Army Role in Project Argus

Argus was a code name given to a project which was to utilize atomic bursts at high altitudes to inject electrons artificially into the magnetic field of the earth, and to observe their movements by means of satellite borne instrumentation. The Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) was assigned the over-all project direction for the satellite program including development of the instrumentation, construction, and testing and launching of the satellite. Also, ABMA was given post flight responsibility for tracking, telemetering, orbital computations, and data reduction. This paper presents an account of the events leading up to the project, and ABMA´s program in carrying out its responsibilities. Also included are test results for project Argus.