 | Ariel V carried many experiments. A set of four were co-aligned with the
spin-axis monitoring a small field of the X-ray sky. Other two experiments, All-Sky Monitor
(ASM) and the Sky-Survey Instrument (SSI), were instead as their names suggest, dedicated to
monitoring wider region of the X-ray sky.
The picture shows a technician working on the
Ariel V. |
 | There are two platforms at the launch site in Kenya,
San Marco and Santa Rita, a few km apart. On the Santa Rita platform is
located the experimenters test room (shown in the picture).
Santa Rita is the closest view site to the San Marco launch platform. |
 | The daily transport from the mainland, at Malindi (Kenya), to
the platforms was the boat shown in the picture. The net cage, called "a
billy pugh net", it was swung out on a crane. After the arrival at the platform,
passengers have to jump from the boat into the net and subsequently be hoisted
onto the platform. |
 | Transport between the two platforms was usually via a ZODIAC
inflatable boats. The picture shows one of this trip. Steve Holt, PI of the
ASM instrument on Ariel V, is in the middle of the picture. John Raymont,
that worked on the experiment C on Ariel V, is on his left. Seated with the
hat is Robert Boyd, the MSSL director, and standing is John Smith from the UK Science Research
Council. |
 | View of the Santa Rita platform, from the boat. It is the day
of the launch. |
 | View of the San Marco platform. The Scout rocket carrying
Ariel V is in place and everything is ready to go. Perfect day for launch.
The clock is ticking .. |
| Lift off !
It's October 15 1974
Ariel V
was a UK-USA collaboration. It operated till the spring of 1980 and it was
dedicated to monitoring the X-ray sky. |
