Technical Report: Synchrotron Radiation from Outer Space and the Chandra X-ray Observatory

The Chandra X-ray Observatory began its journey into space on July 23, 1999, using the Space Shuttle Columbia for the initial ascent. An upper stage and integral propulsion then placed the observatory into an elliptical orbit with an initial apogee of 140,000 km (1/3 of the distance to the moon) and an initial perigee 10,000 km (about two earth radii). In this orbit, the satellite (Figure 1) is above the radiation belts for more than 75% of the 63.5 hour orbital period, allowing for uninterrupted observations up to more than two days.