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Class: Astronomy. Type: X-ray. Nation: Japan. Agency: Japan(Tenma). X-ray experiments. Launching organization: ISAS (Institute of Space and Astronautical Science). X-ray observation of X-ray stars in our galaxy as well as X-ray galaxies using a scintillating proportional counter, a transient X-ray source mo nitor, an X-ray foucsing collector, a radiation belt monitor, a gamma ray burst detector and a star sensor.
Specification
Astro Chronology
21 February 1981
SS-07 Hinotori Launch Site: Kagoshima . Launch Vehicle: Mu-3S. Mass: 185 kg. Perigee: 274 km. Apogee: 279 km. Inclination: 31.3 deg. Hinotori (ASTRO-A). Launching organisation: Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science, University of Tokyo. Investigation of solar flare by X-ray telescope and spectrograph.
20 February 1983
SS-08 Tenma Launch Site: Kagoshima . Launch Vehicle: Mu-3S. Mass: 185 kg. Perigee: 431 km. Apogee: 438 km. Inclination: 31.5 deg. X-ray experiments. Astro-B (Tenma). Launch 0510 GMT. Launching organization: ISAS (Institute of Space and Astronautical Science). X-ray observation of X-ray stars in our galaxy as well as X-ray galaxies using a scintillating proportional counter, a transient X-ray source mo nitor, an X-ray foucsing collector, a radiation belt monitor, a gamma ray burst detector and a star sensor.
05 February 1987
Ginga Launch Site: Kagoshima . Launch Vehicle: Mu-3S. Mass: 420 kg. Perigee: 395 km. Apogee: 450 km. Inclination: 31.0 deg. Studyied galactic gamma ray, X-ray sources. ASTRO-C (Ginga). Observation of variabilities of X-rays from active galactic nuclei and galactic compact sources. Launching organization ISAS. Launch time 0630 GMT.
20 February 1993
Asuka Launch Site: Kagoshima . Launch Vehicle: Mu-3S. Mass: 420 kg. Perigee: 539 km. Apogee: 646 km. Inclination: 31.1 deg. X-ray imaging and astronomy. Imaging and spectroscopic observations of various astronomical objects (stars and galaxies) in the X-ray band. Launching organization ISAS. Launch time 0200 GMT. Astro-D 'ASCA'.
Bibliography:- 2 - McDowell, Jonathan, The United Nations Registry of Space Objects, Harvard University, 1997. HTML when accessed: http://hea-www.harvard.edu/QEDT/jcm/space/un/un.html
- 6 - JPL Mission and Spacecraft Library, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 1997. HTML when accessed: http://msl.jpl.nasa.gov/home.html
- 279 - McDowell, Jonathan, Launch Log, October 1998. HTML when accessed: http://hea-www.harvard.edu/~jcm/space/log/launch.html
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Last update 12 March 2001.
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© Mark Wade, 2001 .