Ariel VI
UK6, which became Ariel VI in orbit, was launched from the Wallops Island
Launch Center in the United States on 2 June 1979. The orbit obtained was a
600 km x 650 km elliptical orbit, at an inclination of 55 degrees. It
carried 3 scientific instruments: one was a cosmic ray experiment and
2 were X-ray experiments. The X-ray detectors consisted of multi-layered
proportional counters which were sensitive to the energy range 1-50 keV. The
total effective area was ~300 sq-cm. There was also a collector system
sensitive to 0.25 keV X-rays. The scientific output of these experiments was
severely limited by electromagnetic interference from ground-based radar
hampering the pointing operations. Ariel VI continued to provide data
until February 1982. |
HEASARC Staff Scientist Position - Applications are now being accepted for a Staff Scientist with significant experience and interest in the technical aspects of astrophysics research, to work in the High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC) at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, MD. Refer to the AAS Job register for full details.
Mission Overview