On February 4, 1995, astronauts aboard the space shuttle Discovery launched an itty bitty satellite called an Orbital Debris Calibration Sphere into orbit around the Earth.
The satellite measured just 6 inches across, and it was one of six spheres that the astronauts deployed on mission STS-63. The spheres helped NASA calibrate equipment like telescopes and radars that were designed to track and measure space junk floating around in Earth's orbit. The spheres came in different sizes, and knowing the size of the spheres as they observed them from the ground allowed NASA scientists to calibrate their instruments so they could calculate the size of other objects floating around in space.
The satellite measured just 6 inches across, and it was one of six spheres that the astronauts deployed on mission STS-63. The spheres helped NASA calibrate equipment like telescopes and radars that were designed to track and measure space junk floating around in Earth's orbit. The spheres came in different sizes, and knowing the size of the spheres as they observed them from the ground allowed NASA scientists to calibrate their instruments so they could calculate the size of other objects floating around in space.
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TechTranscript
00:00On this day in space.
00:03On February 4, 1995, astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery launched an itty-bitty
00:08satellite called an Orbital Debris Calibration Sphere into orbit around the Earth.
00:13The satellite measured just 6 inches across, and it was one of six spheres that the astronauts
00:17deployed on mission STS-63.
00:18The spheres helped NASA calibrate equipment like telescopes and radars that were designed
00:23to track and measure space junk floating around in Earth's orbit.
00:27The spheres came in different sizes, which allowed NASA scientists to calibrate their
00:30instruments and calculate the size of other objects floating around in space.
00:33And that's what happened on this day in space.