THERE ARE TWO PRIMARY OBJECTIVES FOR THIS INVESTIGATION. FIRST, WE PROPOSE TO LAUNCH A PREEXISTING PAYLOAD TO CONTINUE OUR CURRENT PROGRAM OF SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS. SECOND, WE PROPOSE TO BUILD A…

This federal contract award to The Pennsylvania State University, doing business as Penn State, has two primary objectives. The first is to launch a preexisting payload to continue scientific investigations, and the second is to build a new payload that will integrate and demonstrate key technologies vital to future X-ray observatories. These efforts will train graduate students and prepare junior researchers for future NASA missions.

The $1,372,282.00 grant is for research to increase the technical readiness of gratings to obtain high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy at energies below 1 keV. This work supports the requirements of future X-ray observatories and could also be utilized on smaller, Explorer-class missions as pathfinders. The contract is awarded by the NASA Shared Services Center, a civilian agency, and is not a set-aside contract.

THERE ARE TWO PRIMARY OBJECTIVES FOR THIS INVESTIGATION. FIRST, WE PROPOSE TO LAUNCH A PREEXISTING PAYLOAD TO CONTINUE OUR CURRENT PROGRAM OF SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS. SECOND, WE PROPOSE TO BUILD A NEW PAYLOAD WHICH WILL INTEGRATE AND DEMONSTRATE KEY TECHNOLOGIES VITAL TO FUTURE X-RAY OBSERVATORIES. THESE EFFORTS WILL TRAIN GRADUATE STUDENTS AND PREPARE JUNIOR RESEARCHERS TO BE MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS TO THE NEXT SUITE OF NASA MISSIONS. THE DISCOVERIES OF CHANDRA AND XMM HAVE SOLIDIFIED THE IMPORTANCE OF HIGH RESOLUTION SPECTROSCOPY, ESPECIALLY IN THE SOFT X-RAY BAND. HOWEVER, MISSION END DATES FOR THESE OBSERVATORIES ARE ON THE HORIZON, WHILE NEW OBSERVATORIES ARE BEING PLANNED. NEARLY ALL OF THE XRAY EMISSION AND ABSORPTION LINES FOR ASTROPHYSICALLY ABUNDANT ELEMENTS EXIST AT ENERGIES BELOW 2 KEV. RESOLUTIONS (λ/Δλ) OF SEVERAL HUNDRED ARE REQUIRED TO RESOLVE IMPORTANT DIAGNOSTIC LINES SUCH AS THE HE-LIKE TRIPLETS OF ABUNDANT ELEMENTS WHILE RESOLUTIONS OF THOUSANDS ARE REQUIRED FOR ACCURATE LINE PROFILES AND FINE VELOCITY RESOLUTION. MANY FUTURE MISSIONS AND OBSERVATORIES PLAN TO USE X-RAY MICROCALORIMETERS AS THE INSTRUMENT OF CHOICE FOR SPECTROSCOPY. HOWEVER, THESE INSTRUMENTS HAVE FINITE ENERGY RESOLUTION THAT STRUGGLES TO GO BELOWδE ~ 2 EV. FOR THIS REASON, WE PROPOSE TO INCREASE THE TECHNICAL READINESS OF GRATINGS TO OBTAIN HIGH RESOLUTION AT ENERGIES BELOW 1 KEV. THE CONCEPT THAT WILL BE DEVELOPED IN THIS PROPOSED INVESTIGATION WILL BE CAPABLE OF MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS OF FUTURE X-RAY OBSERVATORIES. IN ADDITION, THE DESIGN COULD BE UTILIZED EFFECTIVELY ON SMALLER, EXPLORER CLASS MISSIONS AS PATHFINDERS TO THE LARGER OBSERVATORIES WHILE PROVIDING IMPORTANT SCIENTIFIC INSIGHTS ALONG THE WAY.