NOTICE: Because this page had grown so large (~168K), I have split it into 14 pages (including this page for acronyms beginning with S and T). Some direct, named links will no longer work. If you are looking for information about a particular mission, please select the appropriate file from the following alphabetical listing. If you cannot find information on the mission you are looking for, you may find some information in the Pages with Information on Many Missions list.
Launched October 17, 1971. See also ASTEX for possible links.
The payload "SAC-A" was launched from a Hitchhiker Canister (5 cu. ft. "GAS" canister, equipped with an opening door) on STS-88 in December 1998. For more information on STS missions see the Shuttle listing.
The Orbital Sciences Corp. Pegasus XL launch occurred November 4, 1996 at approximately 12:09 p.m. EST offshore from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, VA. The Pegasus vehicle achieved the desired orbit of 265 nautical miles by 297 nautical miles at an inclination of 38 degrees. Analysis of the launch shows that the Orbital Sciences Corporation's Pegasus XL third stage failed to separate from the satellites. SAC-B comprised one half of the rocket payload. The other half was the HETE satellite.
The SAC-C spacecraft is co-manifested with a second payload (EO-1) being developed under the New Millennium Program. The launch vehicle is a Taurus XL and, for planning purposes, the launch will occur in May 1999 (from an August 30, 1996 EO-1 page).
Launched February 18, 1979 on Scout 99 from WFF (reentered April 11, 1989). Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment Applications Explorer Mission to map vertical profiles of ozone, aerosol, nitrogen dioxide, and Rayleight molecular extinction around the globe. See also AEM.
Submillimeter mission concept that replaced the SMIM concept in 1994.
Proposed joint mission, merging the proposed U.S. SAM and European FIRST missions.
Launched July 3, 1992. See also EXPLORER and SMEX.
Italian spelling of X-Ray Astronomy Satellite. The Italian-Dutch SAX Satellite, scheduled for launch in early 1996, is intended as a bridge between the second generation satellites and the third generation which will be established with NASA's Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility AXAF and ESA's X-ray Multi Mirror XMM satellites.
From Space News: "The U.S. Air Force's $179 million Space Based Infared System (SBIS) Low Earth Orbit (LEO) contract with Rockwell Int. is for the design, development, test, launch and operation of a flight experiment satellite."
Launched June 28, 1978 on an Atlas-Agena rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
The SeaStar spacecraft, developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC), carrys the SeaWiFS instrument and was launched to low Earth orbit on board an extended Orbital Sciences Corp. Pegasus launch vehicle on August 1, 1997.
See also SEASTAR
The Infrared Telescope in Space (IRTS), the first Japanese orbiting telescope dedicated to infrared astronomy, will be launched aboard Japan's Space Flyer Unit (SFU) on March 15, 1995 from Japan.
Also known as NSTS - National Space Transportation System and STS - Space Transportation System. Individual shuttles are known by their Orbiter Vehicle (OV) numbers.
Space Shuttle -- ATMOS - Atmospheric Trace Molecule Spectroscopy
Space Shuttle -- LITE - Lidar In-Space Technology Experiment
Space Shuttle -- MAPS - Measurement of Air Pollution from Satellites
Space Shuttle -- ODERACS
Space Shuttle -- Shuttle Imaging Radar (SIR)
Space Shuttle -- SITE -- Stellar Interferometer Tracking Experiment
Space Shuttle -- Small Payloads
Space Shuttle -- SPACELAB
Also see Origins for more information.
One of the four Great Observatories:
Launched on May 14, 1973.
See also Explorer.
Submillimeter mission concept that replaced the SMMM concept in 1991 and was replaced by the SAM concept in 1994.
Proposed joint mission, merging the proposed U.S. SMIM and European FIRST missions. Now called SAM/FIRST.
Launched on February 14, 1980 and rescued and repaired by a 1984 Space Shuttle Challenger mission.
Submillimeter mission concept proposed in 1990 as a smaller alternative to the LDR concept. Replaced by the SMIM concept in 1991.
I need to confirm this, but I think that SMS stands for Space Meterological Satellite, and that they were developed by NASA to demonstrate technology for NOAA. SMS-1 was launched May 17, 1974 and proved geostationary imaging was feasible. SMS-2 was launched February 6, 1975. The first NOAA funded GOES was launched in October 1975.
See STEDI
Launched December 2, 1995 on an Atlas launch vehicle. NASA's contributions to Geotail, SOHO, and Cluster are referred to as the COSTR Program.
This is not a separate mission, but is an investigation that uses the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) instrument on SOHO.
For more information see Mars Pathfinder.
For SOLAR-A see Yohkoh, see also SOLAR-B.
See Yohkoh.
Solar-B is an ISAS mission proposed as a follow-on to the highly successful Japan/US/UK Yohkoh (Solar-A) collaboration. Solar-B is planned to start in FY99, launch in FY04, and operate for at least 3 years.
See Nanosat.
The now cancelled second Earth Observation (EO-2) mission under the New Millennium Program.
Earlier name for SAPPHIRE.
