A small solar X-ray flare on August 17, 1966
Solar x-ray flare of 17 August 1966, describing rocket-borne instruments and measurements
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Solar x-ray flare of 17 August 1966, describing rocket-borne instruments and measurements
Source distributions of UV and X-ray emission in corona and chromosphere determined from flight of spacecraft-borne instruments into Earth shadow
The all-sky, X-ray measurements are made in five broad energy bands from 0.5 to 60 keV with X-ray collimators of one and three degree FWHM response. Working with the onboard star sensor source locations may be determined to a precision of plus or minus 0.1 deg. The experiment is located in wheel compartment number three of the spacecraft. A time division logic system divides each wheel rotation into 256 data bins in each of which X-ray counts are accumulated over a 190 second interval. Measurement chain circuits include provision for both geometric and risetime anticoincidence. A detailed description of the instrument is included as is pertinent operating information.
Freedom from inertia, erosion of electrodes, and reaction make the leakage current particularly appropriate for the measurement of flow velocities in gases. Apparatus previously described has now been improved by reducing the size of the electrodes by one -thousandth, as is necessary aerodynamically, and by increasing the magnitude of the current from 1000 to 10,000 times; the latter result was obtained.by use of mercury high-pressure lamps set up at the one focal point of an ellipsoidal reflector with the cathodes arranged at the other focal point or by use of suitable X-ray radiation. Families of calibration curves were taken with a number of vivid tests conditions of the greatest variety and the operating properties of the instrument were widely elucidated by calculation of the sensitivity to fluctuation; this was done at first for operation at stationary conditions only; due to the freedom from inertia the instationary conditions were thus also given. Accordingly, the leakage current anemometer ought to be appropriate for investigations of turbulence,
An experiment designed to measure energetic X-rays, electrons, protons and alpha particles from solar flares aboard OGO 5 is reported. A brief statement of the objectives of the experiment is followed by a description of the instrumentation including detector characteristics and associated electronics. The data handling system is then described and the operational history of the experiment is discussed. This is followed by a description of the format of the magnetic data tapes and a summary of the major computer processing programs. The measurements made with this experiment within the first year of its operation have led to several basic results regarding the role of non-thermal electrons in the physics of solar flares. These results are described in the papers listed in the bibliography given at the end of this report.
In this paper we describe an experiment designed to measure solar and celestial X-rays in the energy range between 15 to 250 keV. The experiment was flown on the fifth Orbiting Solar Observatory which was launched on Jan. 22, 1969. Up to the time of this writing the instrument continues to operate satisfactorily.
Location of X-ray source Sco X-1 determined by instrumented payload flown on stabilized Aerobee rocket
High energy astrophysical observations will be conducted primarily from the Small Astronomy Satellites (SAS) and the High Energy Astronomy Observatories (HEAO). The first satellite (SAS A) will carry a set of collimated proportional counters to conduct a high sensitivity, high spatial resolution, all sky survey for X-ray sources. The objective of SAS B will be to search for celestial gamma-ray sources and regions and to measure the flux and energy spectrum of any sources located. A wire grid digitized spark chamber will be the prime detection instrument. The instrumentation of SAS C will consist of modulation collimators, slot collimators, and proportional counters.
Approximately 2 minutes 13 seconds after lift-off of the Apollo 6 mission, abrupt changes of strain, vibration, and acceleration measurements were indicated in the S-IVB, instrument unit, adapter, lunar module, and command and service modules; photographs showed objects coming from the area of the adapter. The adapter, however, continued to sustain the required loads with no impairment of the mission. The investigation was first focused upon the understanding of the coupled vibration modes and characteristics of the launch vehicle and spacecraft.' Extensive test programs were conducted. It was eventually concluded that the adapter failure was not caused by vibration. Extensive study of the airborne photography and other evidence indicated that a large area of the adapter had lost inner facesheet from the honeycomb sandwich panels. Loads and stresses resulting from vibration were determined to be insufficient to initiate such a failure. The investigation was then directed toward determining the range of pressures that could have been trapped in the Apollo 6 adapter sandwich panels, and toward determining the tolerance of the panels to withstand pressure with various degrees of flaws such as adhesive voids and facesheet dents. The degradation effects of moisture and heat exposure on the adhesive strength were also studied and tested. These tests and analyses led to the conclusion that pressure internal to the sandwich panels could have caused the failure, if a large flaw existed. The pressure buildup would have been caused by aerodynamic heating effects on air and moisture trapped in the panel. The probable cause of the failure was found in the original ultrasonic inspection scan record of the affected adapter panel. In the center of the region where the adapter failed, horizontally along the station 709 panel splice, the record contained two thick anomalous lines extending several feet. Without an X-ray record of this region, the significance of this particular scan record cannot be fully understood. However, since all other evidence had indicated that the adhesive had to be weakened in a rather large area to initiate the failure, the investigation was focused intently upon the station 709 splices of other adapters. Sufficient information was developed to verify that deficient assembly techniques have consistently resulted in abnormalities in the structure at this station. These abnormalities were identified in adapters 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16. Before the splice abnormalities were pinpointed, corrective action was taken to reduce pressure "buildup in the honeycomb panels and to reduce heat degrading effects on the adhesive. This was done by drilling vent holes in the inner facesheet and covering the outer facesheet with cork. The adapters having identified abnormalities in the station 709 splice are being repaired, and the contractor is investigating ways of avoiding these -abnormalities in panels yet to be bonded.
Survey of extraterrestrial nonsolar X-radiation by Aerobee rocket measurements
Galactic X ray sources survey at low galactic altitudes from rocket-borne instruments data, obtaining sources location on celestial sphere
X ray astronomy data from rocket- and balloon- borne instruments including sources detection, identification and variability
Measured pulse height spectra for photon spectra and instrumental error reduction
X ray polarization from Sco X-1, noting spurious instrumental polarization due to cosmic ray anisotropy using X ray polarimeter
X and gamma ray astronomy instrumentation, point sources, continuum emission, line spectra, etc
Galactic plane X ray scan by NASA small astronomy satellite Uhuru, discussing satellite instrumentation, detector and sensor sensitivity and preliminary measurements
Satellite-borne anisotropy and energy spectra measurement instruments for cosmic ray electrons and protons and solar and galactic X-rays
Poor energy resolution and the steeply varying continuum spectrum make it impossible to obtain with proportional counters an unambiguous identification of certain emission features of Sco X-1. For this reason a Bragg crystal spectrometer was constructed. The instrument, flown successfully aboard an Aerobee-170 rocket, scanned the spectral range from 2.4 to 2.9 keV. The spectrometer consists of two large reflecting crystals of synthetic graphite. The results obtained during the flight of the instrument clearly indicate that the Bragg method can yield much higher sensitivity to line emission than can proportional counter methods.