Over the past few days the KSP team at the Space Center have been making more history as the ITAD (Imaging, Thermal and Air Data) satellite sent back the first images of our world from space.
The mission of the satellite was to take measurements of our upper atmosphere and also a few snap shots while it was at it. The probe itself was a modified version of Frontier II's spare model. The engineers took it and added the necessary instruments to complete the next mission.
A painting of the ITAD satellite in orbit
Although the mission wasn't a complete success due to an incorrectly calibrated processor, there was still much useful information gleaned from the data sent back. ITAD was also the first true scientific satellite, carrying the imaging camera, thermometer, barometer, dynamic pressure and altitude measuring equipment. Three images were also taken with the on-board camera and transmitted back to mission control.
The first image transmitted back as the satellite passed from the shadow of the planet. The objects at the sides and top of the image are the probes antennas
A picture of home. The bottom-right antenna points to the KSC launch site
The white band around the planet is our atmosphere, which is seemingly thin and fragile from space
Due to the probe skimming the upper atmosphere for a small part of it's orbit, ITAD slowed to a point where it eventually fell back to Kerbin. But not before it completed nineteen orbits over nine-and-a-half hours. During that time, ITAD sent back interesting data, including a lowest temperature recording of -140.6C.
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