Maser (rocket)
MASER is a sounding rocket that is used in the MASER microgravity research rocket programme, operated by the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC). The main customer is the European Space Agency (ESA), particularly the EMIR and ELIPS programmes. MASER stands for "MAterials Science Experiment Rocket".
The launches take place at Esrange in Northern Sweden. Throughout its sub-orbital flight, the programme offers 6–7 minutes of microgravity aboard the rocket and full recovery of experimental modules with helicopter immediately after flight.
Missions
[edit]| Mission | Date | Launch site | Motor | Apogee | Payload | Modules | Comments | Reference report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MASER 1 | 1987 Mar 19 | Esrange | Black Brant 9B | 295 km | ||||
| MASER 2 | 1988 Feb 29 | Esrange | Black Brant 9C | 318 km | ||||
| MASER 3 | 1989 Apr 10 | Esrange | Black Brant 9C | 297 km | CIS-1, TEM 06-15 | [1] | ||
| MASER 4 | 1990 Mar 29 | Esrange | Black Brant 9B | 317 km | CIS-2 | [1] | ||
| MASER 5 | 1992 Apr 9 | Esrange | Black Brant 9 | 309 km | CIS-3 | [1] | ||
| MASER 6 | 1993 Nov 4 | Esrange | Skylark 7 | 243 km | 372 kg | 5/ESA | Esrange EKMA93-12 | |
| MASER 7 | 1996 May 3 | Esrange | Skylark 7 | 252 km | 355 kg | 4/ESA | Esrange EUK113-9616 | |
| MASER 8 | 1999 May 14 | Esrange | Skylark 7 | 260 km | 334 kg | 4/ESA | Esrange SUM8251-D18 | |
| MASER 9 | 2002 Mar 16 | Esrange | Skylark 7 | 258 km | 347 kg | 3/ESA | Esrange SUM92-S14 | |
| MASER 10 | 2005 May 2 | Esrange | Skylark 7 | 252 km | 350 kg | 4/ESA | 441st and final Skylark | Esrange SUM1025-S8 |
| MASER 11 | 2008 May 15 | Esrange | VSB-30 | 252 km | 383 kg | 5/ESA | Esrange EUK175-E60 | |
| MASER 12 | 2012 Feb 13 | Esrange | VSB-30 | 250 km | 390 kg | [2] | ||
| MASER 13 | 2015 Dec 1 | Esrange | VSB-30 | 260 km | 277 kg | [3] | ||
| MASER 14 | 2019 Jun 24 | Esrange | VSB-30 | 260 km | 400 kg | MASER 14 | ||
| MASER 15 | 2022 Nov 23 | Esrange | VSB-30 | 260 km | 270 kg |
Biological scientific endeavors
[edit]As humans subjected to weightlessness or microgravity undergo physiological changes,[4] there is an increasing interest in biological research. Aside from the material science aspect being investigated aboard the MASER13-15 rockets, biological modules aim to fulfill this purpose and elucidate this side of space-related research.[5]
See also
[edit]
- Maxus
- Texus
- Rexus/Bexus
- Esrange
- Swedish Space Corporation
- European Space Agency
- Sub-orbital spaceflight
- Weightlessness
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "The sounding rocket programmes". www.esa.int.
- ^ "MASER 12". 6 April 2011.
- ^ "MASER 13". 9 June 2015.
- ^ Stepanek, Jan; Blue, Rebecca S.; Parazynski, Scott (2019-03-14). Longo, Dan L. (ed.). "Space Medicine in the Era of Civilian Spaceflight". New England Journal of Medicine. 380 (11): 1053–1060. doi:10.1056/NEJMra1609012. ISSN 0028-4793. PMID 30865799. S2CID 76667295.
- ^ Afshinnekoo, Ebrahim; Scott, Ryan T.; MacKay, Matthew J.; Pariset, Eloise; Cekanaviciute, Egle; Barker, Richard; Gilroy, Simon; Hassane, Duane; Smith, Scott M.; Zwart, Sara R.; Nelman-Gonzalez, Mayra; Crucian, Brian E.; Ponomarev, Sergey A.; Orlov, Oleg I.; Shiba, Dai (November 2020). "Fundamental Biological Features of Spaceflight: Advancing the Field to Enable Deep-Space Exploration". Cell. 183 (5): 1162–1184. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2020.10.050. ISSN 0092-8674. PMC 8441988. PMID 33242416.
- "Maser-raketerna". Retrieved 2009-04-23.
- "Maser". Swedish Space Corporation. Archived from the original on 2009-05-28. Retrieved 2009-04-23.
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