Photometric calibration and first results obtained with the UFT experiment on board the astron satellite

The UV telescope of 30 cm diameter equipped with a three channel scanner spectrometer aboard the highly eccentric orbit space station “ASTRON” is describedAbsolute calibration of the whole device is performed using spectra of standard stars, of which absolute values were obtained by TDI or IUE experiments. Several photometric controls have been made on the stability of the equipment after one year of operation which demonstrate reliability of some first results obtained by the UFT.The sensitivity curve of the spectrophotometric system has been observed with a reproducibility of 2σ = 10% or better.The repeated observation of one star (139 Tau) indicates that the overall performance exhibits the same quality after one year in orbit. The low resolution mode ($\text{Δ λ = 28}\text{A}\text{?}$) leads to a powerful new investigation of faint extended sources.     

Evidence of a hot population in the SMC/LMC bridge detected by the very wide field camera of spacelab-1

Deep 66° field photographs of the sky have been taken by the SL - 1 Very Wide Field Camera (experiment 1-ES-022) at 1650, 1930 and 2530 Å, with a limiting magnitude of 9.3 at 1930 Å. A 1,2 × 2,4Kpc ultraviolet extension of the Shapley's wing of the small Magellanic Cloud is revealed.     

Wide field ultraviolet observations of Comet Halley with the FAUST Spacelab I instrument

The wide field (7.5°), arc minute imaging, and spectroscopic capabilities of the Far Ultraviolet FAUST telescope which will be flown on Spacelab I can provide valuable information on Comet Halley. The use of the FAUST instrument in obtaining images of the hydrogen coma at 1216 Å, and in obtaining objective grating spectroscopy from 1300–3300 Å of the comet and tail, are described. The FAUST images would provide large field of view data that are required for model calculations of gas production rates and the determination of scale lengths and lifetimes of ion species.     

Astrophysical and geophysical observations with piramig/salyut 7 experiment

The facility offered by the Salyut 7 vehicle has allowed teams of scientists of 3 CNRS french laboratories to develop an instrument optimized for several disciplines in astrophysics and geophysics. P.I.R.A.M.I.G. (Photography Infra-Red Atmosphere, Interplanetary Medium, Galaxies) is a wide field (10° and 40°) camera devoted to high sensitivity photographic photometry. The spectral range is limited to the visible and near-infrared (400–850 nm), the main advantage being to observe above the absorving and emitting layers of the atmosphere.