Polar Bear
Polar Beacon Experiment & Auroral Research

Polar Bear, also known as STP P87-1, was a military mission designed to study communications interference caused by solar flares and increased auroral activity. The data from the mission complements data taken by its predecessor, HILAT. The core vehicle was a Transit navigational satellite that was retrieved from the Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum where it had been on display for 8 years.

Spacecraft
Gravity gradient stabilized by deployable boom with tip mass. 4 small deployable solar arrays.

Payload
Auroral Imaging Remote Sensor imaged the aurora boralis; Beacon Experiment monitored ionospheric propagation over the poles.

Country of Origin	United States
Customer/User	USAF, Defense Nuclear Agency
Manufacturer(s)	JHU/APL
Size	Approx 1.3 x 0.4 x 0.4 m (stowed)
Orbit	962 x 1019 km, incl. = 89.5 deg
Design Life	Transit design life = 3 years

Launch Facts

Name	Int'l Desig.	Date	Site	Vehicle	Orbit	Mass(kg)
Notes
Polar Bear	1986-088A	11/14/86	WSMC	Scout G1	LEO	125
Polar Beacon and Research satellite