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The OAO-A2 observations of two Be stars, 60 Cygnus and gamma Cassiopeia, were analyzed. It is shown that unpolarized radiation produced by continuous Balmer emission in the atmospheres of Be stars is significant in the explanation of the polarization observed below the Balmer discontinuity. Available multicolor polarimetry data was also analyzed with respect to interstellar polarization.
The eclipsing binary, LY Aur (09.5 III) was observed over a period of four days in March 1972 with the Wisconsin instrumentation on OAO-2. Complete light curves were obtained at the following wavelengths: 4250, 3320, 2980, 2460, 1910, and 1550 A. The phase resolution is usually 0.017. A solution of each light curve was attempted according to the Russell-Merrill method, but no solution was found.
The onboard data processor for OAO 3 flight applications executes instructions at the rate of 2 1/2 billion per day. The computer commands, processes data, and controls telemetry subsystem programs onboard the spacecraft.
The OAO 2 satellite employed nickel-cadmium batteries with auxiliary (signal) electrodes for overcharge control. During the early life of the satellite, these third-electrode signals provided an orbit-by-orbit indication of the overcharge received by the batteries. By ground command, the battery charger was adjusted on a need basis to provide optimum recharge conditions as indicated by the third-electrode signals during all phases of spacecraft operation and orientation. After more than two years, an unusual degradation in third-electrode signals was observed, providing the first indication of battery degradation. The present paper examines the operation of the battery system and analyzes the battery degradation mechanism. The abnormal performance of the third electrode is related to cell-voltage divergence during periods of overcharge. Cells that had a higher cell voltage showed signs (third-electrode degradation) of small amounts of hydrogen gas generation.
Intrinsic ultraviolet colors (Vi-V)o have been determined with ultraviolet magnitudes derived from several hundred observations taken with the photometers of OAO-2's Celescope experiment. Relationships between intrinsic ultraviolet color, (B-V)o, and spectral class are presented for main-sequence stars from B 0 to G 3. A brief description of the Celescope and its calibration is included, and a comparison of the determined colors is made with theoretical colors.
The user's guide is intended to enable astronomers to reduce the filter photometry data obtained by the WEP carried on the OAO 2 spacecraft. Only information related to the stellar photometer contained within the experiment package is presented, since the nebular photometer failed after 2-1/2 months of operation, while the stellar photometers provided roughly 49 months worth of data.
The Inertial Reference Unit (IRU) used in NASA's Orbiting Astronomical Observatory uses three single degree of freedom, floated, rate-integrating gyros operated in binary, pulse-restrained torque loops to provide an inertial attitude reference for the spacecraft's attitude control system. The drift rates observed on these inertial grade gyros during the 1 1/2 year of in-orbit operation have remained within a band of 16 arcsec per hour peak-to-peak. When the effects of known disturbances are considered, the standard deviation of drift rate appears to approach one arcsec per hour. Included in this paper are a brief description of the OAO and IRU, a summary of the data reduction programs used to calibrate the IRU in orbit, and some thoughts on how gyros with good long-term drift stability could be applied to future spacecraft such as the Large Space Telescope and Earth Observatory Satellite.
OAO-2 observations of eight bright classical Cepheids in the wavelength region 1910 A to 4250 A are presented. The data for RT Aurigae, alpha Ursa Minoris, delta Cephei, and gamma Ophiuchi show excellent agreement with ground based photometry in the wavelength region of overlap and are consistent with a simple extrapolation of light curve properties from the visible region. However, in the ultraviolet, the light curve of beta Doradus shows two small flux bumps, at phases of 0.75 and 0.85, in addition to the well known bump at phase 0.0. All three bumps should probably be associated with the arrival of shocks at the stellar surface.
Middle-ultraviolet light curves of beta Doradus, obtained by OAO-2, are presented along with other evidence indicating that the small additional bumps observed on the rising branches of these curves have their origin in shock-wave phenomena in the upper atmosphere of this classical Cepheid. A simple piston-driven spherical hydrodynamic model of the atmosphere is developed to explain the bumps, and the calculations are compared with observations. The model is found to be consistent with the shapes of the light curves as well as with measurements of the H-alpha radial velocities.
Ultraviolet photometric and spectrophotometric observations of Mars and Saturn, obtained from two earth-orbiting satellites, are discussed. High-resolution data reveal no definite absorption features in the spectra of either planet. In order to reconcile the absence of a prominent absorption in the Mars data near 2150 A with preliminary Viking measurements of NO, this gas must be preferentially concentrated at high Martian altitudes. Broadband photometry from OAO-2 shows that atmospheric dust from the great dust storm of 1971-1972 on Mars reduced the ultraviolet geometric albedo by a factor of 3 at the height of the storm. Atmospheric energy deposition appears to be an important mechanism of the storm dynamics. The combined Saturn data indicate that NH3 is not the absorber that influences the UV spectrum of Saturn. The possibility that H2S is the absorber is investigated.
