RTDS

Launch data: Designation  05383 / 71067D Launch date  07 Aug 1971 Launch site  Va, BMRS-A2 Launch vehicle  Atlas-F OV1 Mission   Perigee / Apogee   km Inclination  ° Period   min

Description:

• Musket Ball was a high-density satellite designed to obtain atmospheric density data at low altitudes. The spacecraft was a 30-cm-diameter brass sphere with a 2.5-cm wall thickness. Mounted on the surface were two beacon antennas, spaced 180 deg apart, for a c-band transponder. Internal electronics consisted of the transponder and a silver-cadmium battery pack. The battery, with an expected 12-day lifetime, was the sole source of power for the spacecraft. The spacecraft employed an automatic timing device to turn on the transponder for periodic interrogation. The satellite, which was successfully launched into a polar orbit as part of the payload of OV1-21, performed normally until it reentered the earth′s atmosphere on September 19, 1971.