The Scientist's Role In The Management Of Large X-Ray Optics

HEAO -B (or the Einstein Observatory, as it is known in the scientific community --I will use the terms interchangeably) is the first astrophysical observatory in the X -ray wavelength range; it is similar to Space Telescope or a ground based observatory in many respects; it consists of a mirror, a group of focal plane instruments, and a supporting spacecraft structure. Riccardo Giacconi is the Principal Investigator, and four scientific groups, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, M.I.T., the Goddard Space Flight Center, and the Columbia Astrophysical Observatory, have been associated with the experiment from its early phases. NASA has managed the overall HEAD program, TRW designed and built the spacecraft and AS &E designed and built much of the experiment instrumentation. The mirror, which will be the subject of most of this talk, was one of the most challenging tasks of the program. The institutional roles in the mirror effort are summarized in Table 1.