OAO 3 (COPERNICUS)


NORAD ID: 6153
Int'l Code: 1972-065A
Perigee: 706.0 km
Apogee: 714.9 km
Inclination: 35.0 °
Period: 98.8 minutes
Semi major axis: 7,081.5 km
Launch date: August 21, 1972
Source: United States (US)
Comments: This mission was the third in the OAO program and its second successful spacecraft to observe the celestial sphere from above the Earth's atmosphere. A UV telescope with a spectrometer measured high-resolution spectra of stars, galaxies, and planets with the main emphasis on the determination of interstellar absorption lines. Three X-ray telescopes and a collimated proportional counter provided measurements of celestial X-ray sources and interstellar absorption between 1 and 100 A.


This article uses material from AFSPC