These aluminum tubes act as a set of collimators to restrict the field of view of a proportional counter that is one of the flight spares from the SAS-1/Uhuru satellite. The Uhuru satellite, launched in 1970, was the first earth-orbiting spacecraft dedicated exclusively to X-ray astronomy.

The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory transferred this counter to NASM in 2002.

Display Status

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.

Object Details

Country of Origin

United States of America

Type

INSTRUMENTS-Scientific

Manufacturer

American Science & Engineering, Incorporated
Uniform Tube Company

Dimensions

3-D (Tubes): 14 × 0.8 × 0.8cm (5 1/2 × 5/16 × 5/16 in.)
3-D (Plastic Box): 17.8 × 7.6 × 3.8cm (7 × 3 × 1 1/2 in.)

Materials

Aluminum
Copper Alloy

Inventory Number

A20020296000

Credit Line

Transferred from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Data Source

National Air and Space Museum

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.