Micro-X is a sounding rocket-borne instrument that uses a microcalorimeter array to perform high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy. This instrument flew for the first time on July 22nd, 2018 from the White Sands Missile Range, USA. This flight marks the first successful operation of a Transition-Edge Sensor array and its time division multiplexing read-out system in space. This launch was dedicated to the observation of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A. A failure in the attitude control system prevented the rocket from pointing and led to no time on target. The on-board calibration source provided X-rays in flight, and it is used to compare detector performance during pre-flight integration, flight, and after the successful post-flight recovery. This calibration data demonstrates the capabilities of the detector in a space environment as well as its potential for future flights.
@article{arxiv.1908.09689,
title = {First Operation of TES Microcalorimeters in Space with the Micro-X Sounding Rocket},
author = {J. S. Adams and R. Baker and S. R. Bandler and N. Bastidon and M. E. Danowski and W. B. Doriese and M. E. Eckart and E. Figueroa-Feliciano and D. C. Goldfinger and S. N. T. Heine and G. C. Hilton and A. J. F. Hubbard and R. L. Kelley and C. A. Kilbourne and R. E. Manzagol-Harwood and D. McCammon and T. Okajima and F. S. Porter and C. D. Reintsema and P. Serlemitsos and S. J. Smith and J. N. Ullom and P. Wikus},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1908.09689},
year = {2020}
}
Comments
9 pages, 6 figures, Accepted to the JLTP for LTD-18