The On-Orbit Performance of the Galaxy Evolution Explorer

P. Morrissey , David Schiminovich , T. A. Barlow , D. C. Martin , B. Blakkolb , Tim Conrow , B. Cooke , K. Erickson , J. Fanson , P. G. Friedman , R. Grange , P. N. Jelinsky , S. C. Lee , D. Liu , A. Mazer , R. Mclean , B. Milliard (1) , D. Randall , W. Schmitigal , A. Sen , O. H. W. Siegmund , F. Surber , A. Vaughan , M. Viton , B. Y. Welsh , L. Bianchi , Y. -I. Byun , José Donas (1) , K. Forster , T. M. Heckman , Y-W Lee , B. F. Madore , R. F. Malina (1) , Susan Gale Neff , Robert Michael Rich , Todd Small , A. Szalay , T. Wyder

1 LAM - Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille

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.

Mots clés: Space Vehicles: Instruments; Surveys; Telescopes; Ultraviolet: General

Domaines: Cosmologie et astrophysique extra-galactique [astro-ph.CO]

P. Morrissey, David Schiminovich, T. A. Barlow, D. C. Martin, B. Blakkolb, et al.. The On-Orbit Performance of the Galaxy Evolution Explorer. The Astrophysical Journal, 2005, 619L, pp.7. ⟨10.1086/424734⟩. ⟨hal-00015172⟩