Spacelab 2 X-ray telescope (XRT)

Gallery views of the Space Gallery showing X-ray telescope Spacelab 2 X-Ray Telescope (XRT) Photographer at Science Museum Spacelab 2 X-Ray Telescope (XRT) Photographer at Science Museum

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

Gallery views of the Space Gallery showing X-ray telescope
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Spacelab 2 X-Ray Telescope (XRT) Photographer at Science Museum
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Spacelab 2 X-Ray Telescope (XRT) Photographer at Science Museum
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Spacelab 2 X-ray telescope (XRT), University of Birmingham, 1985

This telescope was carried into orbit aboard the US Space Shuttle Challenger in 1985. It was positioned in the open payload doors of Challenger and surveyed our galaxy for ten days. It returned the first high-energy X-ray image of the galactic centre. The telescope was devised and assembled by a University of Birmingham team led by Professor Peter Willmore. It used an innovative pseudo-random coded mask technique for imaging the individual X-ray sources across the galaxy.

Details

Category:
Space Technology
Object Number:
2005-33
type:
telescope
credit:
University of Birmingham

Parts

Spacelab 2 X-ray Telescope

Spacelab 2 X-ray Telescope

Spacelab 2 X-ray telescope (XRT)

Measurements:
overall: 8200 mm x 1000 mm x 2200 mm,
Object Number:
2005-33/1
type:
telescope - astronomical
Control knob, with writing and image inscription on face, from Spacelab 2 X-ray telescope (XRT)

Control knob, with writing and image inscription on face, from Spacelab 2 X-ray telescope (XRT)

Control knob, with writing and image inscription on face, from Spacelab 2 X-ray telescope (XRT)

Materials:
metal (unknown) and paint
Object Number:
2005-33/10
type:
control knob
Control knob, from Spacelab 2 X-ray telescope (XRT)

Control knob, from Spacelab 2 X-ray telescope (XRT)

Control knob, from Spacelab 2 X-ray telescope (XRT)

Materials:
metal (unknown) and paint
Object Number:
2005-33/11
type:
control knob