+ 1970 News Releases (7.6 Mb PDF file) - NASA

'^,TiONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE: ADMINISTRATION
,,..,NNEDSPACECRAFT iHous4l:on !
CENTER
. Texas
483-5111 70-46
May 8_ 1970
An experiment designed to observe the very hot and massive stars
in the Southern Cross constellation will be launched by NASA scientists
on or about May 26 from Woomera_ Australia.
Dr. Yoji Kond% Chief Experimenter_ said the Ultraviolet Spectrograph
E_eriment_ will photograph the first_ second and fourth brightest
stars (Alpa_ Beta_ amd Delta) of the Southern Cross. Dr. Kondo and
John Lintott_ Co-Sxperimenter, are both with the Astronomy Branch o_
MSC's Space Physics Division_ Science and Applications Directorate.
The 125-1b e×periment package will be carried to an altitude of
106 nautical miles by an Aerobee 150 sounding rocket. This marks the
first launch of an Aerohee 150 from the Australisa Weapons Research
Establishment
at Woomera.
Dr. Kondo said the L_J spectrograph experiment is designed to take
six photographs at varying e×posures (5 to 165 seconds) during the
planned four minute observa%ion period. The on-board camera will be
turned on when the package reaches 60-70 mile altitude and continue to
t_ke photographs_ the most critical of which will be the 40 and 165
s_cond exposures.
Dr. Kondo said he expects data gathered on this flight will aid
in understanding the physical condition of these very hot stars and
also aid in determining the amount of atomic hydrogen between the earth
and these particular stars (Alpha_ Beta_ and Delta.) Dr. Kondo said
very little is knovTn about the Atomic Hydrogen density in this direction
of the galactic plane.
The Aerobee 150_ a two-stage sounding rocket_ will be launched
by the NASA Goddard Sounding Rocket Brs_ch_ Greenbelt_ Md._ from
the Australian launch site. The scientific payload is scheduled to
be recovered by _arachute within 40-50 miles of the launch site in
southern
Australia.