Explorer 24
Explorer 24 was a U.S. satellite designed for atmospheric studies. Explorer 24 was launched on 21 November 1964 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Lompoc, California, with a Scout rocket. Explorer 24 was launched along with its successor satellite, Explorer 25.Mission
Explorer 24 was placed in orbit together with Explorer 25 from a single launch vehicle. Explorer 24 was identical in configuration to the previously launched balloon satellites Explorer 9 and 19. The spacecraft was 3.6 m in diameter, was built of alternating layers of aluminum foil and plastic film, and was covered uniformly with 5.1-cm white dots for thermal control.
It was designed to yield atmospheric density near perigee as a function of space and time from sequential observations of the sphere's position in orbit. To facilitate ground tracking, the satellite carried a 136 MHz tracking beacon.
The satellite reentered the earth's atmosphere on October 18, 1968.Results
Explorer 24 helped determine the variation in density between the day and night of the Earth and gave rise to studies on the zone winds in the exosphere, at an altitude of between and.
