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Experiment: AO178

Experiment Title: A High-Resolution Study of Ultra-heavy Cosmic-Ray Nuclei

Original Principal Investigator(s): Domingo, Vicente - Invest. Role: Original, O'Ceallaigh, Cormac - Invest. Role: Original, O'Sullivan, Dr. Denis - Invest. Role: Original, Wenzel, Dr. Klaus-Peter - Invest. Role: Present, Wenzel, Dr. Klaus-Peter - Invest. Role: Original, Thompson, Dr. Alex - Invest. Role: Present, Thompson, Dr. Alex - Invest. Role: Original, O'Sullivan, Dr. Denis - Invest. Role: Present,

Experiment Description:

Prior to LDEF there were only two spacecraft which carried experiments dedicated to the investigation of ultra-heavy nuclei. HEAO-3 and Ariel 6 were launched in 1979 and employed electronic detectors of geometric factor 5 square meter sr and 2 square meter sr respectively. The combined sample from both missions with Z greater than or equal to 65 comprises approximately 300 events, and the entire sample of actinides (Z greater than or equal to 88) is only 3.

The experiment on LDEF which was dedicated to the study of ultra-heavy (UH) nuclei consisted of an extensive array of primarily Lexan polycarbonate solid state nuclear track detectors, of geometric factor 30 square meter sr, which were mounted with cylindrical aluminum pressure vessels in 16 LDEF experiment trays.

The measurement of the charge spectrum of ultraheavy cosmic-ray nuclei is of vital importance in many areas of astrophysics. Such measurements are relevant to the study of the origin and age of cosmic rays, acceleration and propagation mechanisms, the nucleosynthesis of the heavy elements in our galaxy, and the search for superheavy nuclei (Z greater than 110), and may even lead to improved nuclear mass formulas and beta decay rate formulas for the heaviest nuclides. The central theme of this experiment was the utilization of the LDEF's large area-time factor to obtain a large and uniform sample of ultraheavy cosmic-ray nuclei in the region Z greater than or equal to 30.

Associated Tray(s) Tray Location: A10 - Orientation: 21.9 degrees off ram incidence angle, Tray Location: B05 - Orientation: 128.1 degrees off ram incidence angle, Tray Location: B07 - Orientation: 68.1 degrees off ram incidence angle, Tray Location: C05 - Orientation: 128.1 degrees off ram incidence angle, Tray Location: C06 - Orientation: 98.1 degrees off ram incidence angle, Tray Location: C08 - Orientation: 38.1 degrees off ram incidence angle, Tray Location: A02 - Orientation: 141.9 degrees off ram incidence angle, Tray Location: A04 - Orientation: 158.1 degrees off ram incidence angle, Tray Location: C11 - Orientation: 51.9 degrees off ram incidence angle, Tray Location: D01 - Orientation: 111.9 degrees off ram incidence angle, Tray Location: F04 - Orientation: 158.1 degrees off ram incidence angle, Tray Location: D05 - Orientation: 128.1 degrees off ram incidence angle, Tray Location: D07 - Orientation: 68.1 degrees off ram incidence angle, Tray Location: D11 - Orientation: 51.9 degrees off ram incidence angle, Tray Location: E02 - Orientation: 141.9 degrees off ram incidence angle, Tray Location: E10 - Orientation: 21.9 degrees off ram incidence angle

Photograph Classification: Prelaunch

Associated Photograph(s):
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