An evacuated transmission prism spectrograph using a microchannel plate detection system with resistive strip readout was flown behind a precision pointing telescope on a sounding rocket. The construction, preparation, flight performance, and calibration stability of the system are discussed. Despite the adverse environmental conditions associated with sounding rocket flights, the microchannel detector system performed well. Far uv spectra of stellar and planetrary objects were obtained; spectral features with fluxes as low as 0,06 photons cm-2s-1 were detectable. This was achieved by operating the plates at lower than normal gains, using sensitive pulse counting electronics with both upper and lower limits discriminators, and maintaining the spectrograph and detector at a pressure of 10-6Torr until reaching altitude.
Sensitive far uv spectrograph with a multispectral element microchannel plate detector for rocket-borne astronomy
Empfindlicher Spektrograph fuer fernes UV mit einem Mikrokanal-Plattendetektor als multispektrales Element. Anwendung in der Raketen-Astronomie
Applied Optics ; 15 , 12 ; 3123-3130
1976
8 Seiten, 8 Bilder, 24 Quellen
Article (Journal)
English
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