Einstein Observatory
Einstein Observatory
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| Mission type | Astronomy |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1978-103A |
| SATCAT no. | 11101 |
| Website | Einstein Observatory at NASA.gov |
| Mission duration | 4 years |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | TRW |
| Dry mass | 3,130 kilograms (6,900 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 13 November 1978, 05:24 UTC |
| Rocket | Atlas SLV-3D Centaur-D1AR |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral LC-36B |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | 17 April 1981 |
| Decay date | 26 May 1982 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee | 465 kilometres (289 mi) |
| Apogee | 476 kilometres (296 mi) |
| Inclination | 23.5° |
| Period | 94.0 minutes |
| Epoch | 13 November, 1978 05:24:00 UTC |
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.
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.
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:
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:
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