Alouette 1
Encyclopedia
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's first satellite, and the first satellite constructed by a country other than the USSR
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
or the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Occasionally, Alouette 1 is misrepresented as the third satellite successfully put in orbit, rather than being from the third country to have one of its own in space, but numerous Sputnik and Explorer program
Explorer program
The Explorer program is a United States space exploration program that provides flight opportunities for physics, heliophysics, and astrophysics investigations from space. Over 90 space missions have been launched from 1958 to 2011, and it is still active...
missions preceded it. Furthermore, Canada was not the third country to launch a satellite: the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's Ariel 1
Ariel 1
Ariel 1, also known as UK-1 and S-55, was the first British satellite, and the first satellite in the Ariel programme. Its launch in 1962 made the United Kingdom the third country to operate a satellite, after the Soviet Union and the USA...
preceded Alouette 1, but that was constructed by NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
. The name "Alouette" came from the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
"skylark
Lark
Larks are passerine birds of the family Alaudidae. All species occur in the Old World, and in northern and eastern Australia; only one, the Shore Lark, has spread to North America, where it is called the Horned Lark...
" and from the title of a popular French-Canadian folk song, "Alouette
Alouette (song)
"Alouette" is a popular French Canadian children's song originating in France about plucking the feathers from a lark. Although it is in French, it is well-known among speakers of other languages; in this way it is similar to "Frère Jacques"...
".
Satellite launch and mission progress
Alouette 1 was launched by NASA from the Pacific Missile Range at Vandenberg AFB, California at 06:05 UTCCoordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
on September 29, 1962, into orbit around the earth. Alouette was used to study the ionosphere
Ionosphere
The ionosphere is a part of the upper atmosphere, comprising portions of the mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere, distinguished because it is ionized by solar radiation. It plays an important part in atmospheric electricity and forms the inner edge of the magnetosphere...
, an area of the upper atmosphere where many future satellites would be placed into orbit. Alouettes mission lasted for 10 years before the unit was deliberately switched off. The mission brought a modicum of fame to its Canadian director, John Herbert Chapman
John Herbert Chapman
John Herbert Chapman from London, Ontario, son of Lt. Col. Lloyd Chapman and Kathleen Chapman, was a Canadian space researcher. Chapman started his career with his work on radio propagation and the ionosphere. He later received a Master of Science degree and a Ph.D. in physics at McGill University...
and its Chief Electrical Engineer, Colin A. Franklin
Colin A. Franklin
Colin A. Franklin, CM, FRSC is an engineer and a leading pioneer in Canada’s space programme. He played a leading role in the design, construction and application of Canada's first satellite, the Alouette...
. Alouette 1 remains in orbit and some suggest there is a slim chance it might turn on if the right signals were transmitted. In 1966, it was estimated that Alouette 1 would remain in orbit for 1000 years.
Duplicate construction
Two satellites were built for redundancy in case of a malfunction; if the first unit failed, the second could be launched with only a couple of months delay. It took 3½ years after Alouettes proposal to have it developed and built. The satellites S27-2 (prototype), S27-3 (which became the launched satellite), and S27-4 (which became the backup) were assembled by Defense Telecommunications Establishment Electronics Lab in OttawaOttawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. The mechanical frame was made in Downsview, Ontario at the de Havilland Canada
De Havilland Canada
The de Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd. company was an aircraft manufacturer with facilities based in what is now the Downsview area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
factory there, whose building now houses the Canadian Air and Space Museum
Canadian Air and Space Museum
The Canadian Air and Space Museum is an aviation museum featuring artifacts, exhibits and stories illustrating a century of Canadian aviation heritage and achievements...
. The batteries used for Alouette were developed by another branch of DRB and responsible for the long lifetime of the satellite. The antennas used were the first STEM antennas used in space, and at launch were the longest (125 foot tip to tip).
When completed Alouette weighed 145 kg (320 lb) and was launched from a Thor Agena-B two-stage rocket
Rocket
A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
. Alouette 1s backup was later launched as Alouette 2
Alouette 2
Alouette 2 was a Canadian research satellite launched at 04:48 UTC on November 29, 1965 by a Thor Agena rocket with Explorer 31 from the Western test range at Vandenberg AFB in California...
in 1965 to "replace" the older Alouette 1.
Legacy
- The Alouette 1 is featured on the Amory Adventure AwardAmory Adventure AwardThe Amory Adventure Award is an award in the Canadian Venturer program. Unlike all other awards and badges, for example the Queen's Venturer Award, the Amory Award is only granted to one Venturer company each year. All Venturers who take part in an Amory Award expedition receive a participation...
. - The Alouette 1 was named an IEEE Milestone in 1993.
See also
- Timeline of artificial satellites and space probesTimeline of artificial satellites and space probesThis timeline of artificial satellites and space probes includes unmanned spacecraft including technology demonstrators, observatories, lunar probes, and interplanetary probes. First satellites from each country are included. Not included are most earth science satellites, commercial satellites or...
- Prince Albert Radar LaboratoryPrince Albert Radar LaboratoryThe Prince Albert Radar Laboratory was a radar research facility operated by the Defence Research Telecommunications Establishment , part of the Canadian Defence Research Board. Its primary purpose was to test long-range radio propagation and radar techniques in the presence of the aurora borealis...
(used as the initial ground station)