NEWS R E L E A S E

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS A N D SPACE ADMINISTRATION

1 5 2 0 H S T R E E T . N O R T H W E S T . W A S H I N G T O N 2 5 . D. C .
TELEPHONES: DUDLEY 2-6325 . EXECUTIVE 3-3260

FOR RELEASE: UltUedislte

RELEASE NO. 61-59 Monday
April 24, 1961
NASA TO LAUNCH
GAMMA RAY ASTRONOMY SATELLITE (S-15)

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is

scheduled to launch, in the near future, a gamma ray as-
tronomy telescope satellite (S-15) to detect and measure
cosmic gamma radiation from space.
The primary objectives of the experiment will be to
detect high energy gamma rays from cosmic sources (such
as from our own galaxy, and neighboring galaxies such as
$he Magellanic clouds) and map their distribution in the sky.
This exploration will be the first attempt of this
kind of space astrcnomy from a satel1i;e. Scientists are
now limited in their study of extrateriJestrialgamma
radiation because their measurements are interfered with
by existing radiation in the earth's atmosphere.
GAMMA RADIATION
Gamma radiation is electromagnetic in character, as
are visible light, infra-red radiation, ultraviolet
radiation and x-rays. Gamma rays have specific wave
lengths as do x-rays, and ultraviolet radiation and differ
of course in their source of generation.
Gamma radiation holds particular interest because it
is associated with nuclear activity, which involves
energetic processes unmatched elsewhere in nature.
Gamma rays are not deflected by magnetic fields. There-
fore, their source in space may be determined by the
direction from which they come. This is n o t true of
charged particles such as protons. Over much of t h e
current century, studies have been made which
 have given s c i e n t i s t s a greater understanding about the
n a t u r a l p r o c e s s e s o c c u r i n g i n t h e r e g i o n immediately
surrounding t h i s p l a n e t . Up t o now t h e c o n c l u s i o n s a r e
t h a t v e r y f a s t and v e r y s m a l l charged p a r t i c l e s (protons--
the s o - c a l l e d primary cosmic r a y s ) bombard t h e a i r above
us i n t h e e a r t h ' s atmosphere. The e a r t h ' s magnetic f i e l d
d e f l e c t s t h e p r o t o n s and they s c a t t e r through the upper
atmosphere, i n t e r a c t i n g w i t h the c o n s t i t u e n t s of the
atmosphere. These i n t e r a c t i o n s r e s u l t i n the u n l e a s h i n g
( b r e a k i n g away) of atomic p a r t i c l e s and t h e g e n e r a t i o n of
I gamma rays.
Laboratory and t h e o r e t i c a l s t u d i e s lead s c i e n t i s t s
t o conclude that similar p r o c e s s e s a l s o o c c u r i n near and
d i s t a n t " o u t e r space".
A s the cosmic rays, atomic p a r t i c l e s and gamma r a y s
are d i r e c t e d toward earth, t h e y r e a c t w i t h t h e more dense
atmosphere. The e a r t h ' s atmosphere is so a c t i v e i n p a r t i c l e
and gamma ray g e n e r a t i o n -- s o "noisy", i n s c i e n t i f i c
parlance -- t h a t gamma rays g e n e r a t e d beyond the atmosphere
cannot be d i s t i n g u i s h e d from l o c a l ones.
Researchers have concluded, a f t e r many b a l l o o n f l i g h t s
designed t o s t u d y cosmic and gamma rays, t h a t t h e o n l y way
t o s o l v e the problem i s t o g e t t h e i r i n s t r u m e n t s beyond the
atmosphere.
The S-15 s a t e l l i t e w i l l g i v e s c i e n t i s t s an o p p o r t u n i t y
to e x p l o r e beyond t h e c u r t a i n of t h e e a r t h ' s atmosphere.
PARTICIPANTS
The experiment will be conducted by two p r o f e s s o r s a t
t h e Massachusetts I n s t i t u t e of Technology, Drs. W i l l i a m
Kraushaar and George Clark. The S - 1 5 ' ~gamma ray t e l e -
scope was developed and b u i l t a t MIT.
The Marshall Space F l i g h t Center was r e s p o n s i b l e for
designing and b u i l d i n g the S-15'~s t r u c t u r e , as well as
t h e s u p p o r t f n g e l e c t r o n i c equipment for t h e gamma ray i n -
stmunent package. B i l l Greever i s the MSFC p r o j e c t
manager .
The Goddard Space F l i g h t Center provided s c i e n t i f i c
management f o r t h e p r o j e c t . Dr. James Kupperiiln of Goddard
i s p r o j e c t s c i e n t i s t and John M. Coogan i s GSFC p r o j e c t
manager.
The Headquarters Program Chief i s D r , Nancy Roman and
the p r o j e c t o f f i c e r I. L. Cherrick.

