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NASA NTRS1972

Terrestrial atmospheric composition from stellar occultations

Stellar ultraviolet light transmitted through the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere of the earth's atmosphere is primarily affected by the photoabsorption processes of ozone and molecular oxygen. The stellar ultraviolet photometers aboard the OAO-2 satellite have measured the intensity changes of several stars during occultation of the star by the earth. The measurements of the relative intensity change in certain atmospheric absorption bands are used to recover the vertical number density profiles of the absorbing species. Using the OAO-2 occultation data, the vertical number density profiles of molecular oxygen in the 100-200 km altitude region and ozone in the 60-100 km altitude region are determined.

Hays, P. B.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Observations of Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn longward of 2000 A

A number of high quality spectra of Mars, Jupiter, the combined disk and rings of Saturn, as well as lower quality spectra of Venus, have been obtained with an objective grating spectrometer of the Wisconsin experiment package on OAO-2. An intercomparison of the Mars, Jupiter and Saturn spectra has failed to disclose any discrete planetary absorptions. Continuous albedos have been derived for the four planets by using OAO-2 observations of G-type stars for wavelengths greater than 2700 A and a new photoelectric solar spectrum for wavelengths smaller than 2700 A. The geometric albedo of Mars shows a steady increase below 3500 A which appears to be due to Rayleigh scattering combined with a decreasing surface reflectivity. The albedos of Venus, Jupiter and Saturn show a maximum in reflectivity in the region of 2500 A.

Wallace, L.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Mg II 2800 A emission in late type stars

The largest body of data on ultraviolet spectra of late-type stars now available is the series of scans made with the long wavelength spectrometer onboard OAO-2. Some features of selected scans from this series and estimates of Mg II emission fluxes were reported earlier. Since that time, the effects of sky background, scattered light and variable instrumental sensitivity have become better understood. Additional stars are used to define more clearly the transition from Mg II 2800 A absorption to emission with advancing spectral type, and additional scans of alpha Sco provide a better estimate of Mg II emission strength for this supergiant in OAO observations.

Doherty, L. R.↗
NASA NTRS1972

The extragalactic component of the ultraviolet sky brightness

The surface brightness of the night sky has been measured at 12 wavelengths in the 1250-4300 A spectral region with the stellar photometers on OAO-2. From observations at high galactic latitudes it is possible to set upper limits on the brightness of the extragalactic sky background at several wavelengths. In the wavelength range 1420-1680 A the extragalactic background is not greater than 1.2 x 10 to the minus eight power cm/2 s/1 ster/1 A/1. Observations of near-by galaxies with OAO-2 are used to predict the background due to extragalactic nebulae. It is shown that instruments which are an order of magnitude more sensitive would be required to detect the extragalactic component of the light of the night sky.

Lillie, C. F.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Ultraviolet photometry from the orbiting astronomical observatory. III - Observations of Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn longward of 2000 A.

A number of high-quality spectra of Mars, Jupiter, the combined disk and rings of Saturn, as well as lower-quality spectra of Venus, have been obtained with an objective-grating spectrometer of the Wisconsin Experiment Package of OAO-2. An intercomparison of the Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn spectra has failed to disclose any discrete planetary absorptions. Continuous albedos have been derived for the four planets by using OAO-2 observations of G-type stars for wavelengths greater than 2700 A. The geometric albedo of Mars shows a steady increase below 3500 A which appears to be due to Rayleigh scattering combined with a decreasing surface reflectivity. The albedos of Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn show a maximum in reflectivity in the region of 2500 A.-

Wallace, L.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Inertial reference unit

The inertial reference unit is a high performance gyro attitude reference system for use on the OAO spacecraft. The IRU is a three axis system, which provides both rate and attitude information for spacecraft control. The purpose of the IRU is to reduce the dependency on gimballed startrackers and, in turn, simplify the OAO ground operations by eliminating the need for the continual programming of gimballed startracker assignments in accordance with computed occultation schedules. During normal operations, it is used to control the pitch and yaw axes during experiment occultations and during spacecraft reorientations. The roll axis is continuously under control of the IRU except during brief periods for attitude update. To provide for these capabilities the IRU must be able to perform two basic functions. One is to maintain an inertially fixed reference for spacecraft control and the second is to accurately reorient the reference upon command.

Kull, F. J.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Heat pipe flight experiments

OAO 3 heat pipe flight experiments to check out weightlessness behavior are reported. Tested were a hollow channel screen system with helical grooves, a heat pipe with a wicking system of horizontal grooves, and a spiral artery pipe with multichannel fluid return to the evaporator. Flight experiment data proved that all heat pipe geometries containing wicking systems provided uninterrupted fluid return to the condensators during weightlessness and sufficient cooling for isothermalizing optical instruments onboard OAO.

Ollendorf, S.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Ultraviolet photometry from the Orbiting Astronomical Observatory. VII alpha squared Canum Venaticorum.

