Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer

Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE)
The EUVE spacecraft
Names Explorer 67
Mission type Ultraviolet astronomy
Operator NASA
COSPAR ID 1992-031A
SATCAT no. 21987
Website ssl.berkeley.edu/euve
Mission duration 9 years
Spacecraft properties
Bus Multimission Modular Spacecraft
Manufacturer UC Berkeley SSL
Dry mass 3,275 kilograms (7,220 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date June 7, 1992, 16:40:00 (1992-06-07UTC16:40Z) UTC
Rocket Delta 6920-X[1]
Launch site Cape Canaveral LC-17A[1]
End of mission
Disposal deactivated
Deactivated 31 January 2001 (2001-02-01)
Decay date 30 January 2002
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Low Earth
Eccentricity 0.01152
Perigee 515 kilometers (320 mi)
Apogee 527 kilometers (327 mi)
Inclination 28.4 degrees
Period 94.8 minutes
Epoch 11 July 1992[2]
Main telescope
Type Wolter telescope
Wavelengths Ultraviolet (7-76 nm)

The Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) was a space telescope for ultraviolet astronomy, launched on June 7, 1992. With instruments for ultraviolet (UV) radiation between wavelengths of 7 and 76 nm, the EUVE was the first satellite mission especially for the short-wave ultraviolet range. The satellite compiled an all-sky survey of 801 astronomical targets before being decommissioned on January 31, 2001. It re-entered the atmosphere on January 30, 2002.[3]

Mission goals

The goals of the mission included several different areas of observation using the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) range of frequencies:

  • To make an all-sky survey in the extreme ultraviolet band
  • To make a deep survey in the EUV range on two separate bandpasses
  • To make spectroscopic observations of targets found by other missions
  • To observe EUV sources such as hot white dwarfs and coronal stars
  • To study the composition of the interstellar medium using EUV spectroscopy
  • To determine whether it would be beneficial to create another, more sensitive EUV telescope

Payload instruments

NASA describe these:[4]

  • 2 Wolter-Schwarzschild Type I grazing incidence mirror, each with an imaging microchannel plate (MCP detector) (Scanner A & B) FOV ~5° diameter; two passbands 44-220 Å 140-360 Å
  • 1 Wolter-Schwarzschild Type II grazing incidence mirror, with an imaging microchannel plate (MCP detector) FOV ~4° diameter; two passbands 520-750 Å 400-600 Å
  • 1 Wolter-Schwarzschild Type II grazing incidence mirror Deep Survey/Spectrometer Telescope. The light is split, with half of the light fed to:
    • An imaging Deep Survey MCP detector, and
    • Three Spectrometers which are each combinations of a grating and MCP detector: SW (70-190 Å) MW (140-380 Å) LW (280-760 Å).
The Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer Spacecraft prior to launch

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "EUVE". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on May 22, 2013. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  2. ↑ McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
  3. ↑ "EUVE spacecraft re-enters Earth's atmosphere" (Press release). NASA. January 31, 2002.
  4. ↑ http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/euve/euve.html
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