Abstract
The X-ray Timing Explorer (XTE), to be launched in 1995, will address current scientific problems from galactic neutron star systems to active galactic nuclei with a powerful and complementary set of instruments. It features a low-background continuous 2 – 200 keV response will large apertures (a 0.63-m 2 proportional counter array and a 0.16-m 2 dual rocking NaI/CsI scintillator array). Rapid response (in hours) to temporal phenomena, e.g. transients, is obtained by virtue of a scanning all-sky monitor and rapid maneuverability. XTE will carry out detailed energy-resolved studies of phenomena close to neutron stars (e.g., QPO's) with its sub-millisecond timing (to 10 μs), its high telemetry rates (to 256 kbs), and the high throughout of its data system (to ⩾ 2 × 10 5 c s −1). In current planning, the XTE will be launched by the shuttle into a low earth orbit (∼450 km) where it will be interchanged with the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) on the NASA Explorer Platform. The observing time will be completely open to competitive proposals from the community.
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