View source for Astron (spacecraft)

{{Short description|Soviet ultraviolet space telescope (1983–1991)}}
{{Infobox spaceflight |auto=all
| name                  = Astron
| image                 = Astron.gif
| image_caption         = Diagram of the ''Astron'' observatory
| image_alt             = 
| image_size            = 300px

| mission_type          = [[Astrophysics]]
| operator              = Soviet space program<br>[[CNES]]
| COSPAR_ID             = 1983-020A
| SATCAT                = 13901 
| website               = 
| mission_duration      = {{time interval|23 Mar 1983|23 Mar 1991|sep=,}}

| manufacturer          = [[NPO Lavochkin]]
| spacecraft_bus        = [[4MV]]<ref name=skyrocket1/>
| launch_mass           = {{cvt|3250|kg|lb}}<ref name=astronautix/>
| dimensions            =  
| power                 = 

| launch_date           = {{start-date|23 March 1983 12:45}}&nbsp;UTC 
| launch_rocket         = [[Proton-K]]/[[Blok D|D-1]]
| launch_site           = [[Baikonur Cosmodrome|Baikonur]] [[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 200|200/39]]

| disposal_type         = Decommissioned
| deactivated           = 23 March 1991
| last_contact          = 
| decay_date            =

| orbit_reference       = [[High Earth orbit|High Earth]]
| orbit_semimajor       = {{cvt|108531|km|mi}}<ref name=n2yo/>
| orbit_eccentricity    = 0.6575927<ref name=celes/>
| orbit_periapsis       = {{cvt|30791|km|mi}}<ref name=n2yo/>
| orbit_apoapsis        = {{cvt|173530.2|km|mi}}<ref name=n2yo/>
| orbit_inclination     = 48.4°<ref name=n2yo/>
| orbit_period          = 5,930.5 minutes<ref name=n2yo/>
| orbit_RAAN            = 
| orbit_arg_periapsis   = 
| orbit_mean_anomaly    = 
| orbit_mean_motion     = 0.24281115 rev/day<ref name=celes/>
| orbit_velocity        = 
| orbit_epoch           = 19 July 2017 07:25:15 UTC
| orbit_rev_number      = 
| apsis                 = gee

| telescope_type        = 
| telescope_area        = {{convert|0.17|m2|abbr=on}}<ref name=skyrocket1/>
| telescope_wavelength  = [[X-ray]]: 2–25&nbsp;[[kiloelectronvolt|keV]]<ref name=skyrocket1/><br>[[Ultraviolet]]: 150–350 [[nanometre|nm]]
}}

'''Astron''' was a [[USSR|Soviet]] [[space telescope]] launched on 23 March 1983 at 12:45:06 [[UTC]], using the [[Proton-K]] rocket.<ref name=LL/> Based on the [[4MV]] spacecraft design and operational for six years, Astron was the largest [[ultraviolet telescope|ultraviolet]] space telescope of its time.

The project was headed by [[Alexandr Boyarchuk]].{{r|Boyarchuk1|Boyarchuk2|Boyarchuk_1994}} The spacecraft was designed and constructed by the [[Crimean Astrophysical Observatory]] and [[NPO Lavochkin]]. A group of scientists from these institutions was awarded the [[USSR State Prize]] for their work.<ref name=crimea_obs/>

The payload consisted of an 80&nbsp;cm ultraviolet telescope, which was jointly designed by the USSR and France, and an [[X-ray spectroscopy|X-ray spectroscope]].<ref name=nasa1/> It could take UV spectra 150-350&nbsp;nm.<ref name=Boyarchuk_1986/>

Placed into an orbit with an [[apogee]] of {{Convert|185000|km}}, Astron was capable of making observations outside the Earth's [[umbra]] and [[radiation belt]].

Among the most important observations made by Astron were those of [[SN 1987A]] supernova from March 4 to March 12, 1987,<ref name=Boyarchuk_1987/> and of [[Halley's Comet]] in December 1985, the latter of which enabled a group of Soviet scientists to develop a model of the comet's [[Coma (cometary)|coma]].<ref name=Boyarchuk_1986/>

Operation of the observatory ended on 23 March 1991.<ref name=Zakutnyaya_2011/>

==See also==
{{Portal|Spaceflight}}
* [[Granat]] - a later space observatory based on the Venera spacecraft bus

==References==
{{reflist|refs=

<ref name="astronautix">{{cite encyclopedia
| author1= Mark Wade
| title= Astron
| encyclopedia= Encyclopedia Astronautica
| url= http://www.astronautix.com/a/astron.html
| access-date= 25 October 2024 }}
</ref>

