Note: Intro -- Contents -- Acknowledgements -- Foreword -- Foreword of the first edition -- 1 Observing photons in space -- The aims of this book -- Why observe photons - and why from space? -- Enabling technologies -- The study of photons at gamma- and X-ray energies -- Space astronomy in the VUV - an observationally delicate region -- The path towards space telescopes observing in the visible and infrared -- Innovative space technology meets conservative attitude -- Overall structure of the book and conventions used -- 2 Photons - from source to detector -- Introduction -- Photon generation -- Photons in transit -- Doppler effect and aberration -- Photon scattering -- Photon detection -- Irradiance measurements -- Direction finding -- Energy discrimination -- Photon detectors -- Closing summary -- 3 High-energy astrophysics -- Introduction -- Time-line development of gamma-ray astronomy from space -- Gamma-ray production -- Acceleration of charged particles -- Inverse Compton scattering -- Nuclear line emission -- Annihilation -- Particle decay -- Overview of the gamma-ray sky -- All-sky surveys -- Gamma-ray sources -- Gamma-ray spectroscopy and polarimetry -- Gamma-ray bursts -- Outlook -- 4 X-ray astronomy -- Introduction -- The X-ray spectrum -- Thermal radiation -- Non-thermal radiation -- Outline of X-ray photon handling techniques -- Detection and collimation -- Focussing and dispersion -- Non-dispersive spectroscopy -- X-ray astronomy missions -- Solar observations -- X-ray astronomy: surveys -- High-resolution imaging and high-throughput spectroscopy -- X-ray astronomy: other missions -- Conclusions -- 5 The extra-terrestrial vacuum-ultraviolet wavelength range -- The early days -- Atmospheric effects -- Observing platforms and enabling technologies -- Physical processes -- Spectral line formation -- VUV spectroscopic plasma diagnostics. , Emission measures -- Density-sensitive line ratios -- Temperature-sensitive line ratios -- Element abundances -- Ion motions and temperatures -- Atomic databases -- Solar physics observations -- Astrophysical observations -- The future -- 6 The visible and near-infrared domain -- Introduction -- Background radiation -- Wavefront distortion (atmospheric refraction and ``seeing'') -- Sources of radiation -- Selected space missions -- IRAS -- Hipparcos -- COBE -- Hubble Space Telescope -- IRTS -- ISO -- MSX -- Spitzer -- COROT -- Kepler -- 7 The mid- and far-infrared wavelength range -- Introduction -- Thermal infrared and space -- Physical processes -- The Universe at mid- and far-infrared wavelengths -- Star and planet formation -- Crystalline silicates -- Interstellar PAHs -- Galaxies and ULIRGs -- The Cosmic Infrared Background and the era of vigorous star formation in the Universe -- Achievements and outlook -- 8 The Cosmic Microwave Background -- From ground-based discovery to space exploration -- The Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) -- Entering the era of precision cosmology with WMAP and Planck -- Common requirements and different ambitions -- Orbit and general configuration -- Choice of the frequency range and receiver technology -- Spatial frequencies of interest and optical systems -- A universe to be deciphered -- First promising results from Planck -- 9 Space telescopes -- Introduction -- Normal-incidence telescopes -- One-mirror telescope -- Two-mirror telescopes -- Telescope parameters -- Point-spread function and relative encircled energy -- Classical aberrations for a centred pupil -- Paraboloid telescope -- Two-mirror telescope (Cassegrain or Gregorian) -- Aplanetic two-mirror telescope (Ritchey-Chrétien) -- Mirror scattering -- Loss of image quality -- Classical mirror coatings -- Coronagraphs -- Solar coronagraphs. , Reflecting solar coronagraph -- Solar coronagraph with external occulter -- Stellar coronagraphs -- Classical Lyot scheme -- Other coronagraph designs -- Grazing-incidence telescopes -- The physics of GI reflection -- GI telescope configurations -- Wolter telescopes -- Kirkpatrick-Baez telescopes -- Focussing collimator or ``lobster-eye'' telescopes -- Design considerations -- Parameters -- Effective collecting area -- Angular resolution, PSF, EE function -- Baffling -- Multilayer coatings -- NI EUV multilayer coatings -- GI X-ray multilayer coatings -- Conclusion -- 10 Gratings and mountings -- Introduction -- Grating formulae and principles -- Grating types -- Grating scattered-light performance -- Concave grating mountings -- Rowland type with spherical grating -- Rowland type with toric grating -- Wadsworth mounting -- Multi-concave grating mounting -- Other concave grating mountings -- Czerny-Turner