Far-ultraviolet photometry by OAO-2 is presented for alpha squared CVn covering the entire 5.47-day period of this magnetic Ap variable. The light curves ranging from 1330 to 3320 A indicate that there are two important sources of back warming from far-ultraviolet absorption. Strong line blanketing by the rare earths redistributes flux longward of the Balmer discontinuity, causing the major observed photometric variations. In addition, a second source, which may be due to a combination of continuous opacities and line blanketing from the iron-peak and rare-earth groups below 1600 A, apparently redistributes flux into the region of the Balmer discontinuity. It is also found that ground-based determinations of the effective temperature are overestimated due to the flux redistribution from far-ultraviolet absorption. The effective temperature of alpha squared CVn derived from OAO and ground-based absolute fluxes is found to be 11,200 K, which remains constant over the cycle.

Molnar, M. R.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Ultraviolet photometry from the Orbiting Astronomical Observatory. XIII - The albedos of Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune

Presentation of OAO-2 broad-band ultraviolet photometry data for Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune. These data have been combined with observations of 23 late-type stars to derive planetary albedos over the region 2000-4300 A. The new broad-band albedo for Jupiter agrees well with a previous measurement based on OAO-2 spectrometer data. The albedos for Uranus and Neptune are in good agreement with ground measurements in the region of overlap. The results for Uranus and Neptune have been compared with theoretical calculations for semiinfinite and finite pure H2 Rayleigh-Raman scattering atmospheres. Except for the shortest wavelengths, the measurements lie below the semiinfinite theoretical calculations. The calculations for the finite atmospheres suggest that an additional absorbing constituent will be needed to explain the observed albedos.

Savage, B. D.↗
NASA NTRS1974

A search for Lyman-alpha emission in beta Lyrae from Copernicus

High-resolution (0.2 A) spectrophotometric observations of the complex eclipsing binary beta Lyrae were obtained with the Princeton Telescope Spectrometer on the Copernicus satellite. We discuss the search for L-alpha emission in beta Lyrae and compare the Copernicus results with the OAO-2 observations of the same binary system. The possible L-alpha emission features observed from OAO-2 are identified as blends of the emission lines of other elements in the vicinity of L-alpha.

Kondo, Y.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Ultraviolet photometry from the orbiting astronomical observatory. XVI - The stellar Lyman-alpha absorption line

The stellar Lyman-alpha line at 1216 A was observed in 29 lightly reddened stars of spectral type B2.5 to B9 by a far-UV spectrophotometer on OAO-2. The equivalent widths obtained range from 15 A at type B2.5 to 65 A at type B8; in the late-B stars, the L-alpha line removes 2 to 3% of the total stellar flux. In this sampling, the strength of the L-alpha line correlates well with measures of the Balmer discontinuity and Balmer line strengths; luminosity classification does not seem to affect the line strength. The observed line widths also agree with the predictions of Mihala's grid of non-LTE model atmospheres. In some cases, the L-alpha line influences the interstellar column densities reported in the interstellar OAO-2 L-alpha survey. Hence, these data toward lightly reddened B2 and B1.5 stars should be regarded as upper limits only.

Savage, B. D.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Model calculations for diffuse molecular clouds

A local steady-state isobaric model of the interstellar clouds is developed and applied to the OAO-3 observations. The model allows for cooling by C II fine-structure transitions and for inhomogeneities resulting from attenuations in the external radiations which heat the cloud constituents. Factors affecting the thermal properties of the clouds are emphasized; these include H and H2 balance, interstellar grain heating, electron density, and calcium equilibrium. The thermodynamic consequences of the attenuation of the ultraviolet interstellar radiation field are studied. The effect of varying the most important parameters and their allowed ranges is considered. Results indicate that the model is capable of reproducing the H2 fractional abundances and kinetic temperatures observed by OAO-3.

Glassgold, A. E.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Absolute calibration in the 1750 - 3350 A region

The absolute flux measurements in the rocket ultraviolet made by Bohlin, Frimout, and Lillie (BFL) are revised using a more correct treatment of the air extinction that enters the air calibration of their instrument. The absorption by molecular oxygen and ozone, Rayleigh scattering, and extinction by aerosols is tabulated for general use in ultraviolet calibrations performed in air. The revised absolute flux of eta UMa and final fluxes for alpha Lyr and zeta Oph are presented in the 1750-3350 A region. The absolute flux of the star eta UMa is compared to four other independent determinations in the 1200-3400 A region and a maximum difference of 35% is found near 1500 A between the OAO-2 and Apollo 17 fluxes. The rocket measurements of BFL, the ANS and TD-1 satellite data, and the Apollo 17 data are compared to the ultraviolet fluxes from the OAO-2, demonstrating a photometric reproducibility of about + or - 3 percent. Therefore, all four sets of spectrophotometry can be reduced to a common absolute scale.

