A Far Infrared Photometer (FIRP) for the Infrared Telescope in Space (IRTS)

We describe the design and calibration of the Far-Infrared Photometer (FIRP), one of four focal plane instruments on the Infrared Telescope in Space (IRTS). The FIRP will provide absolute photometry in four bands centered at 150, 250, 400, and 700 μm with spectral resolution λ/Δλ ≈ 3 and spatial resolution ΔΘ = 0.5 degrees. High sensitivity is achieved by using bolometric detectors operated at 300 mK in an AC bridge circuit. The closed-cycle ³He refrigerator can be recycled in orbit. A 2 K shutter provides a zero reference for each field of view. More than 10% of the sky will be surveyed during the ≈3 week mission lifetime with a sensitivity of <10⁻¹³ W·cm⁻²·sr⁻¹ per 0.5 degree pixel.     

FIRST — Far Infrared and Submillimetre Space Telescope

The present status of the ESA cornerstone mission FIRST is presented. A recent industrial study has generated a spacecraft concept employing a 4.5 m passively cooled telescope with focal plane instrument cooling provided by a superfluid helium cryostat. The model payload complement includes two direct detection instruments as well as two heterodyne instruments. After a shared launch by Ariane 5 into GTO, FIRST propels itself into the 24-hour highly eccentric operational orbit, where observations can be conducted up to 17 hours per day with an expected approximate mission duration of 3 years. An additional complementary study of a non-cryostat spacecraft option will also be performed.     

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)

The James Webb Space Telescope is a 6.5 m, infrared space telescope designed to be launched in 2013 aboard an Ariane 5. The JWST program is a cooperative program with the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) managing the project for NASA. The prime contractor for JWST is Northrop Grumman Space Technology (NGST). JWST’s international partners are the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). JWST will address four major science themes: end of the dark ages: first light and reionization; the assembly of galaxies, the birth of stars and protoplanetary systems; and the formation of planetary systems and the origins of life. We discuss the design of the observatory and review recent progress on the JWST program.     

Results from the Energetic Gamma-Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) on the Compton Observatory

The Energetic Gamma-Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory covers the high energy gamma ray energy range, approximately 30 MeV to 30 GeV, with a sensitivity considerably greater than earlier high energy gamma-ray satellites. Thus far, 4 pulsars have been detected and their properties measured, including in 3 cases the energy spectrum as a function of phase. The details of the galactic plane are being mapped and a spectra of the center region has been obtained in good agreement with that expected from cosmic ray interactions. The Magellanic clouds have been examined with the Large Magellanic Cloud having been detected at a level consistent with it having a cosmic ray density compatible with quasi-stable equilibrium. Sixteen Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN's) have been seen thus far with a high degree of certainty including 12 quasars and 4 BL Lac objects, but no Seyferts. Time variation has been detected in some of these AGN's.     

Observations of stars with the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope

The Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT) was flown aboard the space shuttle Columbia as part of the Astro-1 mission during December 1990. During the nine-day flight, HUT carried out 3 Å resolution spectrophotometry of a wide variety of astronomical objects, including a number of stellar targets, in the 912–1860 Å range of the far ultraviolet. A few nearby stars were observed in the 415–912 Å range of the extreme ultraviolet as well. For nearly all of these targets, the spectra obtained by HUT are the first ever obtained in the spectroscopically rich region between Lyman (1216 Å) and the Lyman limit (912 Å). Here, we present highlights of the results obtained by HUT in a variety of areas of stellar astronomy.     

Infrared astronomy on the Hubble Space Telescope

The Hubble Space Telescope offers enormous advantages to infrared astronomy in certain situations. The advantages of being above the atmosphere include an increase in spatial resolution, a much wider range of wavelengths available, and lower background radiation. Compared to proposed cooled telescopes, HST offers higher spatial resolution and increased collecting area. HST is particularly well suited to observations at wavelengths less than ～5 μm, where the diffraction limit is less than the seeing limit from the ground and thermal emission does not seriously compromise the sensitivity of the detectors. HST is also favorable for observations requiring high spectral resolution at all wavelengths not accessible from the ground.     

Status of the Hubble Space Telescope observatory

The Hubble Space Telescope activity by NASA and ESA began in 1971 and is now nearing completion. The Scientific Instruments are complete and their performance confirmed. The Optical Telescope Assembly integration is proceeding well, with the crucial Fine Guidance Sensors expected to perform as designed. Telescope delivery to the spacecraft contractor is expected in December 1984. Completion of the Verification and Assembly Program will then be followed by launch in the summer of 1986.     

