Uhuru (satellite)
| Uhuru (Explorer 42) | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Space telescope |
| Country: |
 United States
|
| Operator: |
 NASA
|
| COSPAR-ID : | 1970-107A |
| Mission dates | |
| Dimensions: | 141.5 kg |
| Size: | 56 cm diameter, 116 cm height |
| Begin: | December 12, 1970, 10:53 UT |
| Starting place: | San Marco platform |
| Launcher: | Scout-B S175C |
| Status: | out of service from March 1973 burned up on April 5, 1979 |
| Orbit data | |
| Rotation time : | 95.7 min |
| Orbit inclination : | 3 ° |
| Apogee height : | 572 km |
| Perigee height : | 531 km |
Uhuru ( Swahili for freedom ), also known as Explorer 42 , SAS A ( Small Astronomical Satellite A ), and SAS-1 , was the first satellite to completely scan the sky for X-ray sources . It was launched on December 12, 1970 with a Scout rocket from the San Marco platform off the coast of Kenya and went into orbit around the earth between 531 and 572 km. This made it the first NASA satellite mission that was not launched from US territory. A start from Cape Canaveral z. B. would have made a stronger launcher necessary, since an inclination of 3.0 ° was intended.
Before the start, around 40 sources of astronomical X-rays were known. The satellite covered the entire sky for the first time; he cataloged about 300 objects. Uhuru discovered the diffuse X-ray glow of galaxies and, for the first time, X-ray binary stars, including Hercules X-1 , some of which are white dwarfs , neutron stars or black holes , as these emit in the X-ray range as they absorb matter from their partner.
The mission ended in March 1973; six years later, Uhuru entered the earth's atmosphere and burned up.
Sensors
Uhuru's X-ray receiver consisted of a sheet of lead through which there were many parallel holes behind which a sensor for X-rays was located. Only X-rays that hit the direction of the holes could reach the sensor . However, the resolution of this arrangement was worse than that of the human eye .
Today, X-ray telescopes (see also Wolter telescope ) are brought into orbit around the earth to explore the sky in the X-ray range.
swell
- NASA: The Uhuru Satellite (English)
- Uhuru in the NSSDCA Master Catalog (English)
- Deutschlandradio, broadcast: “Computer and Communication | Stardate December 11, 2010 "on December 11, 2010 at 4:57 pm
Individual evidence
- ↑ Uhuru in the NSSDCA Master Catalog , accessed October 9, 2012.
Explorer 1 x 2 x 3 x 4 x 5 x S-1 x 6 (S-2) x 7 (S-1a) x S-46 x 8 (S-30) x S-56 x 9 (S-56a) · S-45 · 10 (P-14) · 11 (S-15) · S-45a · S-55 · 12 (EPE-A) · 13 (S-55) · 14 (EPE-B) · 15 ( EPE-C) · 16 (S-55 b) · 17 (AE-A) · 18 (IMP-A) · 19 (AD-A) · BE-A · 20 (IE-A) · 21 (IMP-B) · 22 (BE-B) · 23 (S 55c) · 24 (AD-B) · 25 (IE-B) · 26 (EPE-D) · 27 (BE-C) · 28 (IMP-C) · 29 (GEOS-A) x 30 (SE-A) x 31 (DME-A) x 32 (AE-B) x 33 (IMP-D) x 34 (IMP-F) x 35 (IMP-E) x 36 (GEOS-B) x 37 (SE-B) x 38 (RAE-A) x 39 (AD-C) x 40 (IE-C) x 41 (IMP-G) x 42 (SAS-A) x 43 ( IMP-H) x 44 (SE-C) x 45 (SSS-A) x 46 (MTS-A) x 47 (IMP-I) x 48 (SAS-B) x 49 (RAE-B) x 50 (IMP -J) · 51 (AE-C) · 52 (IE-D) · 53 (SAS-C) · 54 (AE-D) · 55 (AE-e) · DAD-A · DAD B · 56 (ISEE- 1) · 57 (IUE) · 58 (HCMM) · 59 (ISEE-3 / ICE) · 60 (SAGE) · 61 (magsat) · 62 (DE-A) · 63 (DE-B) · 64 (SME) · 65 (CCE) · 66 (COBE) · 67 (EUVE) · 68 (SAMPEX) · 69 (RXTE) · 70 (FAST) · 71 (ACE) · 72 (SNOE) · 73 (TRACE) · 74 (SWAS) · 75 (WIRE) · 76 (TERRIERS) · 77 (FUSE) · 78 ( IMAGE) · 79 (HETE-2) · 80 (WMAP) · 81 (RHESSI) · 82 (chipsat) · 83 (GALEX) · 84 (Swift) · 85 (THEMIS-A) · 86 (THEMIS-B) · 87 (THEMIS-C) · 88 (THEMIS-D) · 89 (THEMIS-e) · 90 (AIM) · 91 (IBEX) · 92 (WISE) · 93 (NuSTAR) · 94 (IRIS) · 95 (NICER) · 96 (TESS)