Einstein Observatory

Einstein Observatory (HEAO-2) was the first fully imaging X-ray telescope put into space and the second of NASA's three High Energy Astrophysical Observatories. Named HEAO B before launch, the observatory's name was changed to honor Albert Einstein upon its successfully attaining orbit.[1]

This article is about the X-ray telescope. For the observatory building in Potsdam, see Einstein Tower. For the proposed gravitational wave detector, see Einstein Telescope.
Einstein Observatory
Einstein Observatory
Mission typeAstronomy
OperatorNASA
COSPAR ID1978-103A
SATCAT no.11101
WebsiteEinstein Observatory at NASA.gov
Mission duration4 years
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerTRW
Dry mass3,130 kilograms (6,900 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date13 November 1978, 05:24 (1978-11-13UTC05:24) UTC
RocketAtlas SLV-3D Centaur-D1AR
Launch siteCape Canaveral LC-36B
End of mission
Last contact17 April 1981 (1981-04-18)
Decay date26 May 1982
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Perigee altitude465 kilometres (289 mi)
Apogee altitude476 kilometres (296 mi)
Inclination23.5°
Period94.0 minutes
Epoch13 November, 1978 05:24:00 UTC
 

Launch

The Einstein Observatory, HEAO-2, was launched on November 13, 1978, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on an Atlas-Centaur SLV-3D booster rocket into a near-circular orbit with an initial altitude slightly above 500 km. Its orbital inclination orbit was 23.5 degrees. The Einstein Observatory satellite re-entered the Earth's atmosphere and burned up on March 25, 1982.[2]

Instrumentation

The Einstein Observatory carried a single large grazing-incidence focusing X-ray telescope that provided unprecedented levels of sensitivity (hundreds of times better than previously achieved) and arc-second angular resolution of point sources and extended objects. It had instruments sensitive in the 0.2 to 3.5 keV energy range. A collection of four focal-plane instruments was installed in the satellite: [3]

  • HRI, or High Resolution Imaging camera, 0.15-3 keV
  • IPC, or Imaging Proportional Counter, 0.4 to 4 keV
  • SSS, or Solid State Spectrometer, 0.5 to 4.5 keV
  • FPCS, or Bragg Focal Plane Crystal Spectrometer

There was also a coaxial instrument 'MPC', the Monitor Proportional Counter, working in the 1-20 keV range, and two filters that could be used with the imaging detectors:

  • BBFS, Broad Band Filter Spectrometer (aluminium and beryllium filters than can be placed into the X-ray beam, to change the spectral sensitivity)
  • OGS, Objective grating spectrometer (transmission gratings with a spectral resolution of about 50)
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References
  1. "HEA Heritage Missions: Einstein Observatory". cfa.harvard.edu. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  2. "Einstein Observatory (HEAO-2)". ecuip.lib.uchicago.edu. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  3. "The Einstein /HEAO 2/ X-ray Observatory". adsabs.harvard.edu. Retrieved March 27, 2014.

See also


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