Rocket and laboratory studies in astronomy

Abstract

This report covers the period from September 1, 1992 to August 31, 1993. During the reporting period we launched the Faint Object Telescope to measure absolute fluxes of two hot dwarf stars in the spectral range below 1200 A. Although all systems worked normally, a higher than anticipated pressure in the detector led to ion-feedback that masked the useable data from the source. We have identified the source of the problem and are preparing for a reflight in the Fall of 1993. Our laboratory program for the evaluation of the ultraviolet performance of charge-coupled-detector (CCD) arrays continued with the aim of including a UV-sensitive CCD in a payload to be flown in 1994, and we have begun the assembly of this payload. Work has continued on the analysis of data from previous rocket experiments and from the UVX experiment which flew on STS-61C in January 1986.