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SCALE: 1/20 |
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INITIAL RELEASE: 1968 |
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MEDIUM: Polystyrene |
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RARITY: (4) |
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Explorer 18 in Orbit |
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ABOUT THE DESIGN |
ABOUT THE KIT |
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Launched from Cape Kennedy, Florida, on December 26, 1963, the Explorer 18 satellite was designed to study radiation between the earth and the moon, magnetic fields and earth-sun relationships. Standing seven feet high and 14 feet wide, it had a highly elliptical orbit that ranged from an apogee of 122,800 miles to a perigee of just 120 miles. |
This was an unusual kit for
several reasons. It was one of the few styrene kits ever produced of
unmanned satellites. (The ITC Explorer 1 was another.) Also, it was
designed to balance on a narrow pedestal, metal plates glued to the underside of
each solar panel giving it an unusually low center of gravity that resulted in
uncanny stability. Finally, it came with four "antenna" rods, the tips of which
needed to be heated via open flame so they could be literally fused to the
satellite's main body. This model was built from an original issue. |
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Original Box Art |
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