<ref name="Boyarchuk1">{{Cite web
| title= Spektr-UF Project History 
| url= http://www.inasan.rssi.ru/rus/WSO/history.html 
| language= ru 
| archive-date= 6 March 2005
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20050306022229/http://www.inasan.rssi.ru/rus/WSO/history.html
| url-status= dead }}
</ref>

<ref name="Boyarchuk2">{{Cite web
| title= Alexander Boyarchuk
| url= http://mirslovarei.com/content_bes/Bojarchuk-8125.html
| language= ru
| access-date= 23 August 2009
| archive-date= 30 September 2007
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070930155804/http://mirslovarei.com/content_bes/Bojarchuk-8125.html
| url-status= dead }}
</ref>

<ref name="Boyarchuk_1986">{{Cite journal
| author1= A. A. Boyarchuk
| author2= V. P. Grinin
| author3= A. M. Zvereva
| author4= P. P. Petrov
| author5= A. I. Sheikhet
| title= A model for the coma of Comet Halley, based on the Astron ultraviolet spectrophotometry
| journal= [[Pis'ma v Astronomicheskii Zhurnal]]
| year= 1986
| volume= 12
| pages= 696–706
| bibcode = 1986PAZh...12..696B
| language= ru }}
</ref>

<ref name="Boyarchuk_1987">{{Cite journal
| author1= A. A. Boyarchuk
| author2= R. E. Gershberg
| author3= A. M. Zvereva
| author4= P. P. Petrov
| author5= A. B. Severnyj
| author6= A. V. Terebizh
| author7= C. T. Hua
| author8= A. I. Sheikhet
| display-authors= 5
| title= Observations on Astron: Supernova 1987A in the Large Magellanic Cloud
| journal= [[Pis'ma v Astronomicheskii Zhurnal]]
| year= 1987
| volume= 13
| pages= 739–743
| bibcode= 1987PAZh...13..739B
| language= ru }}
</ref>

<ref name="Boyarchuk_1994">{{cite book
| author1= A. A. Boyarchuk
| script-title= ru:Астрофизические исследdeaования на космической станции "Астрон"
| trans-title= Astrophysical research on the Astron space telescope
| publisher=[[Nauka (publisher)|Nauka]]
| location= Moscow, Russia
| language= ru
| year= 1994 }}
</ref>

<ref name="celes">{{cite web
| author1= T. S. Kelso
| title= Astron (TLE)
| url= http://celestrak.com/cgi-bin/TLE.pl?CATNR=13901
| website= CelesTrak.org
| access-date= 19 July 2017 }}
</ref>

<ref name="crimea_obs">{{Cite web
| title= Crimean Astrophysical Observatory 
| url= http://www.crimea-portal.gov.ua/index.php?&art=1107  
| language= ru 
| access-date= 23 August 2009
| archive-date= 27 September 2007
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070927191435/http://www.crimea-portal.gov.ua/index.php?&art=1107
| url-status= dead }}
</ref>

<ref name="LL">{{Cite web
| url= https://planet4589.org/space/gcat/data/derived/launchlog.html
| title= Launch Log
| author1= Jonathan McDowell
| work= Jonathan's Space Page
| access-date= 23 August 2009 }}
</ref>

<ref name="n2yo">{{cite web
| title= ASTRON
| url= http://www.n2yo.com/satellite/?s=13901
| website= N2YO.com
| access-date= 25 October 2024 }}
</ref>

<ref name="nasa1">{{Cite web
| title= The Astron Satellite
| url= http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/heasarc/missions/astron.html
| publisher= [[NASA]] / [[GSFC|Goddard]]
| date= 26 June 2003
| access-date= 23 August 2009
| archive-date= 26 August 2009
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090826100025/http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/heasarc/missions/astron.html
| url-status= live }}
</ref> 

<ref name="skyrocket1">{{cite web
| author1= Gunter D. Krebs
| title= Astron 1
| website= Gunter's Space Page
| url= https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/astron.htm
| access-date= 25 October 2024 }}
</ref>

<ref name="Zakutnyaya_2011">{{cite book
| author1= B. Harvey
| author2= O. Zakutnyaya
| title= Russian Space Probes: Scientific Discoveries and Future Missions 
| publisher= Springer Praxis
| date= 2011
| pages= 376–380
| isbn= 978-1-441-98149-3 }}
</ref>

}}

{{Space observatories}}
{{Russian space program}}
{{Orbital launches in 1983}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Astron (Spacecraft)}}
[[Category:Space telescopes]]
[[Category:Ultraviolet telescopes]]
[[Category:Soviet space observatories]]
[[Category:1983 in the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Spacecraft launched in 1983]]