Development of the Infrared Telescope in Space: IRTS

Infrared Telescope in Space (IRTS) is a cryogenically cooled small infrared telescope aboard the small space platform, SFU (Space Flyer Unit). IRTS has a telescope of 15 cm diameter, which is rather small compared with other big space missions. IRTS, however, is optimized to observe extended diffuse sources with four focal plane instruments which have wide wavelength coverage from the near infrared to the submillimeter region.

All instruments have been calibrated with a test cryostat, and integrated into the flight cryostat. Cooling tests of the whole IRTS system have confirmed that instruments and cryostat will perform as expected. Integration of the IRTS on the SFU will soon begin and the ground tests of the SFU system will be conducted in the coming year.

The launch of the SFU will be in early 1995. The IRTS will survey the 10% of the sky during the three week mission and provide significant scientific results on cosmology, galactic structure, interstellar matter, stars, and solar system.     

Space Telescope observations of aurorae on the giant planets

For the distant giant planets, Uranus and Neptune, the observation of aurorae may be the best astronomical technique for the detection of planetary magnetic fields, with implications for the structure and composition of their interiors. Aurorae may be detected by emssion of H I Ly α (1216 Å) and by H₂ bands near 1600 Å. The latter are important for very faint aurorae because there is essentially no planetary, interplanetary or geocoronal scattering of sunlight to contaminate the signal. For Uranus, present IUE results suggest the presence of a strong aurora at Ly α, but the background and instrument noise levels are very high compared to the apparent signal. At 1600 Å, the IUE instrument noise renders the H₂ emission bands on Uranus marginal at best. No aurora has yet been observed on Neptune. For Jupiter, where the existence and general characteristics of the magnetic field are well established, there is disagreement between ground-based infrared and space-borne ultraviolet observations of the location of the aurorae. For all four giant planets, Space Telescope can improve upon the quality of current optical observations. For spectroscopy, the low resolution mode of the High Resolution Spectrograph (HRS) is particularly well suited to auroral observations because of its spectral range, adequate resolution and high sensitivity. For ultraviolet imaging through appropriate filters, the ST spatial resolution, expected to be of order 5 hundredths of an arc second, is also well suited to determine the spatial properties of the aurorae.     

Science at the performance limits of the Hubble Space Telescope

As with any large telescope on the ground, HST will often be used at the limits of its performance capabilities. The actual performance will only be determined once HST is i n orbit, but detailed modeling based on mirror, structure, and control system characteristics gives a reasonable assessment of the expected performance. The purpose of this paper is to present (1) selected image characteristics expected for HST, (2) performance limits for selected instrument characteristics, and (3) examples of observations for which the performance limits are approached. Among the image features noted are point spread functions, encircled energy curves, and image diameters for selected wavelengths. Performance limits discussed include expected limiting magnitude and resolution of close point sources as a function of wavelength, each for selected camera focal ratios and pixel dimensions. Examples of observations discussed include a binary in which one component is faint and the detectability of a single luminous star at large distances.     

Hard X-Ray Modulation Telescope(HXMT) Mission

The HXMT mission concept consists of a slat-collimated hard X-ray detector assembly sensitive in 20～250 keV with a collection area of about 5000 cm2. Based on the reconstruction technique by direct demodulation developed in recent years, HXMT is mainly devoted to performing a hard X-ray all-sky imaging survey with both high sensitivity and high spatial resolution. It can also be used to make pointed observations of X-ray sources to study their spectroscopic and temporal properties in details. The main detector of HXMT consists of 18 individual cylindrical NaI(T1)/CsI(Na) phoswich modules, each with anarea of 283.5 cm2 and a field of view of 5.7°× 1.1° (FWHM). Its spatial resolution and position accuracy are 5′ and 1′ by using the direct demodulation in 1994, and in 2000 its feasibility and technical demonstration study was selected as a project under the Major State Basic Research Program of China. In October 2005, this project entered the full design phase and was listed as a candidate for the first dedicated astronomy satellite around 2010. We are now also considering secondary low energy instruments for this satellite.     

HIRDES – The High-Resolution Double-Echelle Spectrograph for the World Space Observatory Ultraviolet (WSO/UV)

The World Space Observatory Ultraviolet (WSO/UV) is a multi-national project grown out of the needs of the astronomical community to have future access to the UV range. WSO/UV consists of a single UV telescope with a primary mirror of 1.7 m diameter feeding the UV spectrometer and UV imagers. The spectrometer comprises three different spectrographs, two high-resolution echelle spectrographs (the High-Resolution Double-Echelle Spectrograph, HIRDES) and a low-dispersion long-slit instrument. Within HIRDES the 102–310 nm spectral band is split to feed two echelle spectrographs covering the UV range 174–310 nm and the vacuum-UV range 102–176 nm with high spectral resolution (R > 50,000). The technical concept is based on the heritage of two previous ORFEUS SPAS missions. The phase-B1 development activities are described in this paper considering performance aspects, design drivers, related trade-offs (mechanical concepts, material selection etc.) and a critical functional and environmental test verification approach. The current state of other WSO/UV scientific instruments (imagers) is also described.     

