Ariel 5

Ariel 5

File:Ariel-5.jpg
Mission type	Astronomy
Operator	SERC / NASA
COSPAR ID	1974-077A
SATCAT №	7471
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer	Goddard Space Flight Center
Launch mass	130.5 kg (288 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	15 October 1974, 07:47:00 (1974-10-15UTC07:47Z) UTC
Rocket	Scout B-1
Launch site	San Marco
End of mission
Decay date	14 March 1980
Orbital parameters
Eccentricity	0.00325
Perigee	512 km (318 mi)
Apogee	557 km (346 mi)
Inclination	2.9 degrees
Period	95.3 minutes
Epoch	14 October 1974, 23:00:00 UTC
Instruments
Rotation Modulation Collimator (RMC) 2- to 10-KeV Sky Survey Instrument (SSI) High-Resolution Source Spectra Bragg Crystal Spectrometer (BCS) High-Energy Cosmic X-Ray Spectra All-Sky Monitor

Ariel 5 was a joint British and American space observatory dedicated to observing the sky in the X-ray band. It was launched on October 15, 1974 from the San Marco platform in the Indian Ocean and operated until 1980. It was the penultimate satellite to be launched as part of the Ariel programme. It was designed to fit a resource budget of 2 kg, 1 bit per second, and 1 W.

The All-sky monitor (ASM) was two one-dimensional pinhole cameras scanned most of the sky every spacecraft revolution. The angular resolution was 10 x 10°, with an effective area of 3 cm² (0.465 sq in), and a bandpass of 3-6 keV.

The SSI had an angular resolution of 0.75 x 10.6°, with an effective area of 290 cm² (45 sq in), and a bandpass of 2-20 keV.

See also

• Timeline of artificial satellites and space probes