posted 05-29-2007 05:56 PM               

Museum employees recently hoisted the Advanced Orbiting Solar Observatory (AOSO) to the rafters in the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar at the Udvar-Hazy Center. In late 1979, the AOSO was severely damaged. The artifact has now been repaired by Muserm staff, and the damaged skin was replaced by a clear plastic cover to reveal interior structure while protecting it overall.

The Advanced Orbiting Solar Observatory Satellite was originally intended as a scaled-up extension of the Orbiting Solar Observatory series. It was conceived as a free-flying unmanned polar-orbiting satellite system capable of continuously monitoring the sun and near solar environment using an array of detectors and electronic imaging devices covering a broad frequency band from the x-ray to the visual range. The AOSO program was canceled in 1965 and a "Final" full-scale mock up was transferred to the Smithsonian in 1969. Many of the scientific instruments planned for AOSO eventually were developed for the Skylab Apollo Telescope Mount, which flew in 1973.