NSSDCA/COSPAR ID: 1972-046A
Prognoz 2 was placed in a highly elliplical orbit with apogee 200,000 km, perigee 550 km, and inclination 65 degrees. It carried the first instrument package, SIGNE 1, resulting from the Franco-Soviet SIGNE collaboration. This instrument was intended to perform solar radiation studies. However, it detected cosmic gamma-ray bursts as well as solar events. It reentered the earths atmosphere on 15 December 1982.
The SIGNE 1 detector consisted of a Stilbene scintilator, 38.1 mm in diameter and 38.1 mm high. It was shielded by a plastic anticoincidence scintilator. There were 8 energy channels: 0.4-0.7 MeV, 0.7-1.0 MeV, 1-1.6 MeV, 1.6-2.4 MeV, 2.4-2.9 MeV, 2.9-3.9 MeV, 3.9-8.1 Mev, and 8.1-11.8 MeV. Counts were integrated for every 41 or 160 seconds, depending on the experiment mode. The effective area was 17.1 sq-cm.
Launch Date: 1972-06-29
Launch Vehicle: Modified SS-6 (Sapwood) with 2nd Generation Upper Stage + Escape Stage
Launch Site: Tyuratam (Baikonur Cosmodrome), U.S.S.R
Mass: 845 kg
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