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Aviation History
1990
1990 - 2645.PDF
McBride, who left NASA to follow a poltiical career. Two other original Astro 1 crewmen have also been replaced since 1986. THE ASTRONOMY Hubble was launched to perform visible-light astronomy which, from the ground, is always hampered by the distorting and blurring effects of a dynamic atmosphere. Astro will observe cooler, low-energy infra-red light and hotter, high-energy ultraviolet light and X-rays that are also largely absorbed by the atmosphere and never reach the ground. Observing in visible light is like looking at a monochrome painting. Astro's telescopes will add some "colour" to views of the stars and galaxies. "If you were a doctor and a very sick patient came into your room," says Weiler, "and all you had was a stethoscope and a thermometer, you would have a hard time diagnosing the complex human being before you. The same is true with astronomy." The Universe viewed by Astro will look different from the familiar night sky. Most stars will fade from view as they are too cool to emit significant ultra-violet radiation or X-rays, but very young massive stars, very old stars, glowing nebulae, active galaxies and qttasars will stand out clearly. "It's by viewing the sky from multiple wavelengths," says Astro mission scientist Dr Ted Gull, "that we find many new exciting objects which we pull out of the background. And quite often, we look at old favourite objects that we think we understand so much and gain a lot of new insight." Special objects to come under the gaze of the Astro array will be white dwarfs, the dense, hot embers of dying stars. The super nova 1987A which spews stellar debris into space is of special interest, as are neutron stars, pulsars and black holes. Astro will make close observations of twin, or binary stars which are more prevalent than at first thought. It may be possible for Astro to distinguish individual stars within tightly packed star clusters. Interstellar hydrogen with traces of heavier elements will be observed. Astro will survey galaxies outside our own Milky Way and observe those that are in the process of violent change — the quasars. These compact objects radiate more energy than 100 normal galaxies. Three ultraviolet telescopes are mounted on a common pointing system to make simultaneous observations in the same direc tion. A fourth telescope is mounted on a separate pointing system. The Astro assembly International Training Equipment ITWr)f~J *l Conference and Exhibition L-/L-/\—l\-J Rhein-Main-Hallen, Wiesbaden, Germany Wednesday 17th - Friday 19th April 1991 Do you: use... buy... finance... define... design... manufacture... maintain... . .training equipment and simulation systems? 8*- To ensure that you receive up-to-date information on ITEC, send your name, address and telephone/fax number to: Mr Richard Curtis, International Training Equipment Conference Limited 10 Sambourne Road, Warminster, Wiltshire BA12 RLJ, England Tel: (0) 985-846181 Fax: (0) 985-846163 In North America only Captain Nelson Jackson, USN Retired International Training Equipment Conference Suite 400, Two Colonial Place, Arlington, VA 22202, USA Tel: 703/522-1820 Fax: 703/522-1885 If you do, make sure that you are at the Rhein-Main-IIallen, Wiesbaden, Germany from Wednesday 17th to Friday 19th April 1991 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 5-11 September 1990 135
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