Astro D
Also called Asuka or ASCA (Advanced Satellite for Cosmology and
Astrophysics)
First truly telescopic telecope in space and first Japanese X-ray imaging
telescope (its previous X-ray satellites have carried x-ray detectors without
focussing optics).
Out
of service
|
15
Jul 2000
|
Cause
|
The
solar panels were not aligned towards the Sun, lost attitude
|
Decay
|
2
Mar 2001
|
http://nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov/asca/asca.html
http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/asca/asca_images.html
sat-index articles
Prime
contractor
|
Nagoya's
university and the Goddard Space Flight Center
|
Platform
|
|
Mass
at launch
|
420
kg
|
Mass
in orbit
|
|
Dimension
|
1.2
m diameter x 2.8 m long (4 m deployed)
|
Solar
array
|
|
Stabilization
|
|
DC
power
|
BOL:
600 W
|
Design
lifetime
|
2
+ 2 years
|
Is equipped with 4 focal mirrors of 3.5 m and CCD detectors. The sensitiveness
should be 100 times greater than
HEAO 2.
It carries CCD detectors and an imaging proportional counter. The spacecraft is
sensitive to the 0.5-12 keV energy range. The Asuka telescope has a 30 arcmin
field of view and 2 arcmin spatial resolution.
Telemetry: 2256.22 MHz (playback: 262144 bps, via DSN)