The On-Orbit Performance of the Galaxy Evolution Explorer
Abstract
We report the first year on-orbit performance results for the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), a NASA Small Explorer that is performing a survey of the sky in two ultraviolet bands. The instrument comprises a 50 cm diameter modified Ritchey-Chretien telescope with a 1.25 degree field of view, selectable imaging and objective grism spectroscopic modes, and an innovative optical system with a thin-film multilayer dichroic beam splitter that enables simultaneous imaging by a pair of photon counting, microchannel plate, delay line readout detectors. Initial measurements demonstrate that GALEX is performing well, meeting its requirements for resolution, efficiency, astrometry, bandpass definition and survey sensitivity.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/0411310,
title = {The On-Orbit Performance of the Galaxy Evolution Explorer},
author = {P. Morrissey and D. Schiminovich and T. A. Barlow and D. C. Martin and B. Blakkolb and T. Conrow and B. Cooke and K. Erickson and J. Fanson and P. G. Friedman and R. Grange and P. N. Jelinsky and S. C. Lee and D. Liu and A. Mazer and R. McLean and B. Milliard and D. Randall and W. Schmitigal and A. Sen and O. H. W. Siegmund and F. Surber and A. Vaughan and M. Viton and B. Y. Welsh and L. Bianchi and Y. -I. Byun and J. Donas and K. Forster and T. M. Heckman and Y-W Lee and B. F. Madore and R. F. Malina and S. G. Neff and R. M. Rich and T. Small and A. Szalay and T. Wyder},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/0411310},
year = {2011}
}
Comments
This paper will be published as part of the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) Astrophysical Journal Letters Special Issue