On September 20, 1979, the Marshall Space Flight Center’s third and final High Energy Astronomy Observatory (HEAO-C) was launched from Kennedy Space Center aboard an Atlas-Centaur vehicle. Known as HEAO-3 after its insertion into orbit, HEAO-C continued the program’s mission of probing the electromagnetic spectrum beyond the X-ray level, discovering a multitude of gamma and cosmic rays. Utilizing a gamma-ray spectrometer, a cosmic-ray isotope experiment, and a heavy cosmic-ray nuclei experiment to bring images of supernova remnants, pulsars, and distant galaxies into focus, the three HEAO missions propelled forward the then emerging field of high energy astrophysics. The HEAO-3 project was managed by Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., with TRW, Inc. serving as the primary contractor.
Image credit: NASA/MSFC