NASA's program for observing supernova 1987A

Conference · Sun Sep 25 04:00:00 EDT 1988 · AIP Conf. Proc.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6921431

Bunner, A N

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has initiated a program of balloon and sounding rocket campaigns from the southern hemisphere to study the anticipated gamma-ray, X-ray and ultraviolet emission from the supernova in the Large Magellanic Cloud. These campaigns will continue to be supported over the period during which the flux remains observable, with present plans extending through early 1989. Emphasis in the selection of payloads has been in spectroscopy, with Germanium detectors receiving a high priority among gamma-ray balloon instruments. It is expected that narrow-line sensitivities near 10/sup -4/ photons/cm/sup 2/ sec at the 847 keV line of /sup 56/Co will soon be available. In addition to high resolution spectrometers, other balloon payloads being flown to observe SN 1987A include large area NaI imaging and spectrometry instruments and a double scatter Compton telescope. While NASA's program includes observations at radio, infrared, ultraviolet, x-ray and gamma-ray wavelengths, this paper concentrates on high energy observations.

• Research Organization: NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546
• OSTI ID: 6921431
• Report Number(s): CONF-871245-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: AIP Conf. Proc.; (United States) Journal Volume: 170:1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640101 -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Cosmic Radiation
640102* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
AIRCRAFT
AIRSHIPS
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
BALLOONS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-PLUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
COBALT 56
COBALT 57
COBALT ISOTOPES
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DECAY
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
ERUPTIVE VARIABLE STARS
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EXPERIMENT PLANNING
GALAXIES
GAMMA SPECTRA
GAMMA SPECTROSCOPY
GE SEMICONDUCTOR DETECTORS
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MAGELLANIC CLOUDS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
NASA
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEI
NUCLEOSYNTHESIS
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
PLANNING
RADIATION DETECTORS
RADIOISOTOPES
ROCKETS
SEMICONDUCTOR DETECTORS
SODIUM 22
SODIUM ISOTOPES
SPACE SHUTTLES
SPACE VEHICLES
SPECTRA
SPECTROSCOPY
STARS
SUPERNOVAE
SYNTHESIS
TITANIUM 44
TITANIUM ISOTOPES
ULTRAVIOLET SPECTRA
US ORGANIZATIONS
VARIABLE STARS
VEHICLES
X-RAY SPECTRA
X-RAY SPECTROSCOPY
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES