Pegasus 3

Description

The mission of this spacecraft was to measure meteoroid abundances over the mass range 10E-7 to 10E-4 g in the region near the earth. In its stored position with panels folded inside the Apllo service module, the spacecraft was 5.3-m high, 2.1-m wide, and 28-cm deep. The spacecraft was equipped with winglike appendages that extended to form a plane 29.3-m long by 4.3-m wide. These wings carried sensitive penetration surfaces for the experiments. Total weight in orbit was 10,500 kg. The NASA Space Tracking and Data Acquisition Network tracked the satellite using the signal of the telemetry transmitter that transmitted continuously on 136.89 megacycles. Optical tracking coverage was provided by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's Optical Tracking Network and the Minitrack Optical Tracking System. One FM transmitter failed after 3 months, but no data were lost. For this Pegasus mission, the orbit was adjusted to a nearly circular one.

This was also a test of the Apollo/Saturn operation and compatibility. The Saturn 1 (SA-10) had a boilerplate Apollo command and service module (BP-9) and a launch escape system tower mounted on top. The boilerplate CSM acted as a shroud to hold the Pegasus satellite. After first stage separation and second stage ignition, the launch escape system was jettisoned. After the second stage attained orbit, the 4600 kg BP-9 was jettisoned into a separate orbit, the Pegasus remained with the second stage in Earth orbit as planned and deployed its winglike panels.