See ISSA
The fifth NMP ST mission is called Nanosat Constellation Trailblazer. Earlier NMP missions focused on Space Science technology demonstration needs were called "DS" for "Deep Space" (see for example DS-1), future ones are called "ST" for "Space Technology."
Launch period: January 1 to February 19, 1999. Selected as a Discovery mission in November 1995.
Proposed ESA 1-meter class telescope mission to observe "star quakes" on distant stars, providing information on stellar life cycles and internal structure. STARS was one of the five M3 Missions selected for Phase A study in 1994. In November 1996 ESA selected COBRAS/SAMBA as the next Horizon 2000 medium size mission M3. After the mission was selected, it was renamed PLANCK
The first Starshine was deployed from the Space Shuttle (STS-96), which launched from the Kennedy Space Center on May 27, 1999. The second Starshine is planned for STS-107.
See ISSA -- International Space Station Alpha.
French (CNES) Communications Technology Demonstrator Spacecraft planned for launch in 1999.
Both a proposed european mission and a series of US Air Force test satellites.
STEP-0 was launched in March 13, 1994 (co-manifested with DARPASAT), STEP-2 (1994-029A) was launched on a Pegasus laucher on the 19th May 1994, STEP-1 was lost in June 1994 when the first flight on the Pegasus XL failed, STEP-3 was carried on the second flight of the Pegasus XL, which failed in 1995, and STEP-4 and STEP-5 are planned for a single launch.
Proposed ESA mission to test the equivalence principle, fundamental to Einstein's theory of general relativity. STEP was one of the five M3 Missions selected for Phase A study in 1994. In November 1996 ESA selected COBRAS/SAMBA as the next Horizon 2000 medium size mission M3. After the mission was selected, it was renamed PLANCK.
See Shuttle.
Studied under the Discovery Program leading to a fall 1995 downselect, and not selected for development and flight (Stardust was selected). See Discovery for more information.
SUNSAT is scheduled for launch in early August 1997 by NASA from the Vandenberg Launch Base in California, USA. The launch vehicle will be a DELTA II launcher during mission P-91. Along with SUNSAT there will be a satellite from the USAF and a Danish micro satellite, Ørsted. I understand that SUNSAT will carry a version of the Turbo Rogue GPS receiver currently flying on MicroLab-1.
SURFSAT-1 launched in November 4, 1995, on a Delta II launch vehicle as a secondary payload with RADARSAT. SURFSAT-2 is a proposed secondary payload on a LANDSAT launch (I'm not yet sure if this is the selected mission, or one possible SURFSAT-2 mission).
NASA followed the Ranger series of the 1960s, which crash-landed into the Moon, with the Surveyor spacecraft intended to soft-land on Earth's natural satellite. The series debuted on May 31, 1966, when Surveyor 1 was launched toward the Moon. Six more Surveyors were launched through January 7, 1968, with five successful landings in all. Surveyors 1, 3, 5 and 6 landed on maria -- or bays -- near the Moon's equator. Surveyor 7 landed on the highlands just north of Tycho's crater.
See also Mars Surveyor.
Originally scheduled for July 3, 1995; delayed due to problems with the Pegasus XL launch vehicle. SWAS is now on the Pegasas manifest for January 1999. That was when it would fit on the manifest given the launch vehicle and programmatic consraints. See also EXPLORER and SMEX.
See ESRO. TD-1A was launched in March 1972. This mission explored Space, analysing the ultraviolet radiation from some 15 thousand stars.
See STEDI.
See Nanosat.
The first TIROS was launched on April 1, 1960.
TOMS is both the name of an instrument that has flown and will fly on several spacecraft (e.g., NIMBUS, Meteor, ADEOS), and the name of spacecraft that will carry the TOMS instrument as an Earth Probe. The Earth Probe TOMS was launched July 2, 1996 on a Orbital Sciences Corp. Pegasus XL launch vehicle.
Topex/Poseidon was launched on Aug. 10, 1992 by an Ariane 42P booster rocket from the Arianespace Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana.
See ExNPS.
Scheduled for launch in 1997 to observe the Sun to study the connection between its magnetic fields and the heating of the Sun's corona. See also EXPLORER and SMEX.
An Earth Probe scheduled for launch November 1, 1997 (as of June 1997).
The SOFIA project is currently being considered for funding which will result in a fiscal year 1996 new start. With that scenario, the observatory would begin flight operations by the year 2000.
Theseus is a prototype robotic aircraft being developed for NASA's Mission to Planet Earth. Theseus is designed to carry atmospheric sensors on long duration missions at high altitude. The Theseus first flight was on May 24, 1996.
Created September 19, 1996. Last full update: August 28, 1997 (additional, minor updates as late as September 6, 2000). Due to changing job assignments, I no longer actively maintain this page, and no one has taken over. I will continue to correct problems on a best effort basis.
Please see my Disclaimer and Web Policy page. Maintained by Gordon Johnston:
Gordon.Johnston@hq.nasa.govThe world wide web uniform resource locator (URL) for this page is:
http://ranier.hq.nasa.gov/Sensors_page/MissionLinks/mlst.html