OSCAR
(OSCAR 1)

Spacecraft Summary

Detailed Description

A group of enthusiasts in California formed Project OSCAR and persuaded the United States Air Force to replace ballast on the Agena upper stage with the 4.5 kg OSCAR I package.

The satellite was box shaped with a single monopole antenna and battery powered. The 140 mW transmitter onboard discharged its batteries after three weeks. 570 Amateurs in 28 countries reported receiving its simple "HI-HI" morse code signals on the VHF 2 meter band (144.983 MHz) until January 1, 1962. The speed of the HI-HI message was controlled by a temperature sensor inside the spacecraft. OSCAR I re-entered the atmosphere January 31, 1962 after 312 revolutions.

From The Satellite Experimenter's Handbook, Martin Davidoff writes:

"OSCAR I was an overwhelming success. More than 570 amateurs in 28 countries forwarded observations to the Project OSCAR data reduction center. The observations provided important information on radio propagation through the ionosphere, the spacecraft's orbit and thermal satellite design. The OSCAR I mission clearly demonstrated that amateurs are capable of (1) designing and constructing reliable spacecraft, (2) tracking satellites and (3) collecting and processing related scientific and engineering information. Because of its low altitude, OSCAR I only remained in orbit for 22 days before burning up as it re-entered the earth's atmosphere."

Reference Documents:

• William Orr, "Sixty Years of Radio Amateur Communications," QST, Feb 1962, pp 11-15, 130, 132.
• H. Gabrielson, "The OSCAR Satellite," QST, Feb 1962, pp 21-24, 132, 134.
• William Orr, "OSCAR I: A Summary of the World's First Radio-Amateur Satellite," QST, Sep 1962, pp 46-52, 140.