#sa-10

Apollo boilerplate spacecraft and Pegasus-3 spacecraft are being mated to Saturn booster SA-10 at launch complex 37.

Date: July 21, 1965

Concept art of a Gemini IX capsule rendezvous with the Pegasus 3 micrometeorite satellite.

"Gemini XI would see a dramatic increase in EVA complexity. The spacecraft would intercept the 10.5-ton Pegasus 3 satellite, which was due to be launched into low-Earth orbit on a Saturn I rocket soon after the GEPG submitted its report. Like its predecessors, Pegasus 3 was designed to assess the likelihood that spacecraft in low-Earth orbit would suffer meteoroid impact damage. To do this, it unfolded a pair of 4.3 meter wide by 29 meter long 'wings' containing a total of 400 meteoroid-detection panels.

Pegasus 1 shown during ground testing with its wings deployed

The Gemini Extravehicular Planning Group (GEPG) reported that discussions with NASA Headquarters and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center had already led to Pegasus 3 modifications for Gemini rendezvous and EVA mission. Pegasus 1, launched February 16, 1965, had achieved an elliptical 510-by-726-kilometer orbit, while Pegasus 2, launched May 25, 1965, had entered a 502-by-740-kilometer orbit. When launched on July 30, 1965, Pegasus 3 entered a near-circular 535-by-567-kilometer orbit. This made it a more readily accessible rendezvous target for Gemini spacecraft.

In addition, sixteen of Pegasus 3's meteoroid-detection panels had been replaced with removable aluminum meteoroid-capture panels and panels containing thermal control test surfaces. After rendezvous with the giant satellite, the Gemini XI spacewalker would use a Hand-Held Maneuvering Unit (HHMU) to jet over and remove the panels for return to Earth. The GEPG stated that '[d]etermination of the method of accomplishing this task. . .must still be accomplished.'"

HHMU

Due to setbacks and troubles with EVAs experienced by astronauts during Gemini IX and X, the ambitious plan to rendezvous with the Pegasus 3 and recover the meteoroid and thermal control test surface panels was cancelled. Instead, Gemini XI focused more on techniques for the Apollo missions. It performed the "first direct-ascent (first orbit) rendezvous with an Agena Target Vehicle, docking with it 1 hour 34 minutes after launch; used the Agena rocket engine to achieve a record high-apogee Earth orbit; and created a small amount of artificial gravity by spinning the two spacecraft connected by a tether." The Pegasus 3 satellite re-entered the atmosphere on August 4, 1969.

Posted on Flickr by Drew Granston: link

source, source

NASA ID: link

Smithsonian Institute Archives: link

“This drawing, prepared by the NASA-Marshall Space Flight Center, shows meteoroid detection panels being deployed (1) on a Saturn-launched satellite, in the folded position aboard the launch vehicle (2), unfolding (3). Unfolded the panels (4) have a wingspan of about 100 feet. The presence of tiny particles in space will be recorded as they collide with the wing skin sensor.”

The three Pegasus satellites launched on SA-8 (AS-103), SA-9 (AS-104) and SA-10 (AS-105).

Date: 1963

Pegasus satellite housed inside the adapted service module of the Saturn I Block II (SA-8 through SA-10). Metroid Technology Satellite Mission

Date: 1963

"Three Pegasus satellites were launched to gather data on the the meteoroid environment of low-Earth orbit. Pegasus-3, with a wingspan of 29 meters, included meteoroid-capture panels designed for retrieval by Gemini or Apollo astronauts; it would, however, not receive visitors before it reentered the atmosphere in August 1969."

Image credit: NASA.

Liftoff of Apollo AS-105 Saturn I Block II (BP-9A/SA-10), from LC-37B at 8:00 am EST. This consisted of an Apollo boilerplate (BP-9A) spacecraft and Pegasus-3 micrometeroid detection satellite. The primary goal of this flight was to continuation testing Saturn's iterative guidance mode and evaluate the system accuracy.

Apollo spacecraft hardhat decal for BP-9. source

Note: the boilerplate service module is equipped with a single RCS thruster. One of the mission objectives was to test the Reaction Control Engine package of Apollo.

Example of the RCS thruster, up close.

Date: July 30, 1965

NASA ID: link, 107-KSC-65C-4699, 65-H-1340, link

Science Photo Library: C004/6562

"The Saturn I S-I stages for the SA-8 and SA-10 missions in the final assembly phase in a manufacturing building at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. The SA-8 mission was launched on May 25, 1965 with the first industry-built booster, and deployed the Pegasus II Micrometeoroid Detection satellite. The SA-10 mission was the last Saturn I mission, launched on July 30, 1965, and carried the Pegasus III Meteoroid Detection satellite."

Date: November 1, 1964

Saturn I Block I and II rocket profiles SA-1 through SA-10