Strongylis, G. J.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Vacuum ultraviolet spectrophotometry and effective temperatures of hot stars

Absolutely calibrated ultraviolet stellar spectra from 3100 A to the hydrogen absorption edge at 912 A were obtained on 1977 February 17 by rocket observations above Woomera, Australia. Spectra taken at 15 A resolution have been compared with the observed fluxes from OAO 2 and with recent model-atmosphere fluxes of Kurucz for five hot stars: Gamma (2) Vel, Zeta Pup, Alpha Eri, Beta Cen, and Alpha Vir. The present data give fluxes which are generally lower than those obtained from OAO 2, with the largest deviations of about 20% between 1400 and 1700 A. Agreement with the models is good, although the model fluxes are substantially larger than the observed values below 1200 A. This discrepancy is greater for the higher-temperature stars. Effective temperatures are also determined and are in good agreement with previous results.

Brune, W. H.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Absolute calibration in the 1750 A-3350 A region

The absolute flux measurements in the rocket ultraviolet made by Bohlin, Frimout, and Lillie (BFL) are revised using a more correct treatment of the air extinction that enters the air calibration of their instrument. The absorption by molecular oxygen and ozone, Rayleigh scattering, and extinction by aerosols is tabulated for general use in ultraviolet calibrations performed in air. The revised absolute flux of Eta UMa and final fluxes for Alpha Lyr and Zeta Oph are presented in the 1750 A-3350 A region. The absolute flux of the star Eta UMa (B3 V) is compared to four other independent determinations in the 1200 A-3400 A region and a maximum difference of 35% is found near 1500 A between the OAO-2 and Apollo 17 fluxes. Longward of 1700 A the typical scatter in the different determinations is only plus or minus 5%. The rocket measurements of BFL, the ANS and TD-1 satellite data, and the Apollo 17 data are compared to the ultraviolet fluxes from the OAO-2, demonstrating a photometric reproducibility of about plus or minus 3%. Therefore, all four sets of spectrophotometry can be reduced to a common absolute scale.

Strongylis, G. J.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Ultraviolet photometry from the Orbiting Astronomical Observatory. XXXIV - Filter photometry of 531 stars of diverse types

Ultraviolet magnitudes for 531 stars observed with the Wisconsin Experiment Package on OAO 2 are tabulated. It is noted that these data constitute a subset of the OAO 2 data on file at the National Space Science Data Center. The tabulation contains previously published data all reduced to a uniform magnitude system. It is pointed out that the observations were obtained with the medium band interference filter photometers. Eleven magnitudes are given designated by their centroid wavelengths.

Code, A. D.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Long term X-ray observations of systems with unusual optical counterparts and modulation measurement of selected astronomical sources

The OAO-3 satellite was used for several months' observation of the loss mass X-ray binary sources 2A18822-371 and 4U2129+47 in a search for variability similar to the 35 day on-off cycle observed in Her X-1. The related system Cyg X-2 was observed both optically and in X-rays covering one complete binary cycle of 9.8 days. The UCL X-ray telescope observations revealed no periodities nor obvious variability other than the known orbital periods; however, the ground-based optical spectroscopy supports the interpretation of the photometry periodicities as representing orbital motion in 2A1822-371 and detected radial velocity motions on the photometric period in 4U2129+47. The shape and the length of the 4.8 hour periodicity in the X-ray emission from Cyg X-3 was also studied. The quality OAO-3 data obtained to measure the light curve and look for a change in the period and/or obtain improved measurement of the slope of the light curve was insufficient.

Bowyer, C. S.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Assessment of the SFC database for analysis and modeling

SFC is one of the four clusters that make up the Integrated Work Control System (IWCS), which will integrate the shuttle processing databases at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The IWCS framework will enable communication among the four clusters and add new data collection protocols. The Shop Floor Control (SFC) module has been operational for two and a half years; however, at this stage, automatic links to the other 3 modules have not been implemented yet, except for a partial link to IOS (CASPR). SFC revolves around a DB/2 database with PFORMS acting as the database management system (DBMS). PFORMS is an off-the-shelf DB/2 application that provides a set of data entry screens and query forms. The main dynamic entity in the SFC and IOS database is a task; thus, the physical storage location and update privileges are driven by the status of the WAD. As we explored the SFC values, we realized that there was much to do before actually engaging in continuous analysis of the SFC data. Half way into this effort, it was realized that full scale analysis would have to be a future third phase of this effort. So, we concentrated on getting to know the contents of the database, and in establishing an initial set of tools to start the continuous analysis process. Specifically, we set out to: (1) provide specific procedures for statistical models, so as to enhance the TP-OAO office analysis and modeling capabilities; (2) design a data exchange interface; (3) prototype the interface to provide inputs to SCRAM; and (4) design a modeling database. These objectives were set with the expectation that, if met, they would provide former TP-OAO engineers with tools that would help them demonstrate the importance of process-based analyses. The latter, in return, will help them obtain the cooperation of various organizations in charting out their individual processes.

Centeno, Martha A.↗