Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer

Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE)

The EUVE spacecraft
Names	Explorer 67
Mission type	Ultraviolet astronomy
Operator	NASA
COSPAR ID	1992-031A
SATCAT №	21987
Website	ssl.berkeley.edu/euve
Mission duration	9 years
Spacecraft properties
Bus	Multimission Modular Spacecraft
Manufacturer	Berkley University SSL
Dry mass	3,275 kilograms (7,220 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	June 7, 1992, 16:40:00 UTC
Rocket	Delta 6920-X[1]
Launch site	Cape Canaveral LC-17A[1]
End of mission
Disposal	deactivated
Deactivated	31 January 2001
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)
Explorers program ← COBE SAMPEX →

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

The Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer Spacecraft prior to launch

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 the other half to ]
  • Three Spectrometers which are each combinations of a grating and MCP detector: SW (70-190 Å) MW (140-380 Å) LW (280-760 Å).

See also

• 1992 in spaceflight

References

1. "EUVE". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 18 July 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

External links

• National Space Science Data Center site on EUVE
• EUVE page at Space Sciences Lab (links to science highlights and publications)
• EUVE page at NASA-GSFC
• EUVE page at NASA-STScI (MAST) (has stellar map of EUVE observations)