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Themes > Science > Physics > Astrophysics > The History of High-Energy Astrophysics > 1985-1989 |
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Dec 2, 1989 |
The Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) ceases operation. Although primarily a solar mission, SMM's scientific instruments included a Hard X-Ray Burst Spectrometer and a Gamma-Ray Spectrometer both of which could and did observe cosmic high-energy sources. |
Dec 1, 1989 |
Launch of Granat, a Russian-led mission dedicated to X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy. Its instruments included WATCH, an all-sky monitor in the 6 to 120 keV energy band, SIGMA, a coded-mask X-ray telescope, PHEBUS, a gamma-ray burst experiment, and 4 other experiments. |
Nov 18, 1989 |
Launch of the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE), a NASA mission whose primary goals were to study the spectrum and anisotropy of the cosmic 3 degree K background in the energy band from 0.1 to 10 mm, and the spectrum and angular distribution of the diffuse infrared background in the IR and far-IR bands (1 to 300 microns). |
Oct 18, 1989 |
Launch of Galileo aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-34). |
Aug 25, 1989 |
Closest approach by Voyager 2 to Neptune. |
Jul 1989 |
Astron ceases operation. Astron was launched with a projected mission lifetime of one year, but by the time of its shutdown, it had exceeded this goal by over five years. |
May 4, 1989 |
Launch of the Magellan mission to Venus; the primary goal of this mission was to make the most highly detailed maps of this planet ever using a sophisticated imaging radar. |
Mar 27, 1989 |
Phobos 2 suffers a failure on the spacecraft while maneuvering into a matching orbit with the Martian moon Phobos. |
Jan 29, 1989 |
Phobos 2 arrives at Mars and begins its Martian experiments. |
Sep 2, 1988 |
Phobos 1 is sent a faulty command sequence, causing the spacecraft to shut down. Contact with the spacecraft was never re-established. |
Jul 12, 1988 |
Launch of the Soviet probe to Mars, Phobos 2. |
Jul 7, 1988 |
Launch of the Soviet probe to Mars, Phobos 1. |
Jun 1987 |
Attachment of the Kvant module to the USSR's Mir space station (operational status is not known). |
Feb 5, 1987 |
Launch of the third Japanese X-ray astronomy satellite Ginga, known as Astro C prior to launch. |
Apr 9, 1986 |
EXOSAT ceases operation. |
Feb 19, 1986 |
Launch of the Soviet space station Mir. (again operational). |
Jan 28, 1986 11:39 EST |
Space Shuttle Challenger explodes shortly after launch; all seven crew killed. |
Jan 24, 1986 |
Voyager 2 makes its closest approach to Uranus. |
Oct 5, 1985 |
Tenma, the second Japanese X-ray astronomy satellite, ceases operation. |
Sep 13, 1985 |
P78-1 ceases operation (deliberately shot down by the United States Air Force as part of an anti-satellite weapons test). |
Sep 11, 1985 |
International Cometary Explorer (ICE; formerly ISEE-3) flies through the tail of the comet P/Giacobini-Zinner. It is the first probe to encounter a comet. Later in 1985, ICE also flies within 0.2 A.U. of P/Halley. |
Apr 15, 1985 |
Hakucho (CORSA-B), the first Japanese X-ray astronomy satellite, ceases operation. |
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