Engineering topics

Owens, Scott

Publications and source records attributed to Owens, Scott.

4 records

NASA NTRS2007

Alignment and Integration Techniques for Mirror Segment Pairs on the Constellation X Telescope

We present the concepts behind current alignment and integration techniques for testing a Constellation-X primary-secondary mirror segment pair in an x-ray beam line test. We examine the effects of a passive mount on thin glass x-ray mirror segments, and the issues of mount shape and environment on alignment. We also investigate how bonding and transfer to a permanent housing affects the quality of the final image, comparing predicted results to a full x-ray test on a primary secondary pair.

Hadjimichael, Theo↗

NASA NTRS2006

The Constellation-X Spectroscopy X-ray Telescope: Recent Technology Development

We describe recent progress in the technology development program for the mirror system for the Constellation-X Spectroscopy X-ray Telescope (SXT). Development of this mirror represents a significant technology challenge, as it must provide a combination of large effective area (3 sq. m) and modest angular resolution (15 arc second half power diameter requirement; 5 arc second goal) with a limited mass allocation. The baseline design incorporates over 200 nested Wolter 1 mirrors. Each of these in turn is segmented in order to simplify handling of the mirrors and facilitate mass production. The X-ray reflecting surfaces are fabricated from thin, thermally formed glass sheets. Production improvements have yielded mirror segments that approach the performance requirement without the need for epoxy replication. A mounting and alignment approach incorporating piezoelectric actuators has been shown to manipulate mirror segments with the required precision without introducing significant distortion. Substantial improvements in metrology methodology have provided insights into the mirror segment forming and alignment processes. An X-ray demonstration of a mirror segment pair is planned for early 2006.

Petre, Robert↗

NASA NTRS2005

Technology Development for the Constellation-X Spectroscopy X-Ray Telescope

The Constellation-X Spectroscopy X-ray Telescope (SXT) is a large diameter, high throughput, grazing incidence imaging mirror system, designed to perform high sensitivity spectroscopy of cosmic X-ray sources in the 0.2-10.0 keV band. The baseline effective area requirement is -3 m# at 1 keV. The system-level angular-resolution requirement is a 15-arcseconds half-power diameter, with a 5-arcsecond goal. The effective area is attained through a modular design, involving the nesting of many confocal, thin-walled Wolter I mirror segments. Considerable progress has been made in developing thin, thermally formed, glass mirror substrates that meet or better the angular-resolution requirement. Several approaches to mounting and aligning reflector segments into a mirror system are under investigation. We report here on the progress of the SXT technology development program toward reaching the performance goals.

Petre, Robert↗

NASA NTRS2004

The Constellation-X Spectroscopy X-Ray Telescope

The status of technology development for the Constellation-X Spectroscopy X-ray Telescope (SXT) mirror is presented. The SXT mirror combines a large (1.6 m) aperture with modest (12 arc sec half power diameter) angular resolution and low mass (750 kg). The overall collecting area, larger than 9,600 square cm at 0.25 keV, requires high throughput, and thus nesting of a substantial number of thin reflectors. A phased development program is underway to develop reflectors, mounting and alignment approaches, and metrology techniques for components and the mirror has a whole. The latest results in all these areas are summarized, along with an overview of results of optical testing of reflector performance.

Petre, Robert↗