Английская Википедия:Astron (spacecraft)
Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:Infobox spaceflight
Astron was a Soviet space telescope launched on 23 March 1983 at 12:45:06 UTC, using the Proton launcher.[1] Based on the 4MV spacecraft design and operational for six years, Astron was the largest ultraviolet space telescope of its time.
The project was headed by Alexandr Boyarchuk.[2][3] The spacecraft was designed and constructed by the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory and NPO Lavochkin. A group of scientists from these institutions was awarded the USSR State Prize for their work.[4]
The payload consisted of an 80 cm ultraviolet telescope, which was jointly designed by the USSR and France, and an X-ray spectroscope.[5] It could take UV spectra 150-350 nm.[6]
Placed into an orbit with an apogee of Шаблон:Convert, Astron was capable of making observations outside the Earth's umbra and radiation belt.
Among the most important observations made by Astron were those of SN 1987A supernova from March 4 to March 12, 1987,[7] and of Halley's Comet in December 1985, the latter of which enabled a group of Soviet scientists to develop a model of the comet's coma.[8]
Operation of the observatory ended on 23 March 1991.[9]
See also
- Granat - a later space observatory based on the Venera spacecraft bus
References
Шаблон:Space observatories Шаблон:Russian space program Шаблон:Orbital launches in 1983
Шаблон:USSR-spacecraft-stub
Шаблон:Observatory-stub
