Precise alignment and permanent mounting of thin and lightweight X-ray segments

Michael P. Biskach; Kai-Wing Chan; Melinda N. Hong; James R. Mazzarella; Ryan S. McClelland; Michael J. Norman; Timo T. Saha; William W. Zhang

doi:10.1117/12.927279

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17 September 2012 Precise alignment and permanent mounting of thin and lightweight X-ray segments

Michael P. Biskach; Kai-Wing Chan; Melinda N. Hong; James R. Mazzarella; Ryan S. McClelland; Michael J. Norman; Timo T. Saha; William W. Zhang

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Proceedings Volume 8443, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2012: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray; 84433Z (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.927279
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2012, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Abstract

To provide observations to support areas of current research in high energy astrophysics, future X-ray telescope designs must provide angular resolution of 10 arcsec or better while significantly increasing the total collecting area over previous missions such as Chandra. In such a design the implementation of thin and lightweight segments is critical to the overall performance of the complete X-ray optic assembly. The thin and delicate X-ray segments required for a large collecting area are easily distorted and must be aligned to the arcsecond level and retain accurate alignment over many years. The Next Generation X-ray Optics (NGXO) group at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center has designed, assembled, and implemented new hardware and procedures with the short term goal of aligning three pairs of X-ray segments in a technology demonstration module while maintaining 10 arcsec alignment through environmental testing as part of the eventual design and construction of a full sized module capable of housing hundreds of precisely aligned Xray mirror segments. Recent attempts at multiple segment pair alignment and permanent mounting are described along with an overview of the permanent mounting process. This attempt at alignment and permanent X-ray segment mounting illustrates some of the challenges left to overcome before population of a full sized module can begin.

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Michael P. Biskach, Kai-Wing Chan, Melinda N. Hong, James R. Mazzarella, Ryan S. McClelland, Michael J. Norman, Timo T. Saha, and William W. Zhang "Precise alignment and permanent mounting of thin and lightweight X-ray segments", Proc. SPIE 8443, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2012: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray, 84433Z (17 September 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.927279

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