and Ebert-Fastie mountings -- Cross-dispersion echelle mounting -- Objective plane grating -- Plane grating in a converging beam -- Reflective plane grating in a converging beam -- Transmission plane grating in a converging beam -- Grism -- Other grating applications -- Bragg crystal diffraction -- Comments on grating mountings -- Conclusion -- 11 Imaging through Compton scattering and pair creation -- Compton telescopes -- Principle -- Early Compton telescopes -- COMPTEL -- Plans for future Compton telescopes -- Pair-creation telescopes -- Basic design of pair-creation telescopes -- Early pair-creation telescopes SAS-2 and COS-B -- EGRET -- AGILE and Fermi (GLAST) -- The Great Observatory CGRO -- Conclusions and outlook -- 12 X-ray imaging with collimators, masks and grids -- Introduction -- Single-grid systems -- Bigrid collimators -- Multigrid collimators -- Grids -- Alignment and aspect -- Summary and outlook. , 13 All-sky monitoring of high-energy transients -- Introduction -- Triangulation -- Results and discoveries -- Single-experiment systems -- Outlook -- 14 Far-infrared imaging and spectroscopic instrumentation -- Introduction -- Design considerations for space IR missions -- Noise due to the self-emission and the natural background -- Cryogenic design -- Far-infrared surveys -- Infrared imaging -- Infrared spectrometers -- Heterodyne receivers -- 15 Goniopolarimetry for radio astronomy -- Introduction -- Instrumentation -- Electrical antennas -- Magnetic antennas -- Receivers -- Calibration -- Goniopolarimetric techniques -- Goniopolarimetric measurement expressions -- Spin demodulation goniopolarimetry -- Instantaneous goniopolarimetry -- Sources of error -- Multi-spacecraft interferometry -- Future missions -- Example: Saturn kilometric radiation source location -- Conclusion -- 16 Astrometry -- Advantages of space observations for astrometry -- Optical image formation and positional accuracy -- The fundamental limit -- Limiting accuracy from diffraction optics -- Generalizations -- Example 1: the modulating grid of Hipparcos -- Example 2: CCD imaging for space astrometry -- Direct imaging in pointing mode -- Direct imaging in drift-scanning mode -- Example 3: interferometry -- Conclusions -- 17 Interferometric imaging from space -- Introduction: Why interferometry, why in space? -- Principles of interferometry and aperture synthesis -- Visibility measurements -- The van Cittert-Zernike theorem -- Fourier relations, the (u,v) plane, and aperture synthesis -- Co-phasing and coherencing -- Closure phases and self-calibration -- Classification of interferometric concepts -- Direct detection and heterodyne interferometry -- Interferometric spectroscopy -- Nulling interferometry -- Basic principles of nulling -- Null depth -- Higher-order nulls. , Signal extraction and modulation -- Critical technologies for space interferometry -- Laser metrology and path-length control -- Connected structures and free flyers -- Guiding and fringe tracking -- Optical components -- Scientific applications and mission concepts -- Darwin / TPF -- Stellar Imager -- Far-infrared interferometry -- X-ray interferometry -- Very low-frequency radio interferometer -- Radio very long-baseline interferometry -- 18 Narrow-band imaging by use of interferometers -- Fabry-Perot interferometers -- Principles of Fabry-Perot interferometry -- Advantages and disadvantages of Fabry-Perot interferometers -- Examples of Fabry-Perot instruments -- Imaging Fourier transform spectroscopy -- Principles of FT spectroscopy -- Advantages and disadvantages of FTS instruments -- Examples of space-borne FTS instruments -- 19 Imaging Michelson interferometers -- Advantages of Michelson imaging techniques -- Theory of the wide-field Michelson -- Extensions of the field of view -- Higher-order wide fielding -- Equi-index Michelsons -- Design considerations for space applications -- Temperature control -- Tuning implementation -- Optical coatings -- Spacecraft instruments -- Conclusions -- 20 Detector types used in space -- General remarks -- 21 Hard X-ray and gamma-ray detectors -- Introduction -- Configurations and energy regimes -- Thin and monolithic detectors -- Compton and pair-tracking telescopes -- Detector materials -- Scintillation detectors -- Semiconductor detectors -- Germanium -- Silicon -- Cadmium telluride and cadmium zinc telluride -- Gas detectors -- Multiwire proportional counters -- Gas scintillation proportional counters -- Time projection chambers -- General considerations -- Background -- Livetime -- Spectral response -- Outlook -- 22 Microchannel plates -- Background -- Microchannel plates. , MCP performance characteristics.