Ultraviolet emissions from the upper atmospheres of the planets

A large number of atoms and molecules have strong emission lines in the vacuum ultraviolet. As a result, this spectral region is particularly suited to studying the upper atmospheres of the planets. The observed emissions not only identify the constituents, but also provide information on the solar and magnetospheric excitation processes. Long term monitoring of these emissions, particularly with modest spatial resolution, can elucidate the effects of variations in the solar input as well as changes in magnetospheric conditions. Also, earth orbiting telescopes generally provide better spectral resolution than is available on flyby vehicles. A modest beginning in planetary upper atmospheric studies from earth orbit has been made using orbiting observatories designed primarily for stellar astronomy. As examples of the power of this technique, some recent results will be reviewed with an emphasis on Jupiter and the Io torus. The unusual scheduling requirements and the effects of scattered intense long wavelength radiation put demands on orbiting planetary observatories which are somewhat different from those of stellar astronomy. The implications of these demands for continued advances in this area are discussed.     

Ultraviolet images of galaxies from the Optical Monitor on XMM-Newton

A large number of galaxies, both normal and active, have been observed in ultraviolet light by the Optical Monitor on XMM-Newton. These are some of the deepest wide-field ultraviolet images of these galaxies yet obtained, and in many cases the first collected in this waveband. We present images of five active galaxies, and discuss the potential uses of the ultraviolet surface brightness distribution and morphology, in association with X-ray data, for Active Galactic Nuclei, star formation and galaxy evolution studies.     

Hard X-ray continuum from lunar surface: Results from High Energy X-ray spectrometer (HEX) onboard Chandrayaan-1

The High Energy X-ray spectrometer (HEX) on Chandrayaan-1 was designed to study the photon emission in the range of 30–270 keV from naturally occurring radioactive decay of ²³⁸U and ²³²Th series nuclides from the lunar surface. The primary objective of HEX was to study the transport of volatiles on the lunar surface using radon as a tracer and mapping the 46.5 keV line from ²¹⁰Pb, a decay product of ²²²Rn. HEX was tested for two days during the commissioning phase of Chandrayaan-1 and performance of all sub systems was found to be as expected. HEX started collecting science data during the first non-prime imaging season (February–April, 2009) of Chandrayaan-1. Certain anomalies persisted in this data set and the early curtailment of Chandrayaan-1 mission in August, 2009, did not allow any further operation of HEX. Despite these issues, HEX provided the first data set for 30–270 keV continuum emission, averaged over a significant portion of the lunar surface, including the polar region.     

Results from the RXTE All-Sky Monitor

Selected results from the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer All-Sky Monitor are presented to illustrate the phenomenology of the light curves. The sensitivity to periodic intensity variations is indicated by the folded light curve of AM Her. The gray line between transient and persistent sources is emphasized. Light curves of a range of systems comprising black holes or neutron stars and low and high mass companion stars show that the behavior of these systems is often, but not always, characteristic.     

Results from the transition region camera

Three series of high resolution ultra-violet pictures of the Sun have been obtained during the three flights of rocket experiment T.R.C. (Transition Region Camera) which took place on 3 July 1979, 23 September 1980 and 13 July 1982. These pictures reveal many structures in Ly alpha and ultraviolet continua at 160 nm and 220 nm. The scientific objectives, instrumentation, flight conditions and campaigns of simultaneous observations are described.The contribution of T.R.C. to solar physics is discussed in the framework of chromospheric multicomponent models, magnetic flux tubes, local heating and periodic structures in the chromosphere.     

The United Nations Basic Space Science Initiative (UNBSSI)

Since 1991 the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs has been conducting a series of workshops on basic space science under its United Nations Programme on Space Applications. Up to 2004 the workshops focussed on capacity building efforts in basic space science, in particular for the benefit of developing countries. From 2005 onwards the workshops and their related activities contributed to the celebration of the International Heliophysical Year 2007. Together these activities and workshops constitute the United Nations Basic Space Science Initiative of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs. This paper reflects on the achievements and outcomes of the Initiative and informs about considerations for its future evolution.     

China''s National Space Science Programs(2006-2010)

1 Introduction Looking back to the 20th century, the science and technology have never influenced and changed all aspects of the people's lives as profoundly as they do today. With the birth of space technology in late 1950s, space science emerged accompanying the space activities as a unique comprehensive discipline. Mankind started exploring various natural phenomenon and their laws in space by use of innovative spacecraft to reveal the mysteries of the universe. The space science research provides theoretical basis for mankind to understand the universe and develop application technologies, and drives the development of high and new technologies.