- 2 -
 A f o u r - s t a g e Juno I1 rocket, t o be f u r n i s h e d and
launched by t h e Marshall Center, will be used t o boost t h e
s a t e l l i t e i n t o orbit. Thd Juno I1 is composed of modified
J u p i t e r , Ceveloped by Marshall personnel, and t h r e e s o l i d -
propellant upper stages, provided by the J e t Propulsion
Laboratory of Pasadena, California.
 THE GAMMA RAY ASTRONOMY SATELLITE IS-15)
Resembling an old-time s t r e e t lamp, t h e 82-pound
Sr15 l o o k s u n l i k e any s a t e l l i t e o r b i t e d t o date. It com-
b i n e s , s t r u c t u r a l l y , a 12-inch-diametcr, 23-1/2-2nch-lo~g
o c t a g o n a l aluminum box mounted on a 6-inch-diameter, 20-1/2-
inch-long aluminum i n s t r u m e n t column. The box p r o v i d e s
b o t h a housing f o r the gamma r a y t e l e s c o p e 2nd f o u r of the
e x t e r n a l s u r f a c e s for the s a t 6 - : l l i t e t ss o l a ? c e l l s , The
44-inch-long f o u r t h - s t a g e r o c k e t w i l l remain w i t h t h e
s a t e l l i t e , T h i s e x t e n s i o n w i l l a c t as a s e c t i o n of a
t r a n s m i t t i n g antenna and provide the a d d i t i o n a l l e n g t h and
weight needed i n a t t a i n i n g S-15 s hunblinig ac tiori. The
f o u r t h stage (burned out)weighs 12.8 pounds.
S o l a r c e l l s , which r e c h a r g e t h e s y s t e m ' s 12 n i c k e l
cadmium b a t t e r i e s , are a l s o l o c a t e d aFound t h e f a c e of a
17-inch-diameter o c t a g o n a l p l a t e fit+;ed on the t o p of t h e
box. A t h i n aluminum s h i e l d c o v e r s the m c l of the h o u s h g ,
p r o t e c t i n g the t e l e s c o p e from damaging mlci*ometeaxJites.
T h i s s h i e l d can be removed by rtidio commmd fron the
earth.
I n o r b i t , the gamma r a y astzo.mmy s a t e l l i t e w i l l
tumble end-over-end a t the r a t e of about 1.0 t i m e s e v e r y
minute. T h i s motion w i l l enable t h e g a m a zay t e l e s c o p e ,
aimed o u t through t h e end of t h e octagorial bc):y~, t~ scan a
p o r t i o n of surrounding space e v e r y s i x secognds.
Sun and e a r t h s e n s o r s , peeriyg o u t t k o u g h s m a l l
a p e r t u r e s i n t h e micrometeorite shield, w i l l pe3nj.t
s c i e n t i s t s on the ground t o know a t a l l tiaes t h e exact
o r i e n t a t i o n of t h e s a t e l l i t e w i t h r e s p e c t t9 the earth,
sun and stars, t h u s p i n p o i n t i n g t h e d i r e c t i o n from wnich
gamma r a y s are coming. An i n s u l a t e d temperature sexmr,
a l s o d i r e c t e d o u t through t h e t h i n shield, i s cleslgxd t o
s t u d y the thermal r a d i a t i o n balance of a body in oxM.2;.
To e f f e c t t h i s n e c e s s a r y t u m b l i n g o r p r o p e l l e r - l i k e
a c t i o n on a c h i e v i n g o r b i t , t h e s a t e l l i t e i s equipped wLth
a unique damping mechanism. T h i s device, f i t t e d i n t o the
a f t e r end of t h e f o u r t h - s t a g e r o c k e t ' s motor c a s e , fs a
hollow, m e r c u r y - f i l l e d c y l i n d r i c a l a d a p t o r , r e a m b l i n g a
r e t a i n e r r i n g , When i n j e c t e d i n t o o r b i t , S-15 w i l l be
s p i n n i n g about i t s l o n g i t u d i n a l axis a t about 380 ~ p m .
Although i t would e v e n t u a l l y slow down and begln tumbling
by the v e r y n a t u r e of i t s s t r u c t u r e , sc-featists want a
c o n t r o l l e d tumble, beginning s h o r t l y a f t e r t h e s a t e l l i t e
has gone i n t o o r b i t .

