Descrizione : Discoverer 13 was launched on a Thor-DM18 Agena-A from Vandenberg on 10 August 1960. At 130 km altitude the first stage separated and the Agena placed the satellite into a 250 &tinmes; 705 km, 82.9° inclination near-polar orbit On 11 August, after 17 orbits, a command was sent from a ground station on Kodiak Island to the spacecraft to start the recovery sequence. The Agena pitched down 60° and the recovery vehicle was ejected by small springs. A cold gas system spun the vehicle up for stability, a retrorocket fired, reducing the velocity by about 400 m/s, and then the spin system despun the spacecraft. The orbit ejection subsystem dropped off just before it started to heat up on reentry, leaving the capsule and heat shield. At 15,000 meters a small parachute was deployed, a radio beacon and strobe lights were activated, and the heat shield was released. After stabilization a larger parachute was deployed. The capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean 610 km NNW of Honolulu. The Haiti Victory, a Navy ship, sent out a helicopter which dropped frogmen into the water to attach a collar to the capsule for helicopter retrieval. It was brought back to the ship and taken to Pearl harbor. The flag was presented to President Eisenhower on 15 August 1960. The Agena stage reentered the atmosphere and burned up on November 14, 1960.

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DISCOVERER 13 (SATELLITE) · THOR AGENA