Lincoln Experimental Satellite

Lincoln Experimental Satellite ( LES) were a series of satellites that were manufactured funded by the U.S. Air Force and the Lincoln Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Between 1965 and 1976, eight satellites were brought into orbit in six starts. The aim of the program was to test new equipment and methods for military satellite communications.

The satellites were called LES LES 1 to 9. Some of the start there were problems. LES LES 1 and 2 should not be exposed to an elliptical orbit of 2800 x 15000 km, but by the failure of a booster they remained in a 2800 -km circular orbit. LES LES 3 and 4 are intended to achieve a geostationary orbit, but also remained on a low circular orbit. All these satellites delivered in spite of the false paths useful results. LES 5, 6, 8 and 9 reach a geostationary orbit. The LES7 project was canceled, as the funding expired.

The technologies that have been tested on LES 1 by LES 4, among semiconductor X-band radios, low-power logic circuits, electronic despinning ( with optics to the location of the Earth and the Sun relative to the rotating satellites at any time to determine, and then switch the transmission over each best antennas), and magnetic torquer.

LES 3 was a very small satellite (16 lbs), it would determine the extent of multi-path interference due to reflection of radio waves 300 MHz to sufficiently flat parts of the world.

LES 8 and LES 9 were satellites of around 450 kg mass, which were launched on 15 March 1976 (March 14, local time ). They should be originally equipped with pulsed plasma drives, but then received conventional engines. Unlike customary for communications satellites were powered from RTGs instead of solar panels. They communicated in the K band of 36-38 GHz with each other ("cross - link ") and UHF with the earth. This cross -link technology, an innovation at the time, was subsequently used in the TDRSS satellites NASA. The original intention was to build up the network with a frequency in the 55-65 GHz range, which is absorbed by water, so that ground-based receivers would not be disturbed by scattered signals (radio box ), but the technology was at the time was not so far. The satellites were operated until 1992 in various positions and has since slowly drift from the GEO -Bahn away. The next project of the Lincoln Laboratory was the construction of the EHF technique for FLTSATCOM - satellite communication system.

In the spring of 2013 received an English amateur radio operator, Phil Williams (call sign G3YPQ ) from North Cornwall, signals from a tumbling at 4 Hz satellite, which was identified as the LES 1. It is believed that the 237- MHz channel by itself is in operation, when the solar cells are exposed to the sun.

Start list

All take-offs found from Cape Canaveral with Titan missiles instead.