- 4-
 The heavy, f r e e - f l o w i n g mercury w i l l . aid i n
slowing t h e s p i n n i n g r j a t e l l . i t e ,
INSTRUMENTATION

The gamma r a y t e l e a c o p e has a p l a s t i c s c i n -

t i l l a t o r covering t h e t o p and s i d e s . I n s i d e thitll
cover i s a sandwich o f c r y s t a l l a y e r s , composed of
sodium i o d i d e and cesium i o d i d e , A t h i r d element
o f t h e t e l e s c o p e i s a Cerenkov d e t e c t o r . A
Cerenkov d e t e c t o r i s simply a s o l i d l a y e r of' c l e a r
p l a s t i c working i n conjunction w i t h p h o t o m u l t i p l i e r
c i r c u i t r y so t h a t only charged p a r t i c l e s a r r i v i n g
from t h e forward d i r e c t i o n are counted,
The h e a r t o f t h e t e l e s c o p e i s t h e sandwich of
crystals. When a gamma r a y f a l l s on these crystals,
a n e l e c t r o n and a p o s i t r o n a r e e m i t t e d . These r e a c t
w i t h t h e c r y s t a l s t r u c t u r e i n such a way t h a t s c i n -
t i l l a t i o n o c c u r s , Other p a r t i c l e s a l s o s t r i k e t h e
sandwich, b u t they are charged, and t h e r e f o r e cause
l i g h t f l a s h e s i n the o u t e r p l a s t l c s c i n t i l l a t o r
before s t r i k i n g the c r y s t a l layers.
The o u t p u t s of t h e p h o t o m u l t i p l i e r s which
monitor t h e l i g h t f l a s h e s from t h e s e three t e l e s c o p e
components are fed i n t o t h e e l e c t r o n i c system which
i n c l u d e s auto-coincidence c i r c u i t s . These c i r c u i t s ,
when commanded t o do so from t h e ground, w i l l c a n c e l
out all l i g h t flashes n o t r e l a t e d t o incoming gamma
rays from t h e forward d i r e c t i o n .
The e l e c t r o n i c system i s q u i t e v e r s a t i l e i n
t h a t t h e experimenter on t h e ground can, by i s s u i n g
the proper commands, observe o t h e r p a r t i c l e s imping-
i n g on the t e l e s c o p e . The experimenter can a l s o
observe t h e performance of d i f f e r e n t parts o f the
e l e c t r o n i c system.

s-15 w i l l c o n t a i n two t r a n s m i t t e r s , one for

t r a c k i n g and t r a n s m i t t i n g continuous d a t a and one
for tape r e c o r d i n g r e a d o u t , Both transmitters w i l l
be under ground command c o n t r o l . A 10-channel
command receiver w i l l c o n t r o l t h e experimental
functions.
 The data transmitter, using a "four leaf"
loop antenna projecting out from the instrument
column beneath the telescope housing, will operate
on a frequency of 107.97 megacycles with a power
output of approximately 125 milliwatts. The
tracking transmitter will operate on a frequency
of 108.06 megacycles with a power of 20-25 milliwatts.
The antenna for this transmitter is the entire
satellite,
 TRACKING AND DATA REDUCTION
The s a t e l l i t e w i l l be t r a c k e d by 3he world-wide Mini-
t r a c k system o v e r t h e 108.06 megacycle beacon frequency
d u r i n g i t s u s e f u l l i f e , estimated a t about one year.
Ten initract stations, under the d i r e c t i o n of t h e
Goddard Center, w i l l p a r t i c i p a t e u s i n g i n t e r f e r o m e t e r
t r a c k i n g techniques, An i n t e r f e r o m e t e r u s e s t h e phase
d i f f e r e n c e of two s i g n a l s r e c e i v e d on two antennas, a
measurable d i s t a n c e apart, t o determine the d i r e c t i o n
from which t h e s a t e l l i t e i s t r a n s m i t t i n g .
These stations a r e l o c a t e d a t Woomera, A u s t r a l i a ;
Johannesburg, South Africa; Santiago, C h i l e ; Antofagasta,
Chile; Uma, Peru; Quito, Ecuador; Antigua, B r i t i s h West
Indies; San Diego, Calif. ; F t , Myers, F l a . , and Blossom
Point, Md.
I n a d d i t i o n , a network of ''quick look" s t a t i o n s w i l l
i n c l u d e t h e Marshall C e n t e r ' s d o p p l e r s t a t i o n s a t Hunts-
v i l l e , Ala., and Cape Canaveral, F l a . ; t h e Army Rocket and
Guided Missile Agency's d o p p l e r s t a t i o n a t Redstone Arsenal,
Ala., and the Goddard C e n t e r ' s Mtnitrack s t a t i o n a t Cape
Canaveral.
Goddard's p o r t a b l e d o p p l e r s t a t i o n s w i l l a l s o f u r n i s h
"quick look" i n f o r m a t i o n f r o m : A t l a n t i c , N,C.; P a y n t e r s
H i l l , Bermuda, and Puerto M c o . M i n i t r a c k s t a t i o n s a t
Blossom Point, Johannesburg, a n d Woomera will gather
similar data. Three o t h e r d o p p l e r s t a t i o n s p a r t i c i p a t i n g
i n the "quick look" program w i l l be l o c a t e d a t the
B a l l i s t i c Research L a b o r a t o r i e s , Aberdeen, Md.; F o r t
Monmouth, N. J.; and the J e t Propulsion LaboraGory a t
Camp I r w i n , C a l i f o r n i a .
T h i s "quick look" data w i l l be t r a n s m i t t e d as soon
as p o s s i b l e t o the Marshall Center, v h e r e i t will be
e v a l u a t e d q u l c k l y t o determine the Juno I1 v e h i c l e ' s per-
formance, i n j e c t i o n parameters and i n i t i a l o r b i t a l ele-
ments,
T h i s processed data will then be transmitted t o
Goddard f o r use, a l o n g with the Minitrack t r a c k i n g data,
t o determine a more p r e c i s e s e t of orbital elements and
t o compute p r e d i c t e d t r a c k i n g and telemetry station
a c q u i s i t i o n times.

