Original Mission: International Sun/Earth Explorer 3 (ISEE-3)
ISEE-3 originally operated in a halo orbit about the L1 Sun-Earth Lagrangian point, 235 Earth radii above the surface (about 1.5 million km, or 924,000 miles). It was the first artificial object placed at a so-called "libration point", proving that such a suspension between gravitational fields was possible.
The purposes of the mission were:
- to investigate solar-terrestrial relationships at the outermost boundaries of the Earth's magnetosphere;
- to examine in detail the structure of the solar wind near the Earth and the shock wave that forms the interface between the solar wind and Earth's magnetosphere;
- to investigate motions of and mechanisms operating in the plasma sheets; and,
- to continue the investigation of cosmic rays and solar flare emissions in the interplanetary region near 1 AU.
ISEE-3 was spun at 20 rpm, with a rotational axis in line with the ecliptic, to keep it properly oriented for its experiments and solar power generation.
Read more about this topic: International Cometary Explorer
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