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Explorer XI
NASA
Launch Year: 1961
Agency: NASA
For more information: http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/heasarc/missions/explorer11.html
Carrying a telescope built by Massachusetts Institute
of Technology (MIT) scientists William L. Kraushaar
and George W. Clark, Explorer XI was the first satellite
dedicated to gamma-ray astronomy. Placed in an eccentric
orbit around Earth, the satellite searched for the
signs of cosmic-ray interaction with interstellar
material. Because Explorer could not be actively directed,
the spacecraft rotated end over end, providing a rough
scan of the celestial sphere. The satellite detected
22 cosmic gamma-ray events before its power source
deteriorated.
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