-7 -
* DATA REDUCTION
The data t r a n s m i t t e d by $he S-15 s a t e l l i t e and re-
corded by the M i n i t r a c k s t a t i o n s w i l l be processed and
reduced a t Goddard Space F l i g h t C e n t e r .
The composite d e t e c t e d s i g n a l w i l l be separated
i n t o f i v e channels by t h e u s e of f i l t e r s . Discrimina-
t o r s c o n v e r t t h i s data t o v o l t a g e amplitudes, which
w i l l be d i s p l a y e d on an o s c i l l o s c o p e , then recorded on
35mm f i l m .
An o r b i t ' s worth of data w i l l be processed i n a
l i t t l e o v e r t e n minutes and recorded on about 36 f e e t of
film. Also, t h e l i g h t p u l s e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s , elapsed
time, and t i m e marks w i l l be recorded on b i n a r y t a p e i n
a format compatible w i t h t h e experimenters' computer pro-
gram. A few i n c h e s of tape w i l l be r e q u i r e d for each
o r b i t . This data will t h e n be s e n t t o t h e experimenters
a t MIT, who wi11,conduct t h e f i n a l data a n a l y s i s .
ORBITAL DATA
The s a t e l l i t e w i l l be launched i n t o a planned
e l l i p t i c a l , low I n c l i n a t i o n o r b i t i n o r d e r t h a t (1) t h e
i n i t i a l s p i n a x i s of t h e payload w i l l be i n such a
d i r e c t i o n t h a t t h e t e l e s c o p e w i l l scan the sun d u r i n g
t h e e a r l y part of i t s l i f e t i m e ; ( 2 i t will have a l i f e -
t i m e i n e x c e s s of s i x months; and [3) an a p p r e c i a b l e
f r a c t i o n of t h e t i m e w i l l be s p e n t below t h e i n n e r Van
Allen radiation belt.
S c i e n t i s t s p l a n that S-15 w i l l o r b i t a t an i n c l i n a -
t i o n near 28 degrees t o t h e equator. P r e l i m i n a r y p l a n s
c a l l f o r an apogee of about TOO miles and a t p e r i g e e I

of about 300 m i l e s . It i s i n t e n d e d , i n t h i s o r b i t , t o
c i r c l e the e a r t h approximately e v e r y 98 minutes. Its
o r b i t a l l i f e t i m e should be o v e r t h r e e y e a r s .
 THE JUNO I1 LAUNCH VEHICLE

