ASTRO-F
| ASTRO-F (Akari) | |
|---|---|
| Type: | Infrared telescope |
| Country: |
 Japan
|
| Operator: | JAXA |
| COSPAR-ID : | 2006-005A |
| Mission dates | |
| Dimensions: | 955 kg |
| Size: | 1.9 m × 1.9 m × 3.2 m |
| Begin: | February 21, 2006, 21:28 UTC |
| Starting place: | Uchinoura Space Center |
| Launcher: | MV |
| Status: | completed |
| Orbit data | |
| Rotation time : | 96.6 min |
| Orbit inclination : | 98.2 ° |
| Apogee height : | 695 km |
| Perigee height : | 570 km |
ASTRO-F is a space infrared telescope from the Japanese space agency JAXA with participation from ESA , Great Britain , the Netherlands and South Korea . Planning for the satellite began in 1997, the launch originally planned for 2003 was postponed due to problems with the mirror suspension. The launch took place on February 21, 2006 at 10:28 pm CET with an MV rocket from the Uchinoura Space Center , during which the ASTRO-F was brought into a sun-synchronous earth orbit at an altitude of 750 km. After launch, the 955 kg satellite was given the name Akari , Japanese for light .
The mission's main scientific objectives were to study galaxy formation in the early universe and the formation of stars and planets in the Milky Way .
construction
The main mirror of the telescope has a diameter of 67 cm, the telescope was cooled to 6 K with liquid helium , so that during this time observations in the middle and far infrared (wavelength 5.5 µm to 180 µm) could be made. The observations in the near infrared (wavelength 1.7 µm to 5.5 µm) were independent of the helium cooling.
The instruments consisted of four FIR detectors (50–80, 60–110, 110–180, 140–180 µm) and three cameras for NIR (1.7–5.5 µm) and MIR (5.8–14, 1 and 12.4-26.5).
course
On April 16, 2006, Akari opened the telescope cover and began work. The first findings were published by JAXA in May 2006. When the helium supply was exhausted in August 2007, Akari had scanned 94% of the sky and made over 5500 individual observations. The near infrared observations continued.
After a problem with the energy supply on May 24, 2011, the scientific mission was officially ended in June 2011. On November 24, 2011, JAXA lowered orbit to 440 km to reduce the time remaining in orbit. This also emptied the fuel tanks to prevent a possible explosion.
Japanese satellites for X-ray astronomy
Other Japanese satellites were launched for X-ray astronomy under the name ASTRO :
- Hakuchō (CORSA-B, 1979)
- Tenma (ASTRO-B, 1983)
- Ginga (ASTRO-C, 1987)
- Advanced Satellite for Cosmology and Astrophysics (ASTRO-D, 1993)
- Suzaku (ASTRO-E, 2005)
- Hitomi (ASTRO-H, 2016)
Web links
- ISAS side of the (English)
- JAXA website ( Memento of December 8, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
- Results of the Mission (English)
- With ASTRO-F on a long research trip into the past . Telepolis
Individual evidence
- ↑ Focal Plane Instruments ( Memento from June 5, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ AKARI operation completed. JAXA, November 24, 2011, accessed January 20, 2012 .
- ↑ Recent Disposal of JAXA Akari Satellite. (PDF; 2.6 MB) In: Orbital Debris Quarterly News, Volume 16, Issue 1. NASA, January 2012, p. 4 , accessed on July 31, 2016 .