The COMPTON Observatory: Reflections on its origins and history

The Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) was planned as a mission to make the first comprehensive study of the gamma-ray sky over the full gamma-ray spectrum. It followed on the heels of two successful small astronomy satellites with high energy gamma-ray telescopes, SAS-2 and COS-B, and the High Energy Astronomical Observatory (HEAO) with low-energy gamma-ray detectors. The guideline was to cover the spectrum from the high energy limit of the x-ray domain to the highest energies for which a detectable flux might be reasonably observed. The objective was to include transients as well as persistent sources. The efforts to get such a mission approved stands as a model for developing a consensus of the scientific community for a mission involving a relatively small community of observers. A broad and vigorous guest investigator program was a key element in this effort. The results of the guest investigator program are testimony to the wisdom of this plan. The great success of GRO (now the Compton Observatory) was a r...