The ISO mission: past and future
M. F. Kessler;
In The Universe as Seen by ISO, 1999, ESA-SP 427, P. Cox and M. F. Kessler, p. 23
ABSTRACT:This paper presents an overview of the European Space Agency's Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) mission.
ISO, an observatory open to the
general astronomical community, covered the wavelength range from 2.5-240
μm at a wide variety of spectral and spatial resolutions and was
operational between November 1995 and April 1998.
The paper summarises the design
of the satellite, the capabilities of the instruments and the
operational scenario.
Some of the events of the development phase are briefly
reviewed before highlights of, and statistics about, the highly-successful
in-orbit operations are given.
The plans for the post-operational phase are
outlined and a few of ISO's scientific highlights are presented.
KEYWORDS: telescopes, instrumentation: miscellaneous, space vehicles: instruments, infrared: general
CODE: kessler99