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The COS-B Satellite
he ESA mission COS-B, along with NASA's SAS-2,
provided the
first detailed views of the Universe in Gamma-rays. COS-B carried a single
large experiment, the Gamma-Ray Telescope, which was responsibility of a
group of European research laboratories know as the
Caravane Collaboration. Launched on the 9 August 1975, COS-B was
originally projected to last two years, but it operated successfully for 6
years and 8 months. It provided the first complete map of the Galaxy in
gamma-rays.
Mission Characteristics
 Lifetime : 9
Aug 1975 - 25 April 1982
Energy Range :
2 keV - 5 GeV
Payload :
- Magnetic-core, wire-matrix, spark chamber gamma-ray detector
(~30 MeV-5 GeV), eff. area 50 cm2 at 400 MeV
- a 2-12 keV proportional counter mounted on the side of the
gamma-ray detector
Science Highlights:
- Observations of gamma-ray pulsars, binary systems.
- Gamma-ray map of the Galaxy.
- Detailed observations of the GEMINGA gamma-ray pulsar.
Archive : Raw data, image and exposure maps from
the Gamma ray detector
[About COS-B] (http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/cosb/cosb_about.html)
[Archive] (http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/cosb/archive/cosb_archive.html)
[Gallery] (http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/cosb/cosb_images.html)
[Publications] (http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/cosb/bib/cosb_biblio.html)
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