Abstract
Photoelectric photometry of the PAGEOS satellite over its lifetime has revealed intrinsic lightcurve characteristics suggesting the means to measure (1) spin rate, (2) spin-axis orientation, (3) spin-axis precession, and (4) surface mapping for brightness and/or topography. The results of such measurements from lightcurves collected during late 1969 are presented. We find that the vehicle has assumed a rotational mode of varying angular rate, with the spin axis perturbed in such a way as to precess about the vehicle-Sun vector at a nearly constant angle of 65–70 degrees and with a precession period of 8–15 days. This suggests a driving torque related to solar radiation effects.
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