Откуда запускался мини спутник на орбиту Луны?

Как и экипаж Скотта, «Аполлон-16» должен был выпустить на орбиту вокруг Луны маленький автоматический спутник. Этого сделать как следует тоже не сумели: заниженный по орбите спутник вместо года просуществовал всего 35 дней.

 

SIM_fig1.jpg @ www.nasm.si.edu [кеш]

Public Affairs Officer - "This is Apollo Control at 222 hours, 15 minutes. We're about to acquire Endeavour on the 74th revolution. During this pass the subsatellite jettison is scheduled, and on this 74th revolution, after Endeavour goes behind the Moon, the Trans-Earth Injection burn will be performed. We will not be in contact at that time. The subsatellite will be jettisoned at the time the spacecraft is crossing the lunar equator on its way to apolune. [It] will be jettisoned to the north so that the spin axis will be perpendicular to the sun's line of sight and allow maximum sunlight on the solar cell. The spring ejection mechanism will give the subsatellite Delta-V of 4 feet per second [1.2 m/s] relative to the spacecraft. And the initial spin rate on the subsatellite will be 140 revolutions per minute. That's expected to stabilize out at 12 revolutions per minute when the booms are extended. We'll stand by for air/ground."

...

222:39:17 Scott: Three, two, one...

[One end of the subsatellite sits on a deployment mechanism with a spring preloaded against it to provide thrust for launch. When the "Launch" switch is turned on, a motor begins moving the deployment mechanism and the subsatellite along a track, opening a door of the housing in the process. When it reaches the end of the track, it engages a switch that fire the pyrotechnics to sever two bolts, freeing the subsatellite and allowing the spring to force it away from the spacecraft. A pin engages in a curving groove in a cylinder as the two spacecraft part, imparting a rotation to the subsatellite that will help stabilise it in its orbit. After launch, the deployment mechanism is retracted.]

222:39:20 Scott: ...Launch. We have a barber pole.