SPACE — On February 4, 1995, astronauts aboard the space shuttle Discovery launched a small satellite called the Orbital Debris Calibration Sphere (ODERACS) into orbit around Earth. It is a 6 inch wide spherical microsatellite.
The ball was one of six ODERACS scattered by the astronauts of the STS-63 mission. The satellite ball helps NASA calibrate equipment such as telescopes and radar designed to track and measure space debris circulating in Earth’s orbit.
The balls have different sizes. Knowing which ball is observing space junk
from the ground allows NASA scientists to calibrate their instruments. That way, they can calculate the size of other objects floating in space. Source: Space.com
2024-02-04 16:57:00
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