science

OPS 0855

OPS 0855 is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand OPS 0855 rather than just read about it. In short: OPS 0855, also designated OV4-3, was an American boilerplate Manned Orbiting Laboratory spacecraft launched in 1966. It was flown to demonstrate the launch configuration for future MOL missions.

Key takeaways

OPS 0855 belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect OPS 0855 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of OPS 0855 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

OPS 0855, also designated OV4-3, was an American boilerplate Manned Orbiting Laboratory spacecraft launched in 1966. It was flown to demonstrate the launch configuration for future MOL missions. A number of research payloads, designated Manifold, were carried on board, which were intended to operate for 75 days. However, the spacecraft ceased operations after just 30 days. It was built from a decommissioned HGM-25A Titan I first stage oxidizer tank, bolted to a Transtage. It was part of the MOL and Orbiting Vehicle projects.

History The Manifold experimental package consisted of two micrometeoroid detection payloads, a transmitter beacon designated ORBIS-Low, a cell growth experiment, a prototype hydrogen fuel cell, a thermal control experiment, a propellant transfer and monitoring system to investigate fluid dynamics in zero gravity, a prototype attitude control system, an experiment to investigate the reflection of light in space, and an experiment into heat transfer. The spacecraft was painted to allow it to be used as a target for an optical tracking and observation experiment from the ground. OPS 0855 was the primary payload of Titan IIIC 3C-9, The Gemini B prototype capsule, known as Gemini SC-2, was flown on the same rocket, and was released onto a suborbital trajectory during launch. The adaptor connecting the Gemini spacecraft to OPS 0855 contained three additional spacecraft, two OV4-1 satellites, and OV1-6. These were released into low Earth orbit. OPS 0855 entered an orbit with an apogee of 305 kilometres (190 mi), a perigee of 298 kilometres (185 mi), and 32.82 degrees of inclination. It received the COSPAR International Designator 1966-099A, and remained in orbit until its decay on 9 January 1967. No further MOL missions were flown following the cancellation of the project in June 1969.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with OPS 0855

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what OPS 0855 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to OPS 0855 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about OPS 0855 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of OPS 0855

In research: OPS 0855 appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses OPS 0855 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: OPS 0855 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics American space stations, American spacecraft stubs, Military space program of the United States, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for OPS 0855 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study OPS 0855 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what OPS 0855 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain OPS 0855 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is OPS 0855 in simple terms?

OPS 0855, also designated OV4-3, was an American boilerplate Manned Orbiting Laboratory spacecraft launched in 1966. It was flown to demonstrate the launch configuration for future MOL missions.

Why does OPS 0855 matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study OPS 0855?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on OPS 0855.