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Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer

Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer
RXTE 3D Model
Artist impression of RXTE telescope
Names RXTE
XTE
Explorer 69
Mission type Astronomy
Operator NASA
COSPAR ID 1995-074A
SATCAT no. 23757
Website RXTE home page
Mission duration 16 years, 6 days
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer GSFC
MIT (All-Sky Monitor)
Launch mass 3,200 kg (7,100 lb)
Power 800 W
Start of mission
Launch date 13:48, December 30, 1995 (1995-12-30T13:48)
Rocket Delta II 7920
Launch site Cape Canaveral SLC-17A
End of mission
Disposal decommissioned
Deactivated January 5, 2012 (2012-01-05)
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Low Earth
Semi-major axis 6,753 km (4,196 mi)
Eccentricity 0.0002672
Perigee 380.9 km (236.7 mi)
Apogee 384.5 km (238.9 mi)
Inclination 22.9842 degrees
Period 92.1 minutes
RAAN 221.8627 degrees
Argument of perigee 256.7652 degrees
Mean anomaly 103.2545 degrees
Mean motion 14.04728277 rev/day
Epoch 27 April 2016, 10:21:58 UTC
Revolution no. 13218
Main telescope
Type Proportional counter
Scintillator (HEXTE)
Wavelengths 2–250 keV (X-ray)
Instruments
ASM All Sky Monitor (2-12 keV)
PCA Proportional Counter Array (2-60 keV)
HEXTE High-Energy X-ray Timing Experiment (15-250 keV)
← IMP-8
ACE →

The Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) is a satellite that observed the time variation of astronomical X-ray sources, named after Bruno Rossi. The RXTE has three instruments—an All Sky Monitor, the Proportional Counter Array, and the High-Energy X-ray Timing Experiment (HEXTE). The RXTE observed X-rays from black holes, neutron stars, X-ray pulsars and X-ray bursts. It was funded as part of the Explorer program, and is sometimes also called Explorer 69.

RXTE was launched from Cape Canaveral on 30 December 1995 on a Delta rocket, has an International Designator of 1995-074A and a mass of 3200 kg.

Observations from the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer have been used as evidence for the existence of the frame-dragging effect predicted by the theory of general relativity. RXTE results have, as of late 2007, been used in more than 1400 scientific papers.

In January 2006, it was announced that Rossi had been used to locate a candidate intermediate-mass black hole named M82 X-1. In February 2006, data from RXTE was used to prove that the diffuse background X-ray glow in our galaxy comes from innumerable, previously undetected white dwarfs and from other stars' coronae. In April 2008, RXTE data was used to infer the size of the smallest known black hole.

RXTE ceased science operations on 3 January 2012.

NASA scientists said that the decommissioned RXTE would re-enter the Earth's atmosphere "between 2014 and 2023".

The ASM consists of three wide-angle shadow cameras equipped with proportional counters with a total collecting area of 90 square cm. The instrumental properties were:

It was built by the CSR at MIT. The principal investigator was Dr. Hale Bradt.


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