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WASS
The Wisconsin All-Sky Survey (WASS) sounding rocket program was a project to map the diffuse X-ray background at multiple bands between 0.1 and 6 keV by instruments flown on a series of rocket flights between late 1972 and early 1980.
The two November 1973 flights were launched from Australia’s Woomera Rocket Range. All other rocket launches were from the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The same payload was used in eight of the flights, and a smaller version in two of the earlier flights (Dec 1972 and Nov 1973).
Scan paths for the rocket flights used in the survey, shown in galactic coordinates. The path for flight 25.045 is shown as a dashed line: This flight had a malfunctioning attitude control system.
Mission Characteristics
| Lifetime | 1972–1979 |
| Special Features | Series of rocket flights to collectively map the diffuse soft X-ray background |
Payload
| Date | Target (l,b) | Flight No | Date | Target (l,b) | Flight No |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Dec 1972 | 168.2, -9.5 | 13.083 | 1 Nov 1973 | 227.9,-56.4 | 13.103 |
| 12 Nov 1973 | 226.8,-66.6 | 13.102 | 20 Jul 1974 | 64.2,+12.8 | 13.084 |
| 8 Nov 1975 | 131.8,-29.2 | 13.049 | 15 Jan 1977 | 183.5,+15.3 | 13.122 |
| 25 May 1977 | 54.0,+41.6 | 26.061 | 6 May 1978 | 52.2,+63.7 | 13.137 |
| 15 Mar 1979 | 193.7,+50.7 | 25.045 | 21 Jan 1980 | 192.1,+41.4 | 25.051 |
| Instrument | Characteristic | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Proportional Counter | Energy Range | 0.1–6 keV |
| Field of View | 6.5° circular | |
| Gas proportional counter with three-sided anti-coincidence, filled with a 90% argon 10% methane mix at ∼1 atm pressure. Honeycomb Collimators gave a 6.5° circular field of view. Data collection was performed by scanning over a fan-shaped field. Each individual flight scanned roughly one eighth of the sky. | ||
Proportional Counter
Science Highlights
First complete all X-ray survey of the diffuse background in seven different X-ray band.
Archive
The HEASARC hosts the WASS maps