PDS_VERSION_ID                    = PDS3                                      
RECORD_TYPE                       = FIXED_LENGTH                              
LABEL_REVISION_NOTE               = "                                         
August 2, 2004, Carol Neese:  Create mission catalog.                         
"                                                                             
                                                                              
OBJECT                            = MISSION                                   
  MISSION_NAME                    = "MIDCOURSE SPACE EXPERIMENT"              
                                                                              
  OBJECT                          = MISSION_INFORMATION                       
    MISSION_START_DATE            = 1996-04-24                                
    MISSION_STOP_DATE             = 1997-02-26                                
    MISSION_ALIAS_NAME            = "MSX"                                     
    MISSION_DESC                  = "                                         
                                                                              
    Mission Overview                                                          
    ================                                                          
                                                                              
       The Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) satellite, launched on April      
       24, 1996, was five meters long and weighed 2,700 kg. It was inserted   
       into a 900 km, polar, near-Sun synchronous orbit on a Delta II         
       vehicle. The infrared sensors operated at 11 to 12 degrees Kelvin      
       by employing a solid hydrogen cryostat. The IR instruments spanned     
       the range 4.2 - 26 microns. The focal plane arrays included five       
       radiometer bands with 8 x 192 pixels each, resulting in images with    
       a spatial resolution of 90 microrad. The cryogen phase of the mission  
       ended on 26 February 1997.                                             
"                                                                             
                                                                              
    MISSION_OBJECTIVES_SUMMARY    = "                                         
                                                                              
       The principal goal of MSX was to collect phenomenology data            
       in support of ballistic missile defense objectives.  Additional        
       objectives were to collect data in support of a variety of civilian    
       science objectives in earth and atmospheric remote sensing and         
       astronomy.  A full set of experiments mapped the galactic plane,       
       the IRAS (Infrared Astronomical Satellite) gaps, the zodiacal          
       background, confused regions away from the galactic plane, deep        
       surveys of selected fields at high galactic latitudes, large           
       galaxies, asteroids, and comets.                                       
"                                                                             
                                                                              
  END_OBJECT                      = MISSION_INFORMATION                       
                                                                              
  OBJECT                          = MISSION_HOST                              
    INSTRUMENT_HOST_ID            = "MSX"                                     
                                                                              
    OBJECT                        = MISSION_TARGET                            
      TARGET_NAME                 = "N/A"                                     
    END_OBJECT                    = MISSION_TARGET                            
                                                                              
  END_OBJECT                      = MISSION_HOST                              
                                                                              
  OBJECT                          = MISSION_REFERENCE_INFORMATION             
    REFERENCE_KEY_ID              = "MILLETAL1994"                            
  END_OBJECT                      = MISSION_REFERENCE_INFORMATION             
END_OBJECT                        = MISSION                                   
END                                                                           
