Editing Vanguard TV-3 (section)

== Spacecraft ==
[[File:TV3 satellite.JPG|thumb|upright=1.1|right|The Vanguard 1A satellite on display at the National Air and Space Museum, 2009.]]

The [[payload (air and space craft)|payload]] of the TV-3 was very similar to the later [[Vanguard 1]]. It was a small [[aluminium]] [[sphere]], {{cvt|16.3|cm}} in [[diameter]] and with a [[mass]] of {{cvt|1.5|kg}}. It carried two transmitters: a 10-mW, 108-MHz transmitter powered by a [[mercury battery]], and a 5-mW, 108.03-MHz transmitter powered by six [[solar cell]]s mounted on the body of the spacecraft. Using six small aerial [[antenna (radio)|antennae]] mounted on its body, the satellite primarily transmitted engineering and [[telemetry]] data, but the transmitters were also used to determine the total [[electron]] content between the satellite and the ground stations. Other instruments in the satellite's design included two [[thermistor]]s, which were used to measure the satellite's internal temperatures for the purpose of tracking its [[thermal insulation|thermal protection]]'s effectiveness. Although the satellite was damaged beyond reuse capability during the crash, it was still transmitting after the incident.<ref name="NSSDC"/>