International Ultraviolet Explorer
International Ultraviolet Explorer
Space MissionsTHIS IS A PROTOARTICLE UNDER CONSTRUCTION. FURTHER DEVELOPMENT IS ENCOURAGED.
Introduction
The International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) performed spectrophotometry at high (0.1-0.3 Å) and low (6-7 Å) resolution between 1150 Å and 3200 Å. The data cover a dynamic range of approximately 17 astronomical magnitudes: -2 to 10 for high dispersion; -2 and 14.9 for low dispersion. Over 104,000 ultraviolet spectra were obtained with IUE between January 26, 1978, and September 30, 1996.
The IUE contained a 45-cm telescope solely for spectroscopy in the wavelength range o 1150 to 3250 A. The satellite and optical instrumentation were provided by the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). The television cameras, used as detectors, were provided by the United Kingdom Science Engineering Research Council (SERC, formerly UKSRC). The European Space Agency (ESA, formerly ESRO) supplied solar paddles for the satellite and a European Control Center. After launch, two-thirds of the observing time was directed from a control center at GSFC; one-third of the time the satellite was operated from the European Control Center near Madrid. The IUE observatory was in a quasi-synchronous orbit.
The 45 cm Ritchey-Chretien f/15 telescope fed a spectrograph package. The spectrograph package, using secondary electron conduction (SEC) Vidicon cameras as detectors, covered the spectral range from 1150 to 3250 A, operating in either a high- or low-resolution mode with resolutions of approximately 0.1 and 6 A, respectively. The SEC Vidicons could integrate the signal for up to many hours. At high resolution, spectra of stellar sources were obtained as faint as 12th magnitude, while at lower resolution, observations had been made of sources fainter than 17th magnitude. The latter observations required 14 hours of integration time.
IUE was shut down at 18:42 UT, 30 September 1996.
Schematic of the International Ultraviolet Explorer.
Schematic of the International Ultraviolet Explorer.
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"Goddard's International Ultraviolet Explorer" was one of the most successful satellites in NASA's history. Designed for a 5-year mission, it was a facility used by thousands of astronomers for nearly 19 years.
Citation
Haisch, Bernard, Ph.D. (Contributing Author); Bernard Haisch (Topic Editor). 2008. "International Ultraviolet Explorer." In: Encyclopedia of the Cosmos. Eds. Bernard Haisch and Joakim F. Lindblom (Redwood City, CA: Digital Universe Foundation). [First published November 25, 2007].
<http://www.cosmosportal.org/articles/view/135756/>
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