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Scientific Satellite Spacecraft

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Artificial Satellites and How to Observe Them

Part of the book series: Astronomers' Observing Guides ((OBSERVING))

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Abstract

Many satellites are designed to gather information on extraterrestrial bodies. We will call these “spacecraft.” One of the earliest spacecraft, Luna 3, imaged the far side of the Moon. The former USSR launched it on the second anniversary of Sputnik 1. Since 1959, the United States, the former USSR, Japan, China, India and the European Space Agency have launched spacecraft beyond Earth’s orbit. The main objective of these has been to gather scientific data. Some have enabled astronomers to better understand our Sun and how it heats Earth, while others have given us a better understanding of the processes at work on other planets. In this chapter, we will give an overview of the different types of spacecraft missions. Afterwards, we will describe seven specific spacecraft in detail. These seven and the countries/agencies that launched them are: Chang’e-1 (China), Chandrayaan-1 (India), Hayabusa (Japan), Hubble Space Telescope (United States), Cassini (United States and the European Space Agency), Spektr-R (Russia) and Gaia (European Space Agency).

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  1. 109 Tyus Street, Barnesville, GA, USA

    Richard Schmude Jr.

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Schmude, R. (2012). Scientific Satellite Spacecraft. In: Artificial Satellites and How to Observe Them. Astronomers' Observing Guides. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3915-8_2

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