Paper 13093-37
Paper 13093-37
The Off-plane Grating Rocket Experiment (OGRE): high-performance X-ray spectroscopy
18 June 2024 • 10:20 - 10:40 Japan Standard Time | Room G414/415, North - 4F
Abstract
The Off-plane Grating Rocket Experiment (OGRE) is a NASA suborbital rocket mission for high-performance X-ray spectroscopy. The nominal payload utilizes lightweight, polished-Si optics fabricated by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, a reflection grating array fabricated at Penn State with key industrial collaborations, and an EM-CCD based camera fabricated by XCAM in collaboration with the Open University. In preparation for the nominal mission, we will fly a pathfinder rocket that swaps the polished-Si telescope out for the JET-X telescope. This is one of three telescopes originally made for Spectrum-x-gamma with one currently flying on Swift and one slated for Pathfinder-OGRE, being lent by the Italian Space Agency. Here we report on the progress of the OGRE program, overview of the Pathfinder-OGRE mission, and updates on the nominal payload.
Presenter
The Pennsylvania State Univ. (United States)
Randall McEntaffer is Head and Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Pennsylvania State University. He specializes in the design, fabrication, testing, and implementation of UV and X-ray diffraction gratings for high throughput, high resolving power astrophysical observations. His research topics include the fabrication of UV and X-ray gratings using nanofabrication methodologies, alignment and testing of aligned grating modules, and the incorporation of grating modules into space-based spectrometers. His astronomical interests include studying diffuse X-ray objects such as supernova remnants and their interactions with their environments.