DOE OSTI · 2588640
In-orbit operation of Resolve Filter Wheel and modulated X-ray source
Abstract
The Resolve soft X-ray spectrometer is a high spectral resolution microcalorimeter spectrometer for the X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission. In the beam of Resolve, there is a filter wheel containing X-ray filters. In the beam, there is also an active calibration source, the modulated X-ray source (MXS), which can provide pulsed X-rays to facilitate gain calibration. The filter wheel consists of six filter positions. Two open positions, one 55 Fe source to aid in spectrometer characterization during the commissioning phase, and three transmission filters: a neutral density filter, an optical blocking filter, and a beryllium filter. The X-ray intensity, pulse period, and pulse separation of an MXS are highly configurable. Furthermore, the switch-on time is synchronized with the spacecraft’s internal clock to give accurate start and end times of the pulses. One of the issues raised during ground testing was the susceptibility of an MXS at high voltage to ambient light. Although measures were taken to mitigate the light leak, the efficacy of those measures must be verified in orbit. Along with an overview of issues raised during ground testing, we will discuss the calibration source and the filter performance in-flight and compare with the transmission curves present in the Resolve calibration database.
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Shipman, Russell F. [Space Research Organisation Netherlands (SRON), Leiden (Netherlands)], Kitamoto, Shunji [Rikkyo University, Toshima (Japan)], Wolfs, Rob [Space Research Organisation Netherlands (SRON), Leiden (Netherlands)], Costantini, Elisa [Space Research Organisation Netherlands (SRON), Leiden (Netherlands)], Eckart, Megan E. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)], Ferrigno, Carlo [University of Geneva, Versoix (Switzerland)], Genolet, Ludovic [Observatoire de Genève, Versoix (Switzerland)], Gorter, Nathalie [Space Research Organisation Netherlands (SRON), Leiden (Netherlands)], Grim, Martin [Space Research Organisation Netherlands (SRON), Leiden (Netherlands)], den Herder, Jan Willem [Space Research Organisation Netherlands (SRON), Leiden (Netherlands)], Kilbourne, Caroline A. [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD (United States)], Leutenegger, Maurice A. [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD (United States)], van der Meer, Erik [Space Research Organisation Netherlands (SRON), Leiden (Netherlands)], Mizumoto, Misaki [University of Teacher Education Fukuoka (Japan)], Porter, Frederick Scott [NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD (United States)], Paltani, Stéphane [University of Geneva, Versoix (Switzerland)], Sawada, Makoto [Rikkyo University, Toshima (Japan)], Strotmann, Simon [European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), Noordwijk (Netherlands)], Tsujimoto, Masahiro [Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (ISAS/JAXA), Sagamihara, Kanagawa (Japan)], de Vries, Cor P. [Space Research Organisation Netherlands (SRON), Leiden (Netherlands)]. 2025-08-28. In-orbit operation of Resolve Filter Wheel and modulated X-ray source. https://doi.org/10.1117/1.jatis.11.4.042021
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