The Juno I1 c a r r i e r v e h i c l e i s t h e same f o u r - s t a g e

r o c k e t used t o launch Pioneer I V and E x p l o r e r s VI1 and
VIII. It i s based on t h e J u p i t e r r o c k e t , developed by
Marshall p e r s o n n e l b e f o r e t h e i r transfer from the Army
t o NASA. The v e h i c l e c o n s i s t s of a modified J u p i t e r
m i s s i l e s e r v i n g as the f i r s t s t a g e and the t h r e e - s t a g e
c l u s t e r of s o l i d p r o p e l l a n t r o c k e t s placed i n a s p i n n i n g
''tub" .on t o p of the f i r s t stage, T h i s high-speed upper
assembly, s u p p l i e d by t h e J e t Propulsion Laboratory, i s
i d e n t i c a l t o that of the Jupiter-C, as i s t h e v e h i u l e l s
s t a g i n g technique,
The aluminum a l l o y - c o n s t r u c t e d Juno I1 measures
76 f e e t i n height and weighs about 60 t o n s a t l i f t o f f .
F i r s t Stage:
The J u p i t e r b o o s t e r has been modified f o r t h i s
space r o l e t o i n c r e a s e i t s f u e l c a p a c i t y by some 20
seconds of burning t i m e . The b o o s t e r s e c t i o n and f u e l
t a n k s are extended three f e e t . me1 for the b o o s t e r
p r o p u l s i o n system i s a high-grade kerosene, combined
w i t h l i q u i d oxygen as an o x i d i z i n g agent.
A bell-shaped t h r u s t chamber i s used t o combine
high a l t i t u d e e f f i c i e n c y w i t h maximum performance a t
low a l t i t u d e . The chamber i s gimballed t o a l l o w use of
the engine t h r u s t v e c t o r i n c o n t r o l l i n g . d i r e c t i o n . To
provide c o o l i n g f o r the chamber d u r i n g o p e r a t i o n , f u e l
f o r t h e engine c i r c u l a t e s through the chamber walls
b e f o r e being f e d through t h e . i n j e c t o r i n t o the combus-
t i o n area.
Moving t h e f u e l and o x i d i z e r through t h e engine a t
tremendous f l o w and p r e s s u r e rates i s t h e e n g i n e ' s t u r b i n e
assembly w i t h twin pumps roughly e q u a l i n s i z e t o household

-9-

. .. _1-1II ... .. _.. . . . - . " . -

_. .. . .- . . .
- p r e s s u r e cookers, The t u r b i n e i t s e l f i a d r i v e n by h o t gases
provided by combustion of t h e main p r o p e l l a n t s i n a gas
g e n e r a t o r . Exhaust f r o m the l a t t e r i s added to t h e t h r u s t
c r e a t e d by t h e engine.
Upper S t a g e s :
The upper s t a e s of t h i s Launch v e h i c l e were developed
?
f o r t h e J u p i t e r - C Composite Reentry T e s t V e h i c l e ) . The upper
assembly i s f i t t e d i n t o a r o t a t i n g ''tub" or launcher. The
r o t a t i o n imparted by t h e t u b F i v e s s t a b i l i t y d u r i n g burning
of t h e l a s t t h r e e s t a g e s , much as a r i f l e b u l l e t i s s t a b i l i z e d
by spinning. The assembly i s r o t a t e d by motors mounted i n
t h e i n s t r u m e n t compartment.

The second s t a g e of t h e rocKet c o n s i s t s of a c l u s t e r o f

11 s o l i d p r o p e l l a n t motors. Inserted i n t o t h i s ring i s the
t h i r d s t a g e of t h r e e r o c k e t s . Atop t h e t h i r d s t a g e i s t h e
s i n g l e r o c k e t which makes u p t h e f o u r t h and f i n a l s t a g e ,
The t h r e e t o p s t a g e s provide t h e f i n a l h o r i z o n t a l i m -
p u l s e needed t o p l a c e t h e s a t e l l i t e i n t o o r b i t . A t burnout
of t h e main stage, t h e r o c k e t i s t r a v e l l i n g a t about 11,000
m i l e s p e r hour. The upper s t a g e s i g n i t e i n r a p i d s u c c e s s i o n --
r e q u i r i n g l i t t l e more than 25 seconds --
and push the ve-
l o c i t y of t h e payload t o t h e d e s i r e d l e v e l .
Shroud:
A s p e c i a l l y - d e s i g n e d shroud encases t h e launching
v e h i c l e ' s high-speed up;?e;- assembly and payload. The shroud
has t h r e e main f u n c t i o n s : t o e l i m i n a t e t h e dynamic f o r c e s t o
which t h e upper stages :rov.ld other?wise be s u b j e c t e d ; t o pro-
t e c t t h e assembly from ';he h e e t g e n e r a t e d by a i r f r i c t i o n ;
and t o provide strpport fo;- khe a n g l e - o f - a t t a c k meter which
i s r e q u i r e d i n t h i s c o n r i g u r a t l o n t o g i v e adequate c o n t r o l
d u r i n g i n i t i a l s t a g e s of f l i g h t .
Guidance :
The small s t a b i l i z e d platform, l o c a t e d i n t h e upper
s e c t i o n of t h e b o o s t e r , i s a l i g n e d v e r y p r e c i s e l y t o t h e
lltaa.rg;et"i n space. F x m t h c Xomei?t t h e r o c k e t 1 - i f t s o f f t h e
e a r t h and through t h e entire pi-opelled f l i g h t , t h e p l a t f o r m
i s c o n s t r a i n e d t o t h e same a n g u l a r d i r e c t i o n , The r o c k e t
tilts and a r c s through 5he sky, but t h e p l a t f o r m r e m a i n s
c o n s t a n t , o r "space-fixed. II
Any u n d e s i r e d d e v i a t l o x s i n v e h i c l e a t t i t u d e r e l a t i v e
t o t h e s t a b i l i z e d p l a t f o m s e m 1 t i a g from wind o r t h r u s t
misalignment are gensed and t h e i n f o r m a t i o n i s f e d i n t o t h e
v e h i c l e ' s computer. N e c e a s a q c o r r e c t l o n s are i s s u e d a u t o -

