 CHIPS (Explorer 82) satellite | |
| Names | Explorer 82 UNEX-2 CHIPS |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Extreme ultraviolet research |
| Operator | NASA /Space Sciences Laboratory |
| COSPAR ID | 2003-002B |
| SATCATno. | 27643 |
| Website | CHIPS |
| Mission duration | 1 year (planned) 5 years, 3 months (achieved) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Explorer LXXXII |
| Spacecraft type | Cosmic Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer |
| Bus | CHIPS |
| Manufacturer | SpaceDev |
| Launch mass | 60 kg (130 lb) |
| Dimensions | 5 × 2.8 × 3.2 m (16.4 × 9.2 × 10.5 ft) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 13 January 2003, 00:45:00UTC |
| Rocket | Delta II 7320-10 (Delta 294) |
| Launch site | Vandenberg,SLC-2W |
| Contractor | Boeing Launch Services |
| Entered service | 2003 |
| End of mission | |
| Deactivated | 11 April 2008 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit[1] |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 578 km (359 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 594 km (369 mi) |
| Inclination | 94.05° |
| Period | 96.40 minutes |
Explorer program | |
CHIPS (Cosmic Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer, alsoExplorer 82 orUNEX-2, sometimesCHIPSAT) was aNASAExplorer program satellite. It was launched on 12 January 2003 fromVandenberg Air Force Base aboard aDelta II with the larger satelliteICESat, and had an intended mission duration of one year. CHIPS was the second of NASA's University Explorer (UNEX) mission class. It performedspectroscopy from 90 to 250Angstrom (9 to 26-nm)extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light.[2]
The primary objective of the science team, led byprincipal investigator Mark Hurwitz, was to study the million-degree gas in the localinterstellar medium. CHIPS was designed to capture the first spectra of the faint, extreme ultraviolet glow that is expected to be emitted by the hot interstellar gas within about 300 light-years of theSun, a region often referred to as theLocal Bubble. Surprisingly, these measurements produced a null result, with only very faint EUV emissions detected, despite theoretical expectations of much stronger emissions. It was the first U.S. mission to useTCP/IP for end-to-end satellite operations control.
TheUniversity of California, Berkeley'sSpace Sciences Laboratory (SSL) served as CHIP's primaryground station and manufactured the CHIPSspectrograph, designed to perform all-sky spectroscopy. Other ground network support was provided by ground stations atWallops Flight Facility (WFF),Virginia andAdelaide, Australia. CHIPS'ssatellite bus was manufactured bySpaceDev.
CHIPS (Cosmic Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer) is a NASAastrophysics spacecraft that was launched by aDelta IIlaunch vehicle fromVandenberg Air Force Base at 00:45:00UTC on 13 January 2003.[1] The 60 kg (130 lb), triaxially-stabilized spacecraft has aspectrograph covering the 9–26 nm wavelength band at a resolution of 0.1 nm, scanning the entire sky in chunks of 5° x 27° segments during each orbit. The targets are the hot and diffusenebula at about a million degrees temperature. The band covers several strong emission lines.[3]
In September 2005, the spacecraft was converted to asolar observatory.[4] From 3 April 2006 to 5 April 2008, CHIPS performed 1458 observations of the Sun.[5]
Satellite operations were terminated in 11 April 2008 due to budget constraints.[6]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
Media related toCHIPSat at Wikimedia Commons
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