When did the Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 2 launch?
The Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 2 lifted off on the 7th of December 1968. An Atlas-Centaur rocket carried the payload into a nearly circular Earth orbit.
Questions about Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 2
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who supervised the construction of the Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 2 package?
Arthur Code supervised construction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for this package. Seven different telescopes enabled observations in ultraviolet wavelengths.
What major discovery about comet Tago-Sato-Kosaka did the Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 2 make?
Scientists detected comet Tago-Sato-Kosaka surrounded by a large cloud of hydrogen gas. This observation confirmed the comet was largely composed of water.
Why does the spectral feature at 2175 angstroms remain unexplained?
The observatory recorded a persistent increase in UV absorption at 2175 angstroms. No definitive explanation has emerged despite decades of study.
How many targets did WEP observe before the Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 2 mission concluded?
WEP observed over 1200 targets before the mission concluded. Data collection continued until early 1973 when operations ceased.