ATS-3
Applications Technology Satellite 3, or ATS-3, was a long-lived American experimental geostationary weather and communications satellite, operated by NASA from 1967 to 2001. It was at one time reputed to be the oldest satellite still in operation. As of 1995, NASA referred to the ATS-3 as "The oldest active communications satellite by a wide margin."
ATS-3 prelaunch | |
| Mission type | Weather Communications Technology |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1967-111A |
| SATCAT no. | 3029 |
| Mission duration | 56 years, 5 months, 3 days (in orbit) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | HS-306 |
| Manufacturer | Hughes |
| Launch mass | 365.0 kilograms (804.7 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | November 5, 1967, 23:37:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral LC-12 |
| End of mission | |
| Deactivated | 2001 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | GSO |
| Semi-major axis | 42,241.0 kilometres (26,247.3 mi) |
| Eccentricity | 0.00043 |
| Perigee altitude | 35,723 kilometers (22,197 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 35,862 kilometers (22,284 mi) |
| Inclination | 6.92 degrees |
| Period | 23.93 hours |
| Epoch | January 21, 2014, 11:54:19 UTC |
On November 10, 1967, ATS-3 took NASA's first color photo (digital image mosaic) of the full-disk Earth, which was subsequently used on the cover of the first Whole Earth Catalog.
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