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 The Mesquito sounding rocket | |
| Function | Sounding rocket |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | NSROC |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Retired |
| Launch sites | LC-2, Wallops Island |
| Total launches | 3 |
| Success(es) | 2 |
| Failure(s) | 1 |
| First flight | 6 May 2008 |
| [edit on Wikidata] | |
The Mesquito is an American sounding rocket vehicle developed for the NASA Sounding Rocket Program on Wallops Island, Virginia. The Mesquito was developed to provide rocket-borne measurements of the mesospheric region of the upper atmosphere. An area of great science interest is in the 82–95 km region, where the conventional understanding of atmospherics physics is being challenged.
The Mesquito is a two-stage sounding rocket using a 9-inch-diameter (229 mm) solid propellant rocket motor from surplus M26 MLRS artillery rocket as the first-stage. The non-propulsive second-stage dart contains a free-flying structural body that includes an avionics suite and an experiment space with interface.
The maiden flight occurred on 6 May, 2008, from LC-2 at the Wallops Flight Facility. After three test launches, the project was shelved.
Launch history
| Date | Time (GMT) | S/N | Mission | Apogee | Outcome | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-05-06 | 18:08 | 12.065 | Test | 85 km | Success | Maiden flight |
| 2008-05-07 | 19:18 | 12.066 | Test | 15 km | Failure | Loss of control following burnout |
| 2009-12-16 | 13:46 | 12.068 | Test | 90 km | Success | Dart pinned to first stage |
References
- "Mesquito". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
- ^ Krebs, Gunter Dirk. "Mesquito". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
- ^ Flowers, Betty; Powell, Rebecca (2008-05-12). "Mesquito Launches" (PDF). Inside Wallops. Vol. XX-08, no. 17. NASA Wallops Flight Facility. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-03-16. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
- "12.068 - Mesquito test flight" (PDF). Rocket Report. Fourth Quarter 2009. p. 1.
- "Sounding Rocket Technology Development". NASA. Archived from the original on 2008-05-20.
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