Spacelab

ASTRO-2 was the second dedicated Spacelab mission to conduct astronomical observations in the ultraviolet spectral regions. It consisted of three unique instruments: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT), the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT) and the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo-Polorimeter Experiment ((WUPPE). These experiments selected targets from a list of over 600 and observed objects ranging from some inside the solar system to individual stars, nebulae, supernova remnants, galaxies, and active extra galactic objects. This data supplemented data collected on the ASTRO-1 mission flown on the STS-35 mission in December 1990. Because most ultraviolet radiation is absorbed by Earth's atmosphere, it carnot be studied from the ground. The far and extreme ultraviolet regions of the spectrum were largely unexplored before ASTRO-1, but knowledge of all wavelengths is essential to obtain an accurate picture of the universe. ASTRO-2 had almost twice the duration of its predecessor, and a launch at a different time of year allows the telescopes to view different portions of the sky. The mission served to fill in large gaps in astronomers' understanding of the universe and laid the foundations for more discovery in the future. ASTRO-2, a primary payload of STS-67 flight, was launched on March 2, 1995 aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour.