On orbit performance of the ALEXIS EUV telescopes
- and others
The Array of Low Energy X-ray Imaging Sensors (ALEXIS) satellite is Los Alamos` first attempt at building and flying a low cost, rapid development, technology demonstration and scientific space mission. The ALEXIS satellite contains the two experiments: the ALEXIS telescope array, (which consists of six EUV/ultrasoft x-ray telescopes utilizing multilayer mirrors, each with a 33 degree field-of-view), and a VHF ionospheric experiment called Blackbeard. A ground station located at Los Alamos exclusively controls the spacecraft. The 248 pound ALEXIS satellite was launched by a Pegasus booster into a 400 {times} 450 nautical mile, 70 degree inclination orbit on April 25, 1993. Images from a video system on the rocket indicated that ALEXIS had been severely damaged during launch with one of the 4 solar panels breaking away from its mounting. (It later turned out that the solar paddle was still attached to the spacecraft but only through cable bundles.) Attempts at communicating with the satellite were unsuccessful until a surprised ground crew received a short transmission on June 2. By mid July, ground station operators had regained full control of the satellite and began to initiate scientific operations with both the telescope array and the VHF experiment. In this paper we will discuss a preliminary analysis of the on-orbit performance of EUV telescopes on ALEXIS.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 10171580
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-94-2612; CONF-940723-9; ON: DE94016197
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Annual meeting of the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers,San Diego, CA (United States),24-29 Jul 1994; Other Information: PBD: [1994]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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