Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite

Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite
Mission type	Earth observation
Operator	NASA
COSPAR ID	1991-063B
SATCAT no.	21701
Website	http://umpgal.gsfc.nasa.gov/
Mission duration	14 years, 3 months
Spacecraft properties
Bus	MultiMission Modular Spacecraft
Manufacturer	Martin Marietta
Launch mass	6,540 kilograms (14,420 lb)
Dry mass	5,900 kilograms (13,000 lb)
Power	1600.0 watts
Start of mission
Launch date	12 September 1991, 23:11:04 UTC
Rocket	Space Shuttle Discovery STS-48
Launch site	Kennedy LC-39A
Contractor	NASA
End of mission
Disposal	Decommissioned
Deactivated	15 December 2005
Decay date	24 September 2011
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Semi-major axis	6,953.0 kilometers (4,320.4 mi)
Eccentricity	0.0003645
Perigee altitude	574.0 kilometers (356.7 mi)
Apogee altitude	575.0 kilometers (357.3 mi)
Inclination	56.97999954223633°
Period	95.9 minutes
Epoch	14 September 1991, 20:00:00 UTC
Instruments
	CLAES; ISAMS; MLS; HALOE; HRDI; WINDII; SUSIM; SOLSTICE; PEM; ACRIM II

The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) was a NASA-operated orbital observatory whose mission was to study the Earth's atmosphere, particularly the protective ozone layer. The 5,900-kilogram (13,000 lb) satellite was deployed from Space Shuttle Discovery during the STS-48 mission on 15 September 1991. It entered Earth orbit at an operational altitude of 600 kilometers (370 mi), with an orbital inclination of 57 degrees.

The original mission duration was to be only three years, but was extended several times. When the mission finally ended in June 2005 due to funding cuts, 14 years after the satellite's launch, six of its ten instruments were still operational.^[2] A final orbit-lowering burn was performed in early December 2005 to prepare the satellite for deorbit. On 26 October 2010, the International Space Station performed a debris-avoidance maneuver in response to a conjunction with UARS.^[3]

The decommissioned satellite re-entered Earth's atmosphere on 24 September 2011. Considerable media attention surrounded the event, largely due to NASA's predictions that substantial parts of the satellite might reach the ground, potentially endangering inhabited areas. However, the satellite ultimately impacted in a remote area of the Pacific Ocean.^[4]

^ "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Trajectory Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
^ W. Henry Lambright, 2005. NASA and the Environment: The Case of Ozone Depletion, "The UARS controversy" p 43f.
^ Orbital Debris Quarterly News (PDF) (Report). Vol. 15. NASA Orbital Debris Program Office. July 2011. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 20, 2011. Retrieved September 22, 2011.
^ "Final Update: NASA's UARS Re-enters Earth's Atmosphere". Retrieved September 27, 2011.

[1] "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Trajectory Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved May 1, 2018.

[2] W. Henry Lambright, 2005. NASA and the Environment: The Case of Ozone Depletion, "The UARS controversy" p 43f.

[Debris-2011-3] Orbital Debris Quarterly News (PDF) (Report). Vol. 15. NASA Orbital Debris Program Office. July 2011. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 20, 2011. Retrieved September 22, 2011.

[finalupdate-4] "Final Update: NASA's UARS Re-enters Earth's Atmosphere". Retrieved September 27, 2011.

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