Celebrating Forty Years of Space Excellence
Atop a Thor-Agena B
rocket, Alouette-1 launched from Vandenberg, California, on
September 29, 1962 at 6:05 UTC. This launch made Canada the
third nation in space with its own satellite in orbit,
following closely on the exploits of the Soviet Union and the
United States.
“Just as the railroad linking the country from coast to coast
has played a key role in Canada’s history, the launch of
Alouette-1 represents a major milestone in our space history,”
said Dr. Marc Garneau, President of the Canadian Space Agency.
“It embodies Canadian leading expertise and excellence in
space science and technology which continues today through
critical space initiatives to deliver benefits to Canadians.”
Alouette-1 was launched to study the ionosphere, a layer of
ionized gas high above the earth that is frequently used for
radio transmissions over long distances. Signals from Short
Wave radio, the main mode of communications in the late 50’s,
propagate by bouncing against the ionosphere before returning
to earth. Since the complexity of the ionosphere often
produced confusing signals, a team of scientists from
Canada’s Defense and Research Telecommunications Establishment
(DRTE), later renamed the Communications Research Centre,
submitted a proposal to the newly formed National Aeronautics
and Space Administration to study the ionosphere from above.
Designed for a one-year lifetime, the satellite lasted ten
years producing more than one million images of the
ionosphere.
Besides the atmospheric studies achieved by Alouette-1, the
Canadian spacecraft also greatly contributed to space
engineering and technology and helped Canadian scientists
develop numerous satellites supporting telecommunications
with the Anik series, Earth Observation with RADARSAT-1 and
science with SCISAT-1.
More information at:
http://www.space.gc.ca/whatsnew/releases/backgr/2002/020925.asp
and pictures at:
http://www.space.gc.ca/asc/results1.asp?keywords=alouette
Source: CSA