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m a t i c a l l y by t h e system's c o n t r o l computer t o keep t h e v e h i c l e
continuously d i r e c t e d on path.
A f t e r t h e c o r r e c t i o n s have been i s s u e d b y t h e " b r a i n s "
of t h e v e h i c l e , t h e r o c k e t ' s a t t i t u d e i s a l t e r e d a c c o r d i n g l y
by s w i v e l l i n g t h e nozzle on the b o o s t e r engine for c o n t r o l
i n t h e p i t c h and yaw planes, and s w i v e l l i n g the t u r b i n e ex-
h a u s t nozzle f o r r o l l c o n t r o l ,
F l i g h t Procedure :
Durlng t h e burning time of t h e f i r s t s t a g e , approxi-
mately t h r e e minutes, t h e r o c k e t i s t i l t e d i n t o a t r a j e c t o r y
i n c l i n e d a t a p r e d e t e m i i n e d angle. A few seconds a f t e r c u t -
o f f , t h e b o o s t e r (combined t a n k and engine s e c t i o n of f i r s t
s t a g e ) i s s e p a r a t e d from t h e i n s t r u m e n t compartment by ex-
p l o s i v e b o l t s , t h e s p r i n g s e x e r t a g e n t l e push on t h e i n -
strument compartment and s e p a r a t e it c l e a n l y from t h e booster.
T h i s is followed by t h e f i r i n g of f o u r s m a l l l a t e r a l k i c k
r o c k e t s c o n t a i n e d i n t h e b o o s t e r which cause t h e b o o s t e r t o
slow down s l i g h t l y i n speed and move t o the s i d e . T h i s
eliminates t h e possibility of t h e b o o s t e r i n t e r f e r i n g w i t h
t h e f l i g h t of t h e s e p a r a t e d upper s t a g e s ,
The b o o s t e r f a l l s i n t o t h e A t l a n t i c , while t h e u p p e r
assembly c o n t i n u e s on i t s path. The nose cone of t h e shroud
i s removed by e x p l o s i v e b o l t s a n d s p r i n g s , and a k i c k r o c k e t
moves i t t o t h e side. A f t e r a c o a s t p e r i o d of about f i v e
minutes, t h e second stage of t h e r o t a t i n g upper assembly w i t h -
i n t h e shroud-encased t u b i s i g n i t e d . The assembly, r o t a t i n g
a t about 380 rpm, r a p i d l y p u l l s o u t of t h e tub, and t h e
t h i r d and f o u r t h s t a g e s a r e f i r e d i n q u i c k s u c c e s s i o n . The
f o u r t h - s t a g e b o o s t s t h e payload t o o r b i t a l v e l o c i t y and r e -
mains with the s a t e l l i t e .
T o t a l . t i m e from t h e l i f t o f f t o t h e i n j e c t i o n of S-15
i n t o o r b i t w i l l be about n i n e minutes.

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. .. . .. ._ ___ ___ll_l_ , .. .. .. -. __l_" _I__ ... . I.c-_ _. -
 NEWS R E L E A S E
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
1 5 2 0 H STREET, NORTHWEST WASHINGTON 2 5 , D. C
TELEPHONES DUDLEY 2 - 6 3 2 5 . EXECUTIVE 3 - 3 2 6 0

FOR RELEASE: Tnumbia%

'I9nZ-
IiELEASE NO. 61-93 April 27, 1961

SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND ON THE GAWA RAY SATEZLI'E (S-15)

The gasmaray telescope experiment was proposed and developed by

Professors W i l l i a m Kraushaar and George Clark of the MTT Physics Depart-
m n t . With it, they hope t o make progress i n the study of seveml pro-
blems of major s c i e n t i f i c importance which canbe imrerstigated only by
such a gmma-ray device.
These are problems which must be studied with the aid of a satellite,
and cannot be studied on the ground, beeause the gamrmn-rays from outer
space, on which the experiment depends, are unable t o penetrate the e a r t h ' s
atmospheE!and reach ground-based instruments.

