Atlas ATDA - Credit: US Air Force. 14,206 bytes. 269 x 411 pixels.

Further improved and lightened Agena upper stage.

Payload: 1,000 kg. to a: Geosynchronous transfer trajectory. Liftoff Thrust: 197,753 kgf. Total Mass: 153,365 kg. Core Diameter: 3.1 m. Total Length: 35.0 m.

• Stage Number: 0. 1 x Atlas MA-5 Gross Mass: 3,646 kg. Empty Mass: 3,646 kg. Thrust (vac): 193,340 kgf. Isp: 294 sec. Burn time: 174 sec. Isp(sl): 259 sec. Diameter: 4.9 m. Span: 4.9 m. Length: 0.0 m. Propellants: Lox/Kerosene No Engines: 2. LR-89-7

• Stage Number: 1. 1 x Atlas Agena SLV-3A Gross Mass: 142,000 kg. Empty Mass: 3,700 kg. Thrust (vac): 39,400 kgf. Isp: 316 sec. Burn time: 175 sec. Isp(sl): 220 sec. Diameter: 3.1 m. Span: 4.9 m. Length: 20.7 m. Propellants: Lox/Kerosene No Engines: 1. LR-105-7

• Stage Number: 2. 1 x Agena D Gross Mass: 6,821 kg. Empty Mass: 673 kg. Thrust (vac): 7,257 kgf. Isp: 300 sec. Burn time: 265 sec. Isp(sl): 0 sec. Diameter: 1.5 m. Span: 1.5 m. Length: 7.1 m. Propellants: Nitric acid/UDMH No Engines: 1. Bell 8096

• Stage Number: 3. 1 x Burner 2 Gross Mass: 774 kg. Empty Mass: 116 kg. Thrust (vac): 4,441 kgf. Isp: 285 sec. Burn time: 42 sec. Isp(sl): 220 sec. Diameter: 0.7 m. Span: 0.7 m. Length: 0.8 m. Propellants: Solid No Engines: 1. Star 37

• Stage Number: 4. 1 x Star 17 Gross Mass: 124 kg. Empty Mass: 14 kg. Thrust (vac): 2,000 kgf. Isp: 280 sec. Burn time: 18 sec. Isp(sl): 220 sec. Diameter: 0.4 m. Span: 0.4 m. Length: 1.0 m. Propellants: Solid No Engines: 1. Star 17

• KH 7-01 (Gambit) Spacecraft: KH-7. Payload: KH-7 no. 1. Mass: 2,000 kg.

  KH-7 type satellite. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

• KH 7-02 Spacecraft: KH-7. Payload: KH-7 no. 2. Mass: 2,000 kg.

  KH-7 type satellite. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

• Vela 1 Spacecraft: Vela. Payload: Vela 1A. Mass: 220 kg.

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  Atlas Agena D Credit: © Mark Wade. 1,762 bytes. 77 x 432 pixels.

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  Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

• TRS 5 Spacecraft: TRS. Payload: ERS 12. Mass: 2 kg.

  Decay date suspect Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

• Vela 2 Spacecraft: Vela. Payload: Vela 1B. Mass: 220 kg.

  Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

• KH 7-03 Spacecraft: KH-7. Payload: KH-7 no. 3. Mass: 2,000 kg.

  KH-7 type satellite. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

• Agena D Spacecraft: KH-7.

  Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

• KH 7-04 Spacecraft: KH-7. Payload: KH-7 no. 4. Mass: 2,000 kg.

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  Atlas Agena - First Atlas Agena - Agena s/n 1008 - Midas 1 14,310 bytes. 278 x 281 pixels.

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  KH-7 type satellite. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

• KH 7-05 Spacecraft: KH-7. Payload: KH-7 no. 5. Mass: 2,000 kg.

  KH-7 type satellite. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

• KH 7-06 Spacecraft: KH-7. Payload: KH-7 no. 6. Mass: 2,000 kg.

  KH-7 type satellite. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

• KH 7-07 Spacecraft: KH-7. Payload: KH-7 no. 7. Mass: 2,000 kg.

  KH-7 type satellite. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

• KH 7-08 Spacecraft: KH-7. Payload: KH-7 no. 8. Mass: 2,000 kg.

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  Atlas Agena - Atlas Agena / Ranger C launch vehicle 19,961 bytes. 311 x 480 pixels.

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  KH-7 type satellite. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

• OPS 4923 Spacecraft: SSF. Payload: EHH A3. Mass: 80 kg.

  Radar monitoring.

• KH 7-09 Spacecraft: KH-7. Payload: KH-7 no. 9. Mass: 2,000 kg.

  KH-7 type satellite. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

• Vela 4 Spacecraft: Vela. Payload: Vela 2B. Mass: 220 kg.

  Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

• Vela 3 Spacecraft: Vela. Payload: Vela 2A. Mass: 220 kg.

  Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

• TRS 6 Spacecraft: TRS. Payload: ERS 13. Mass: 12 kg.

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  Atlas Agena - Last Atlas Agena - Agena s/n P113 - 6 April 1978 49,813 bytes. 487 x 483 pixels.

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  Decay date suspect Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

• KH 7-13 Spacecraft: KH-7. Payload: KH-7 no. 13. Mass: 2,000 kg.

  KH-7 type satellite. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

• SRV Spacecraft: KH-7. Mass: 60 kg.

  Radar monitoring.

• OPS 5063 Spacecraft: SSF. Payload: EHH A4.

• Mariner 3 Spacecraft: Mariner 3-4. Payload: Mariner C-2. Mass: 260 kg.

  Mars probe; launch fairing failure prevented Mars flyby. Solar Orbit (Heliocentric). Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B).

• Mariner 4 Spacecraft: Mariner 3-4. Payload: Mariner C-3. Mass: 260 kg.

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  Agena D - Agena D rocket stage being raised for mating with Atlas launch vehicle 47,872 bytes. 352 x 457 pixels.

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  Mariner 4 provided the first up close pictures of Mars. The protective shroud covering Mariner 4 was jettisoned and the Agena D/Mariner 4 combination separated from the Atlas D booster at 14:27:23 GMT on 28 November 1964. The Agena D first burn from 14:28:14 to 14:30:38 put the spacecraft into an Earth parking orbit and the second burn from 15:02:53 to 15:04:28 injected the craft into a Mars transfer orbit. Mariner 4 separated from the Agena D at 15:07:09 and began cruise mode operations. The solar panels deployed and the scan platform was unlatched at 15:15:00 and Sun acquisition occurred 16 minutes later. A midcourse maneuver made on 5 December 1964.

  After a 228 day cruise, the spacecraft flew by Mars on July 14 and 15, 1965. Planetary science mode was turned on at 15:41:49 GMT on 14 July. The camera sequence started at 00:18:36 GMT on July 15 and 21 pictures plus 21 lines of a 22nd picture were taken. The images covered a discontinuous swath of Mars starting near 40 N, 170 E, down to about 35 S, 200 E, and then across to the terminator at 50 S, 255 E, representing about 1% of the planet's surface. The closest approach was 9,846 km from the Martian surface at 01:00:57 GMT 15 July 1965. The images taken during the flyby were stored in the onboard tape recorder. At 02:19:11 GMT Mariner 4 passed behind Mars as seen from Earth and the radio signal ceased. The signal was reacquired at 03:13:04 GMT when the spacecraft reappeared. Cruise mode was then re-established. Transmission of the taped images to Earth began about 8.5 hours after signal reacquisition and continued until 3 August. All images were transmitted twice to insure no data was missing or corrupt.

  The spacecraft performed all programmed activities successfully and returned useful data from launch until 22:05:07 GMT on 1 October 1965, when the distance from Earth (309.2 million km) and the antenna orientation temporarily halted signal acquisition. In 1967 Mariner 4 returned to the vicinity of Earth again and engineers decided to use the ageing craft for a series of operational and telemetry tests to improve their knowledge of the technologies that would be needed for future interplanetary spacecraft. The cosmic dust detector registered 17 hits in a 15 minute span on 15 September, part of an apparent micrometeoroid shower which temporarily changed the spacecraft attitude and probably slightly damaged the thermal shield. On 7 December the gas supply in the attitude control system was exhausted, and on December 10 and 11 a total of 83 micrometeoroid hits were recorded which caused perturbation of the attitude and degradation of the signal strength. On 21 December 1967 communications with Mariner 4 were terminated.

  Results

  The total data returned by the mission was 5.2 million bits. All experiments operated successfully with the exception of the ionization chamber/Geiger counter which failed in February, 1965 and the plasma probe, which had its performance degraded by a resistor failure on 6 December 1964. The images returned showed a Moon-like cratered terrain (which later missions showed was not typical for Mars, but only for the more ancient region imaged by Mariner 4). A surface atmospheric pressure of 4.1 to 7.0 mb was estimated and no magnetic field was detected.

• ORS 3 Spacecraft: ERS. Payload: ERS 17. Mass: 5 kg.

  Radiation data. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

• Vela 5 Spacecraft: Vela. Payload: Vela 3A. Mass: 235 kg.

  Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

• Vela 6 Spacecraft: Vela. Payload: Vela 3B. Mass: 235 kg.

  Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

• 34 - Gatland, Kenneth, Missiles and Rockets, Macmillan, New York, 1975.
• 45 - Koelle, Heinz Hermann,, Handbook of Astronautical Engineering, McGraw-Hill,New York, 1961.