Discoverer 36 | |
Mission Type: | Optical reconnaissance |
Operator: | US Air Force/NRO |
Harvard Designation: | 1961 Alpha Kappa 1 |
Mission Duration: | 4 days |
Spacecraft Type: | KH-3 Corona |
Spacecraft Bus: | Agena-B |
Manufacturer: | Lockheed |
Launch Date: | UTC |
Launch Rocket: | Thor DM-21 Agena-B 325 |
Launch Site: | Vandenberg LC-75-3-4 |
Orbit Reference: | Geocentric |
Orbit Regime: | Low Earth |
Orbit Periapsis: | 223km (139miles) |
Orbit Apoapsis: | 445km (277miles) |
Orbit Inclination: | 81.1 degrees |
Orbit Period: | 91.2 minutes |
Apsis: | gee |
Discoverer 36, also known as Corona 9029, was an American optical reconnaissance satellite which was launched in 1961. It was a KH-3 Corona satellite, based on an Agena-B rocket.[1] It was the penultimate KH-3 satellite to be launched, the last successful mission, and the most successful of the program.[2]
The launch of Discoverer 36 occurred at 20:40 UTC on 12 December 1961. A Thor DM-21 Agena-B rocket was used, flying from Launch Complex 75-3-4 at the Vandenberg Air Force Base.[3] Upon successfully reaching orbit, it was assigned the Harvard designation 1961 Alpha Kappa 1. OSCAR 1, the first amateur radio satellite, was launched aboard the same rocket.[3]
Discoverer 36 was operated in a low Earth orbit, with a perigee of, an apogee of, 81.1 degrees of inclination, and a period of 91.2 minutes.[4] The satellite had a mass of,[5] and was equipped with a panoramic camera with a focal length of, which had a maximum resolution of .[6] Images were recorded onto 70mm film, and returned in a Satellite Recovery Vehicle four days after launch.[7] The Satellite Recovery Vehicle used by Discoverer 36 was SRV-525. Once its images had been returned, Discoverer 36 remained in orbit until it decayed on 8 March 1962.[4]