The first problem t o be investigated by t h e ganrma-my tebsoope i s

the question of t h e origin of cosmic rays. Tkese a m extr&#=lylarge
p a r t i c l e s , most of which are produced outside the solar system but x i t h i n
our galaxy. A very f e w are emitted by .the suq during unwually violent
solar flares, and a few of the most energetic cosmic seys may arleo come
from other galaxies, but these together are a very sam~llfraction of the
total number of cosmic rays i n the v i c i n i t y of the earth. It i s believed
t h a t most cosmic m y s are produced i n the galaxy either i n the space between
the stars or i n the stars themselves, or i n the clouds of hot gas t h a t =main
after a star has exploded i n t o a supernova.

The production of cosmic rays i n the i n t e r s t e l l a ce was f i r s t

suggested by Ferini, who proposed that charged p a r t i c l e s w i l l be deflected
occasionally by irregular regions of strong w e t i c f i e l d i n space, and
will pick up a l i t t l e b i t of energy i n each ncoUisionn w i t h a rmagnetic
field, and eventually acquim vast amounts of energy thmugh a succession
of a Parge number of such collisions.

The production of cosmic rays a t the surface of stars is an obvious

suggestion brlsed on observations of the occasional e d s s i o n of such parti-
c l e s f r o m t h e surface of our sun. It i s not known i f the s a i s a ty-pical
star i n t h i s E s p e c t , and therefore we cannot t e l l whether such surface
a c t i v i t y i n other stars i s a major contributor t o t h e avemge level
of cosmic ra;y intensity i n the galaxy.
The suggestion that cosmic r a y s are produced i n the aftermath
of supernwae i s based on observations of t h e famous Crab Nebula, a
cloud of hot gas expanding rapidly outward at the place i n the sky
whem Chinese astronomers observed an exploding star i n 1054 A.D. The
l i g h t emitted by t h e Crab Nebula has been found t o resemble the l i g h t
emitted by charged p a r t i c l e s i n a synchrotron, a type of nuclear acce-
l e r a t o r used t o bring electrons and protons up t o very high energies
i n the laboratory f o r nuclear experiments. The operation of the syn-
chrotron Equizes the presence of a r e l a t i v e l y strong magnetic f i e l d .
Since the C r a b emits t h i s characteristic synchrotron radiation, it
i s thought by physicists and astronomers that such rnagnetic f i e l d s must
be present i n the Crab Nebula, where they must occur on a v a s t l y ::“eater
scale than i n the same process of synchrotron acceleration that i s
carried on i n nuclear physics laboratories.
I n order t o t e s t the t r u t h of this theory, it i s necessary t o see
whether t h e C r a b i s indeed a source of cosmic rays. W e cannot look
at the C r a b f o r cosmic rays directly, because these cosmic rays are
charged p a r t i c l e s , which are deflected by the random magnetic fields
i n the space between the stars, and scattered Over the e n t i r e galaxy,
so t h a t any h i n t of t h e direction from which they came has been l o s t
by the t Y m e they reach the earth. However, i f the Crab ,is a source of
cosmic rays, it will be the source of gamma-rays which must. be emitted
whenever cosmic rays i n t e r a c t with matter. These gamma-rays travel i n
a s t r a i g h t l i n e , uninfluenced by e l e c t r i c and rnagnetic fields, and t h e i r
study by the aid of gamm-ra;y telescopes w i l l give a t r u e picture of the
direction of t h e i r origin, and therefore of t h e sources of cosmic radia-
t i o n i n the sky.
If the Crab i s a source of gamma-mys it is probably not unique
i n that respect, and we can expect the gamma-ray telescope to =veal
many other gamma-ray sources i n t h e sky. If t h a t i s the case, the
gaxngm-ray telescope will open up new v i s t a s f o r our study of c e l e s t i a l
obJects, and will pravide an important addition t o studiee of the uni-
verse carried out w i t h ground-based optical and radio telescopes.
It may also be possible t o obtain from this experimnt a measure-
ment of the amoUnt of matter between the stars. H a l f the matter i n the
galaxy should be concentrated i n the stars, w i t h half remaining i n the
space between the stars as t h e source &%rial out of which new stars
can be formd. We are c e r t a i n that almost a l l the matter i n the i n t e r -
stellar space is i n the form of atomic and b l e c u l a r hydrogen. With

