Small Astronomy Satellite 2

SAS-2
Type:	Space telescope
Country:	United States
Operator:	NASA
COSPAR-ID :	1972-091A
Mission dates
Dimensions:	186 kg
Size:	59 cm in diameter, 135 cm in height
Begin:	November 15, 1972
Starting place:	San Marco platform
Launcher:	Scout-D1
Status:	burned up on August 20, 1980
Orbit data
Rotation time :	95.4 min
Orbit inclination :	1.9 °
Apogee height :	632 km
Perigee height :	443 km

The Small Astronomy Satellite 2 (SAS-2) , a NASA project , was one of the first space telescopes to detect cosmic gamma rays .

SAS-2 (also known as SAS-B and Explorer 48 ) was launched into low equatorial earth orbit on November 15, 1972 by a Scout rocket from the San Marco platform . It began operations on November 19, 1972; the mission ended on June 8, 1973 due to a problem with the satellite's power supply.

The only instrument was a spark chamber for the energy range 20 MeV - 1 GeV. In 27 observations, each lasting about a week, 55% of the sky, including almost the entire plane of the Milky Way, were observed. SAS-2 thus gained an overview of individual gamma sources in the sky and of diffuse gamma emissions and their connection with other structures of the Milky Way. SAS-2 also discovered the Geminga spring .

Web links

• NASA: The Small Astronomy Satellite 2 (SAS-2) (English)
• Explorer: SAS B on Gunter's Space Page (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ SAS-B in the NSSDCA Master Catalog (English)