Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory
CGRO deployed in 1991
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| Mission type | Astronomy |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1991-027B |
| SATCAT № | 21225 |
| Website | cossc |
| Mission duration | 9 years, 2 months |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | TRW Inc. |
| Launch mass | 17,000 kilograms (37,000 lb) |
| Power | 2.000 Watts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 5 April 1991, 14:22:45 UTC |
| Rocket |
Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-37 |
| Launch site | Kennedy LC-39B |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 4 June 2000, 23:29:55 UTC |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Eccentricity | 0.006998 |
| Perigee | 237 kilometres (147 mi) |
| Apogee | 768 kilometres (477 mi) |
| Inclination | 28.4610 degrees |
| Period | 91.59 minutes |
| RAAN | 68.6827 degrees |
| Main Telescopes (Four) | |
| Type | Scintillation detectors |
| Focal length | Varied by instrument |
| Collecting area | Varied by instrument |
| Wavelengths | X-ray to γ-ray, 20 keV – 30 GeV (40 pm – 60 am) |
| Instruments | |
| BATSE, OSSE, COMPTEL, EGRET | |
The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) was a space observatory detecting light from 20 keV to 30 GeV in Earth orbit from 1991 to 2000. It featured four main telescopes in one spacecraft, covering X-rays and gamma rays, including various specialized sub-instruments and detectors. Following 14 years of effort, the observatory was launched from Space Shuttle Atlantis during STS-37 on April 5, 1991, and operated until its deorbit on June 4, 2000. It was deployed in low earth orbit at 450 km (280 mi) to avoid the Van Allen radiation belt. It was the heaviest astrophysical payload ever flown at that time at 17,000 kilograms (37,000 lb).
Costing $617 million, the CGRO was part of NASA's "Great Observatories" series, along with the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the Spitzer Space Telescope. It was the second of the series to be launched into space, following the Hubble Space Telescope. CGRO was named after Arthur Holly Compton (Washington University in St. Louis), Nobel prize winner, for work involved with gamma ray physics. CGRO was built by TRW (now Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems) in Redondo Beach, California. CGRO was an international collaboration and additional contributions came from the European Space Agency and various universities, as well as the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.
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