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..

the a i d of radio telescopes on earth we can dil.ectly measul.e t h e

amount of atomic hydrogen, and l a t e s t results indicate that t h i s
mkes up about two percent of the matter i n the stars. This i s
a considerably slnaller fraction than we would expect. Pehaps t h e
answer i s that a Aarge amount of additional material e x i s t s i n
space i n the form of molecular hydrogen, which cannot be detected
a t present.

A good measuzement of the amount of molecular hydrogen mquires

an u l t r a v i o l e t telescope such a s w i l l be flown several years from
now i n the NASA Orbiting Astronomical Observatory. I n the interim
we may be able t o get a rough measurement of the total. amount of
i n t e r s t e l l a r matter, including the molecular hydrogen, with the a i d
of t h e gamm-ray astmnomy experiment.
This application of the gamnnt-ray experimnt depends on the
following ideas. I n addition t o the particular points i n the sky,
such as the C r a b Nebula, which may provide intense sources of cosmic
rays and gamma-rays, we expect t o find an approximately uniform l e v e l
of @;amma-rayintensity, produced by the collisions between cosmic
rays and atoms and molecules i n i n t e r s t e l l a r space. The number of
gamma-rays produced as a result of these collisions w i l l depend on
both the average cosmic ray intensity i n the g a l a x y , and the density
of i n t e r s t e l l a r matter i n the galaxy. W e have measured the cosmic
ray intensity i n the v i c i n i t y of the earth, and it i s a good approxi-
mation t o assume that t h i s i n t e n s i t y is the same throughout the galaxy.
Themfom t h i s i s a known quantity and we cam deduce the unknown density
of interstellar matter i f we can measme the intensity of garmpa-raiys
w i t h t h e aid of the garmna-ray telescope.

The gamma-my telescope measurements may also throw SOE l i g h t

on questions i n cosmology, the study of the history of the universe.
One school of thought i n cosmology holds t h a t the universe has evolved
t o i t s pzesent state fran an earlier period i n w h i c h densities and
temperrttuzes i n t h e universe were very much higher than they are now.
According t o t h i s evolutionary school, tb universe is expanding out-
ward i n the aftermath of a gigantic primeval explosiono There is,
i n f a c t , evidence f o r such an outward expansion f o r a91 objects i n
the universe.

The other principal school of comology argues that the universe

i s i n a steady state i n which i t s structure is a t t h e present t h e ,
the sanae i n every sense a s it w a s i n the past, and as it w i l l be
throughout the future. According t o t h e steady state cosmologists,
whose views are propounded primarily by Cold, Hoyle, and Bondi, the

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outward expansion of the universe i s a result of a continuous creation
of matter, w h i c h is produced eveqwhere throughout the universe at a
Bmau but steady rate. The expansion is then j u s t the response of t h e
universe t o the additional pressures generated by newly cmated matter.
It has been suggested that i f matter is created, anti-matter w i l l
probably be created simultaneously. After a considerable length of t i m e ,
estimated t o be about t e n million years on the average, the newly created
anti-matter will carbine w i t h the existing matter i n the galaxy and be
annihilated i n the process of combination, leaving only radiant energy
i n the form of gamma-rays. These ganmra-rays can be detected by the
gamma-my telescape. The rate of creation of matter need not be very
large according t o the steady state cosmologists, in, f a c t not mom than
the equivalent of one hydrogen atom per second i n a cube 100 miles on
a side. But i f anti-matter i s created a t the same ti= at t h i s rate,
the annihilated gamma-mys produced by it w i l l lead t o a very strong
signal i n the gama-ra;y telscope. The signal will be, i n f a c t , about
100 times greater than- produced by gamk-rays emitted i n the i n t e r -
action of cosmic rays w i t h the gas i n the galaxy. Thus t h e gamma-ray
experiment w i l l provide a very good measumment o r upper l i m i t on the
rate of crxation of anti-matter within the galaxy.
The gamma r a y telescope is an exploratory instrument which may
not answer a l l of these questions. However, i n t h i s f i r s t of a new
generation of telescopes designed t o investigate the gamma-ray region
of the electromagnetic spectrum, physics and astronomy w i l l acquire
t h e i r i n i t i a l experience w i t h the design and application of a powerful
new i n s t m n t f o r exploring the structure of the universe.

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