Nimbus B was a meteorological satellite launched as part of the Nimbus program. It was released on May 18, 1968 from the Vandenberg Air Force Base, Lompoc, California, by means of a Thor-Agena launch vehicle, together with the SECOR 10 satellite. Nimbus B never achieved orbit because a malfunction in the booster guidance system forced the destruction of the spacecraft and its payload during launch.
The SNAP-19 Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator used to power the satellite was salvaged from the water, refurbished and later flown on Nimbus 3.
Gallery
Instruments High Data Rate Storage System (DHRSS) High and Medium-Resolution Infrared Radiometers (HRIR/MRIR) Image Dissector Camera System (IDCS) Infrared Interferometer Spectrometer (IRIS) Monitor of Ultraviolet Solar Energy (MUSE) Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (SNAP-19) Real-time transmission System (RTTS) Satellite Infrared Spectrometer (SIRS)
See also
Television Infrared Observation Satellite
References
External links The Day the Nimbus Weather Satellite Exploded by the Smithsonian Magazine