Post Launch Activities of EUVE

EUVE carried out the first all-sky survey in the extreme ultraviolet wavelength range (100-1000 Å) during the first six months following launch. Concurrent with the all-sky survey, it also made the first imaging deep survey in this range. EUVE detected a wide variety of astronomical sources at considerable distances, including some extragalactic objects.

Following the all-sky survey, a program of pointed spectroscopic observations of individual targets was begun on January 22, 1993. This program is now in its fifth year, as the satellite continues to operate flawlessly and to return a stream of scientific breakthroughs in the new field of EUV astronomy. The guest observer phase of the mission is expected to continue through March 1999.

All instruments are operating and returning excellent data and science, including the following:

• Release of the second EUVE catalogue, with more than 700 sources over the whole sky being recorded to date.
• Release of a list of over 100 new EUV sources discovered serendipitously using the scanner telescopes during GO pointed observations.
• An all-sky catalogue of faint EUV sources.
• An EUV Stellar Spectral Atlas.
• Extensive studies of EUVE emissions from the coronae of cool stars, with the first studies of abundances in an extra-solar corona. Detailed studies of hot white dwarfs, including the surprising EUV absorption in the white dwarf atmosphere due to metals and unprecedented accuracy in the determination of temperature and gravity. See the Bibliography of Papers Using EUVE Data for more information.
• Studies of the local interstellar medium (ISM), in emission and absorption, providing the most detailed picture to date on its physical conditions. See the Bibliography of Papers Using EUVE Data for more information.

In order to transfer technological lessons learned and new tested approaches gained from the EUVE mission, EUVE is now also being used as a management and technology testbed. New operations software that allows semi-autonomous operations of the satellite is one of many other ongoing testbed programs. Utilizing this new software, a conversion to zero shift autonomous operations has been completed.

Students and teachers have also become an integral part of the EUVE project. CEA supports education outreach in a variety of areas, with the goal of using EUVE as a tool to involve K-12 teachers, students, and the general public in this succssful astronomy satellite mission.