SPARTAN LITE: Genesis of a Small Satellite

Goddard Space Flight Center's (GSFC) Space Science Directorate (SSD) came to the Special Payloads Division (SPD) to discuss the idea of extending the mission life of sounding rocket class instruments with a small satellite. The SSD provided a preliminary study that recommended using a five cubic foot Hitchhiker (HH) or Get Away Special (GAS) canister to eject an ASTRO HITCHHIKER satellite into a Space Transportation System (STS) orbit. The SPD interdisciplinary engineering team reviewed this preliminary study and identified restrictions on the proposed satellite's design. The SPD then asked the SSD to provide requirements for various types of instruments. Combining the new requirements and the initial study, the team optimized the services provided to the instruments. The resulting satellite design called SPARTAN LITE accommodates a wider range of instruments than initially proposed and successfully extends the mission life of sounding rocket class instruments. This paper will introduce the reader to ASTRO HITCHHIKER, trace its evolution to SPARTAN LITE, and describe SPARTAN LITE in detail.