Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Central Engineering Department.
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Central Engineering Dept assignment/support requests and drawings, 1975-2000
Accession 06-075 (1975-2000): This collection includes drawings for various components of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Chandra X-Ray Observatory (formerly the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility or AXAF). Materials include lists, drawings, and floppy disks.
Accession 05-075 (1984-2000): This accession consists of Assignment/Support Request (ASR) forms, which are the mechanism for requesting engineering support for projects funded through the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO). In addition to the ASR materials there are schematics and drawings of NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory (formerly the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility or AXAF) and the High Resolution Camera (HRC) developed for it.
Accession 06-063 (1978-1996): This accession consists of contract files dealing with the research, development, and construction of the Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), now known as the Chandra X-Ray Observatory; and its components; the High Resolution Camera (HRC); the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS); and its two transmission grating spectrometers, one set optimized for low energies (LETG) and the other for high energies (HETG). Organizations and companies involved include Eastman Kodak Company; TRW Inc., Space and Technology Group; Hughes Danbury Optical Systems; the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Space Research; Ball Corporation; HTS Design Engineering; Computer Sciences Corporation; Schaeffer Magnetics, Inc.; and Composite Optics, Inc. Materials include correspondence, memorandum, reports, spreadsheets, and drawings.
The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) is a research bureau of the Smithsonian Institution, which was created by Congress in 1846 to carry out a bequest of Englishman James Smithson. It was not until 1890 that SAO was founded by Samuel Pierpont Langley, the Institution's third Secretary, primarily for studies of the Sun. In 1955, SAO moved from Washington, D.C., to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to affiliate with the Harvard College Observatory and to expand its staff, facilities, and, most important, its scientific scope. As an independent trust establishment of the United States government, the Institution today conducts scientific and scholarly research, administers national collections, and provides public service, education, and outreach programs supported by Congressional appropriations, trust endowments and revenues, and private contracts, grants, and gifts.
Ball Corporation
Chandra X-ray Observatory (U.S.)
Computer Sciences Corporation
Eastman Kodak Company
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Space Research
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Central Engineering Department.
TRW Inc.
United States. Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility
United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration
AIP-ICOS
Smithsonian Institution. Archives. Capital Gallery, Suite 3000, MRC 507, 600 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20024-2520, USA