Talk:Uhuru (satellite)

Latest comment: 9 months ago by PlanetCare in topic Mission names

Untitled edit

Is this satellite still in orbit? DarthVader 08:14, 23 July 2006 (UTC)Reply

No. PlanetCare (talk) 17:15, 3 July 2023 (UTC)Reply

Mission names edit

An editor recently changed "SAS 1" to "SAS A". It was and is common practice for NASA to change the names of missions when they are successfully launched. (Other examples: OSO H -> OSO 7; HEAO A -> HEAO 1; HEAO C -> HEAO 3; LST -> Hubble Space Telescope; SIRTF -> Spitzer Space Telescope, etc.) This was done with all three Small Astronomy Satellites, although SAS 1 is much more commonly known as "Uhuru" than either SAS 1 or Explorer 43. (These series names are often hypehnated, eg SAS-1. In the missions I know personally, OSO 7, HEAO 1 and HEAO 3, we have tended to standardize on the unhyphenated form, but both are common.) It is reasonable to note common alternate names as a clarification, but the earlier, less-common names should not be perpetuated needlessly. Thanks Wwheaton (talk) 21:10, 4 November 2009 (UTC)Reply

The theory that the mission was renamed after launch is not borne out by the references, which tend to indiscriminately use either designation. The only name change I can see is that to "Uhuru". We certainly can list both,but I don't see a good reason to pick one or the other. Mangoe (talk) 02:56, 5 November 2009 (UTC)Reply
I think you meant 42. "NASA Explorer 42" PlanetCare (talk) 17:40, 3 July 2023 (UTC)Reply