auto-pilot until 90 seconds after launch; then the BTL

guidance system will take over.

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The Thor ma.1i. eng 1 ne will bu.rn for 148, secondo,. The

vehicle will continue its flight powered by the vernier

engines, which position the vehicle in response to signals

from the ground. The ver'nier engines will cut Off when the
vehicle has reached its desired altitude and velocity, about
157 seconds after launch; a 30 second coast period vjill occur
before Agena fires.

Agena is attached to the Thor by an adapter which is

secured by pull pins. A radio command troom the ground-based
BTL guidance system fire small charges which actuate the pin
puller to release Agena from the Thor. Retro rockets will
pull Thor away from Agena for a clean separation.

During tha.s coast period, and shortly after separation,

a control systiem in Agena will command the vehicle to pitch
down 15 degrees toward Earth making the Agena parallel to the
curvature of the Earth.

The Agena will then fire and five seconds later a program-
Med cignal will e:.plode the protective shroud which covers'
the payload ejecting it out into space. The shroud Is 117 inches
hig'?h,
is built like a clamshell, and is bisected longitudinally
by a tongue and groove fit.

Approximately 236 seconds after Agena ignites, the engine

will shut dowm and the en-ire Agena ve-icle and spacecraft, coast

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from 100 miles high to 800 miles. When this altitude is

reached, Agena will fire for four seconds placing it into
a 800 mile circular orbit.

Two pairs of ullage rockets give tihe vehicle the accel-

eration necessary to force fuel and oxidizers to the pumps
befo:re ignition when the vehicle is at zero-g condition.

V Ana B has an inertial guidance system assisted by

horizon scanners and, during powered flight, the vehicle
is controlled by gas Jets. In the coast phase of flight,
gas jets control all three axes -- pitch, yaw and roll.

Spacecraft Separation
Approximately 20 seconds after- the Agena will complete
its second burn, the vehicle will begin a 180 degree turn-
around in space. The second stage will be facing backwards
for spacecraft separation. Attitude control gas Jets mounted
on the aft end of Agena will release nitrogen freeon gas to
slowly turn the vehicle around--the turn-around operation takes
60 seconds. About 60 seconds after Agena is completely turned
around, Echo will be released from Agena.

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