UV photometry of the Alpha Persei cluster obtained with the OAO 2 satellite is analyzed. The data are used together with ground-based coude spectra to examine 20 stars ranging in spectral type from B3 to A3 for rotation effects as predicted by the models of Collins (1974) and of Collins and Sonneborn (1977). Values of v sin i are estimated on the recalibrated system of Slettebak et al. (1975), and an H-R diagram is plotted for the program stars. The distribution of the stars on the diagram is compared with the ZAMS for a chemical composition of X = 0.7 and Y = 0.02 as well as with two isochrones for logarithmic nuclear ages (in years) of 7.5 and 7.7. It is found that there is a seemingly narrow band of early-type stars lying a magnitude or so above the ZAMS on the plot, while the later types form a looser collection straddling the ZAMS. The data for Alpha Persei itself yield an upper limit of 7.4 to the logarithmic age. The analysis for rotation effects reveals one late-type star that does not conform to the model predictions and one 'weak helium' star. Evidence is discussed that these stars are not pole-on rapid rotators. It is concluded that there is a photometric effect for stars earlier than about B6 whereby these stars are displaced redward in color-magnitude diagrams.
The Limb Radiance Inversion Radiometer (LRIR), the infrared limb scanner on Nimbus 6, obtained equatorial night ozone profiles on 25 and 28 July, 1975, at nearly the same longitudes as the UV stellar occultation measurements made from the OAO-3 Copernicus observatory on 26 July, 1975. The LRIR determinations agree with many other data sources, but average roughly a factor of 3 lower than the Copernicus results. The LRIR results do not support the suggestion that there are serious gaps in understanding the chemistry of mesospheric ozone.
An analysis of the operation of OAO 3, Copernicus, the orbiting astronomical observatory, is given with particular emphasis upon the Princeton Experiment Package. Malfunctions and their impact are discussed, as are orbital observations and operations. Software is described.
Heat pipe performance data taken during the 8 1/2 years of flight of the OAO-C (Copernicus) spacecraft are presented. Three fixed conductance heat pipes (FCHP), each with different wicking concepts (axial groove, pedestal artery, and self-priming spiral artery), and one variable conductance heat pipe (VCHP) are onboard. Aluminum tubes (1/2 in. diameter) rolled into a 48 in. loop containing ultra high purity ammonia as the heat transfer fluid comprise all FCHP, whose purpose is to circumferentially isothermalize the central tube housing the telescope. The VCHP is a hot, non-wicked reservoir concept including a composite artery and methanol heat transfer fluid, and is used to maintain the temperature of the onboard processor. Flight thermal data analysis reveals that no degradation in performance occurred since launch and agrees well with pre-flight data; the onboard processor still shows an offset in control range of 4 F, and the pipes perform the same after 8 1/2 years in orbit.
End of mission tests were performed on the OAO-3 power subsystem in three component areas: solar array, nickel-cadmium batteries and the On-Board Processor (OBP) power boost operation. Solar array evaluation consisted of analyzing array performance characteristics and comparing them to earlier flight data. Measured solar array degradation of 14.1 to 17.7% after 8 1/3 years is in good agreement with theortical radiation damage losses. Battery discharge characteristics were compared to results of laboratory life cycle tests performed on similar cells. Comparison of cell voltage profils reveals close correlation and confirms the validity of real time life cycle simulation. The successful operation of the system in the OBP/power boost regulation mode demonstrates the excellent life, reliability and greater system utilization of power subsystems using maximum power trackers.
Timing observations of the 38 s accreting X-ray pulsar OAO 1657-415 made with the BATSE large-area detectors on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory have revealed a binary orbit with an X-ray eclipse by the stellar companion. From the pulsar mass function fx(M) = 11.7 +/- 0.2 solar masses and the measured eclipse half-angle theta(e) = 29.7 +/- 1.3 deg, we infer that the stellar companion is a supergiant of spectral class B0-B6. If the companion can be identified and its orbital velocity measured, the neutron star mass can be constrained. Both intrinsic spin-up and spin-down of the pulsar were measured during our observation.
Inspection of pulse shapes obtained by the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) Pulsar Monitor for the high mass X-ray binary pulsar OAO 1657-415 shows that significant variations have occurred. For example, power in the second harmonic of the pulse increased by 50 percent during TJD 10358 - 10374, at the beginning of a slow transition from spinup to spindown.This source is shown to exhibit alternating intervals of spinup and spindown of similar magnitudes. A study will be presented of pulse shape, intensity and spectral variability of the source, with a search for any correlation with spin behavior.
We observed the 38-s X-ray pulsar OAO 1657-415 in a series of daily snapshots spanning its 10-day binary orbit, on three different occasions corresponding to different accretion torque states. The goal was to see if the previously observed drastic variability in X-ray spectral properties showed a systematic pattern with respect to orbital phase or torque state. Our study failed to identify any systematic patterns, although considerably stochastic variability was observed. Overall, our results were inconclusive. We chose not to prepare a journal paper on this study, although the data were shared with several other groups interested in monitoring the properties of this source.