| The first of three High Energy Astrophysical Observatories (HEAO-1) was launched by NASA in August of 1977. It was primarily a survey mission designed to scan and map the universe using X-rays. After six months, the entire sky had been observed. In January of 1979, the systems were shut down and HEAO-1 drifted in a decaying orbit until it burned up on re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. The second and third HEAO missions continued making images of, and studying various sources of, X-rays and gamma-rays in the sky. |
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The StarChild site is a service of the High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC), within the Astrophysics Science Division (ASD) at NASA/ GSFC.
StarChild Authors: The StarChild Team
StarChild Graphics & Music: Acknowledgments
StarChild Project Leader: Dr. Laura A.
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