Uhuru X-ray satellite

E635444

The Uhuru X-ray satellite was the first Earth-orbiting mission dedicated to X-ray astronomy, pioneering the systematic study of cosmic X-ray sources and laying the foundation for modern high-energy astrophysics.

All labels observed (4)

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Statements (44)

Predicate Object
instanceOf NASA space mission
X-ray astronomy satellite
artificial satellite
alsoKnownAs SAS-1 NERFINISHED
Small Astronomy Satellite 1 NERFINISHED
catalogProduced Uhuru X-ray source catalog NERFINISHED
catalogType all-sky X-ray source catalog
contribution enabled discovery of many new X-ray sources
laid foundation for modern X-ray astronomy catalogs
pioneered systematic study of cosmic X-ray sources
countryOfOperator United States
dataUsage used to study active galactic nuclei
used to study black hole candidates
used to study clusters of galaxies
used to study neutron stars
discovered many extragalactic X-ray sources
numerous galactic X-ray binaries
energyRangeObserved soft X-rays
epoch early 1970s space astronomy
field high-energy astrophysics
followedBy SAS-2 NERFINISHED
later X-ray observatories such as HEAO-1
launchDate 1970-12-12
launchSite Kenya NERFINISHED
San Marco platform NERFINISHED
launchVehicle Scout rocket NERFINISHED
missionDuration about 2.5 years
missionEnd 1973-03
missionStart 1970-12-12
namedAfter Swahili word "Uhuru" meaning "freedom"
notableAs first Earth-orbiting mission dedicated to X-ray astronomy
notableFeature all-sky X-ray survey capability
operator NASA
orbitType low Earth orbit
precededBy no dedicated X-ray astronomy satellite
primaryMission X-ray astronomy
primaryObjective survey of cosmic X-ray sources
program Small Astronomy Satellite program NERFINISHED
scientificDiscipline astronomy
astrophysics
scientificImpact established X-ray astronomy as a major observational field
scientificLegacy benchmark for subsequent X-ray source surveys
spacecraftBus Small Astronomy Satellite bus
status mission completed

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Riccardo Giacconi knownFor Uhuru X-ray satellite
Riccardo Giacconi notableWork Uhuru (SAS-1) X-ray astronomy satellite
linked to: Uhuru X-ray satellite
NASA astrophysics observatories includes Uhuru X-ray Observatory
linked to: Uhuru X-ray satellite
UHURU catalogProduced Uhuru X-ray source catalog
linked to: Uhuru X-ray satellite