NSSDCA ID: 1974-077A-01
Mission Name: Ariel 5This experiment combined the function of observing X rays in different energy ranges with that of star tracking. The experiment contained a rotation collimator, utilizing the satellite spin, behind which there were three detectors. The field of view was a cone with a half-angle of 10 deg to 20 deg, depending on the type of radiation viewed by the different detectors. The three detectors functioned as follows: (1) a visible-light photomultiplier enabled the spin axis to be accurately determined by viewing the background of optical stars; (2) an array of channel electron multipliers, with selectable filters, covered the wavelength range 0.3 to 6 keV; (3) a group of proportional counters covered the range 2.5 to 30 keV. It was estimated that source positions could be determined to within 2 arc min for bright sources.
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Name | Role | Original Affiliation | |
---|---|---|---|
Mr. P. W. Sanford | Other Investigator | University College, London | |
Prof. A. Peter Willmore | Other Investigator | University of Birmingham | apw@star.sr.bham.ac.uk |
Sir Robert L. F. Boyd | Principal Investigator | University College, London |