NSSDCA ID: 1973-027A-07
Mission Name: SkylabThis experiment consisted of two instruments: an X-ray event analyzer (XREA) consisting of two proportional counters with pulse-height analyzers and associated data processing and telemetry equipment, and an X-ray telescope assembly consisting of a Wolter type-1 glancing incidence X-ray telescope and a camera assembly, which included a six-position filter wheel, a shutter, and a replaceable film magazine. One XREA proportional counter was equipped with a beryllium window, and the other was equipped with an aluminum window. Neither counter was collimated, and both viewed the full sun. A four-position aperture wheel was fitted in front of each counter to increase the dynamic range. The beryllium counter had six pulse-height analyzer channels and covered the passband from 2.5 to 7.25 A with a spectral resolution of about 0.5 A. The aluminum counter had four pulse-height analyzer channels and covered the passband from 6.1 to 20 A with about 4 A spectral resolution. The XREA had a temporal resolution of 2.5 s. The filter wheel on the X-ray telescope contained five thin metallic filters, which isolated five broad wavelength bands in the soft X-ray spectrum, and a sixth filter, which yielded an overexposed image in the visible spectrum. The filters were normally changed after each exposure. The X-ray telescope could be operated only during the manned missions. Several operating modes were available with three sets of exposure times (short, normal, and long). In the patrol mode, the camera cycled through each filter for a total of six frames. The active modes were used for studying bright regions that were evolving rapidly, and only three filters were used. An automatic mode was used for flares or other transient phenomena, and a single frame mode allowed a particular filter to be selected for a single photograph. A super long mode allowed exposures of arbitrary length to be made. Over 27,000 filter-heliograms were made during the Skylab mission (four rolls of black-and-white film and one roll of color film were exposed). For more details, see J. H. Underwood et al., App. Opt., v. 16, p. 858, 1977.
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Name | Role | Original Affiliation | |
---|---|---|---|
Dr. James H. Underwood | Principal Investigator | Aerospace Corporation | |
Dr. Einar A. Tandberg-Hanssen | Principal Investigator | NASA Marshall Space Flight Center |