The GALEX mission and detectors
Abstract
We describe the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) satellite that was launched in April 2003 specifically to accomplish far ultraviolet (FUV) and near ultraviolet (NUV) imaging and spectroscopic sky-surveys. GALEX is currently providing new and significant information on how galaxies form and evolve over a period that encompasses 80% of the history of the Universe. This is being accomplished by the precise measurement of the UV brightness of galaxies which is a direct measurement of their rate of star formation. We briefly describe the design of the GALEX mission followed by an overview of the instrumentation that comprises the science payload. We then focus on a description of the development of the UV sealed tube micro-channel plate detectors and provide data that describe their on-orbit performance. Finally, we provide a short overview of some of the science highlights obtained with GALEX.
Additional Information
© 2004 Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). GALEX (Galaxy Evolution Explorer) is a NASA Small Explorer, launched in April 2003. We gratefully acknowledge NASA's support for construction, operation, and science analysis for the GALEX mission, developed in cooperation with the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales of France and the Korean Ministry of Science and Technology. The grating, window, and aspheric corrector were supplied by France. We acknowledge the dedicated team of engineers, technicians, and administrative staff from JPL/Caltech, Orbital Sciences Corporation, University of California, Berkeley, Laboratory Astrophysique Marseille, and the other institutions who made this mission possible.Attached Files
Published - 13.pdf
Files
| Name | Size | Download all |
|---|---|---|
|
md5:29ebe89f4b1af6ae01c8613c3b2cd6cc
|
1.6 MB | Preview Download |
Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 88230
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20180725-082717846
- NASA
- Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES)
- Ministry of Science and Technology (Korea)
- Created
-
2018-07-25Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
-
2021-11-16Created from EPrint's last_modified field
- Series Name
- Proceedings of SPIE
- Series Volume or Issue Number
- 5488