Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer

Applications Technology Satellite 6 (ATS 6), active from 1974-1979, was the last in the ATS series of experimental satellites sponsored by NASA to test new technologies in space communications. ATS-6 operated from geostationary orbit and contained nineteen communications and technology experiments. The Museum's artifact is a full-scale Thermal Structural Model used as an engineering tool during development of the actual satellite to analyze and design for the effects of launch vibration and the extreme temperatures of space.

The structural hub served as the "eye" of the parabolic reflector, the main antenna on the spacecraft.

The Museum's artifact was transferred from NASA in 1978.

 Display Status

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Type SPACECRAFT-Uncrewed Manufacturer Fairchild Aviation Corp.
 Dimensions Approximate: 144.78 x 27.31cm (4ft 9in. x 10 3/4in.)
 Materials Steel
 Inventory Number A19780163018 Credit Line Transferred from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.