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.
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.
Arthur Code supervised construction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for this package. Seven different telescopes enabled observations in ultraviolet wavelengths.
Scientists detected comet Tago-Sato-Kosaka surrounded by a large cloud of hydrogen gas. This observation confirmed the comet was largely composed of water.
The observatory recorded a persistent increase in UV absorption at 2175 angstroms. No definitive explanation has emerged despite decades of study.
WEP observed over 1200 targets before the mission concluded. Data collection continued until early 1973 when operations ceased.