American Institute of Physics. Center for History of Physics. Study of Multi-Institutional Collaborations. Phase II: Space Science and Geophysics.

Launched in 1978, the Einstein Observatory was the second spacecraft in NASA's series of High Energy Astrophysical Observatories. A self-created consortium of universities and research institute built and integrated a x-ray telescope and four instruments with varying resolutions and sensitivities to rotate into the telescope's focus. Marshall Space Flight Center was responsible for the spacecraft. Intended to obtain data on the most significant fixed x-ray sources revealed by HEAO-1, an all-sky survey, the Einstein Observatory was used independently because its users discovered so many objects of interest independent of HEAO-1. Einstein was one of the first space-based observatories to include a guest user program, and the data from all the instruments have been subject to pipeline processing for the benefit of outside users and the convenience of participants. However, Columbia University scientists have developed their own software for processing the raw data from some of the instruments.

From the description of Einstein Observatory (HEAO-2) (Space Science): Oral history interviews, 1992-1994. (American Institute of Physics). WorldCat record id: 82944305