Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 2: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 03:13, 2 December 2015
| Mission type | Astronomy |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1968-110A |
| SATCAT no. | 3597 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Grumman |
| Dry mass | 2,012 kilograms (4,436 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 7 December 1968, 08:40:09 UTC |
| Rocket | Atlas SLV-3C Centaur-D |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral LC-36B |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | January 1973 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 768 kilometres (477 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 777 kilometres (483 mi) |
| Inclination | 35.0 degrees |
| Period | 100.30 minutes |
| Epoch | 6 January 1969[1] |
The Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 2 (OAO-2, nicknamed Stargazer) was a space observatory launched on December 7, 1968.[2] An Atlas-Centaur rocket launched it into a nearly circular 750 kilometres (470 mi) altitude Earth orbit.[3] Data was collected in ultraviolet on many sources including comets, planets, and galaxies.[2][4] It had two major instrument sets facing in opposite directions; the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) and the Wisconsin Experiment Package (WEP).[4] One discovery was large halos of hydrogen gas around comets,[4] and it also observed Nova Serpentis.[2]
The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, also called Celescope, had four 12 inch Schwarzschild telescopes that fed into Uvicons.[5] Various filters, photocathodes, and electronics aided in collecting data in several ultraviolet light passbands.[5] The experiment was completed in April 1970.[5] By the time it finished about 10 percent of the sky was observed.[5]
The Wisconsin Experiment Package had eleven different telescopes for ultraviolet observations.[6] For example, there was a photoelectric photometer fed by a 16 inch telescope with a six-position filter wheel.[6] WEP observed over 1200 targets in ultraviolet light before the mission ended in early 1973.[4]
See also
see Xiomara
References
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
- ^ a b c Joseph A. Angelo - Spacecraft for Astronomy (2009) - Page 20 (Google Books)
- ^ Gunter - OAO-2
- ^ a b c d Orbiting Astronomical Observatory OAO-2
- ^ a b c d High-Resolution Telescopes
- ^ a b Wisconsin Experiment Package
External links
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