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The Ulysses Data System.
Tranquille, C.
Following the successful launch of the Ulysses spacecraft in October 1990, there is great expectation that the scientific data return from the first out-of-ecliptic mission will be considerable. The aim of the Ulysses Data System (UDS) is to facilitate the exchange of data between the instrument teams, thereby encouraging scientific research into …
The HIPPARCOS astrometric satellite and visual double stars
Pannunzio, Renato
Astrometry from the Earth, in the past as well as at present, is described with particular attention to the evolution of the observational techniques from the last century to date and to the consequent improvement of results obtained by continually improved techniques. The scientific goals of the Hipparcos mission, the first astrometric space miss…
Results of the HIPPARCOS in-orbit payload calibration.
Davies, P. E.; McDonald, A. J. C.
The HIPPARCOS satellite is the European Space Agency's first mission dedicated to global astrometry. The spacecraft is in a geostationary transfer-type orbit with perigee at about 500 km instead of the planned geostationary orbit. From this orbit, the satellite will systematically scan the entire sky using a predefined attitude law. The output of …
The radiation environment for earth-orbiting astronomical satellites
Tranquille, C.; Daly, E. J.
The near-earth radiation environment consists primarily of geomagnetically trapped and solar flare energetic electrons and protons, together with a component of galactic cosmic rays. These charged particles give rise to a variety of physical effects which can compromise the operation of the sensitive detectors and electronics currently used to mak…