Payload Assist Module
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The Payload Assist Module (PAM) is a modular upper stage operated with solid propellant, used with the Space Shuttle, Delta, and Titan launchers. The rocket was used to carry satellites from a low earth orbit to a geostationary transfer orbit or an interplanetary course. The payload was spin stabilized by being mounted on a rotating plate. Originally developed for the Space Shuttles, different versions of the PAM followed:
- PAM-A (Atlas class), development terminated
- PAM-D (Delta class), uses a Star-48B rocket motor
- PAM-D2 (Delta class), uses a Star-63 rocket motor
- PAM-S (Special) as a kick motor for the space probe Ulysses
The PAM-D module, used as the third stage of a Delta II rocket, is the only version in use today.
On January 12, 2001, a PAM-D module reentered the atmosphere after a "catastrophic orbital decay".[1] The PAM-D stage, designated US Satellite Number 22659, International Designator 1993-032C crashed in the sparsely populated Saudi Arabian desert, where it was positively identified.
External links
- Payload Assist Module at the NASA Shuttle Reference Manual
- Payload Assist Module at GlobalSecurity.org
References
- ^ The Orbital Debris Quarterly News. Vol. 6, Issue 2. NASA Johnson Space Center. Available online.
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