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arXiv · astro-ph/0605039

BLAST Autonomous Daytime Star Cameras

Marie Rex·Edward Chapin·Mark J. Devlin·Joshua Gundersen·Jeff Klein·Enzo Pascale·Donald Wiebe
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Abstract

We have developed two redundant daytime star cameras to provide the fine pointing solution for the balloon-borne submillimeter telescope, BLAST. The cameras are capable of providing a reconstructed pointing solution with an absolute accuracy < 5 arcseconds. They are sensitive to stars down to magnitudes ~ 9 in daytime float conditions. Each camera combines a 1 megapixel CCD with a 200 mm f/2 lens to image a 2 degree x 2.5 degree field of the sky. The instruments are autonomous. An internal computer controls the temperature, adjusts the focus, and determines a real-time pointing solution at 1 Hz. The mechanical details and flight performance of these instruments are presented.

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Marie Rex, Edward Chapin, Mark J. Devlin, Joshua Gundersen, Jeff Klein, Enzo Pascale, Donald Wiebe. 2006-05-01. BLAST Autonomous Daytime Star Cameras. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.671965

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