NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) engages in research, development, design, fabrication, coating, assembly, and testing of grazing-incidence optics (primarily) for x-ray telescope systems. Over the past two decades, MSFC has refined processes for electroformed-nickel replication of grazing-incidence optics, in order to produce high-strength, thin-walled, full-cylinder x-ray mirrors. In recent years, MSFC has used this technology to fabricate numerous x-ray mirror assemblies for several flight (balloon, rocket, and satellite) programs. Additionally, MSFC has demonstrated the suitability of this technology for ground-based laboratory applications-namely, x-ray microscopes and cold-neutron microscopes and concentrators. This mature technology enables the production, at moderately low cost, of reasonably lightweight x-ray telescopes with good (15-30 arcsecond) angular resolution. However, achieving arcsecond imaging for a lightweight x-ray telescope likely requires development of other technologies. Accordingly, MSFC is conducting a multi-faceted research program toward enabling cost-effective production of lightweight high-resolution x-ray mirror assemblies. Relevant research topics currently under investigation include differential deposition for post-fabrication figure correction, in-situ monitoring and control of coating stress, and direct fabrication of thin-walled full-cylinder grazing-incidence mirrors.


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    Title :

    X-Ray Optics at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center


    Contributors:
    S. L. O'Dell (author) / C. Atkins (author) / D. A. Swartz (author) / A. F. Tennant (author) / M. C. Weisskopf (author) / V. E. Zavlin (author) / D. M. Broadway (author) / R. F. Elsner (author) / J. A. Gaskin (author) / M. V. Gubarev (author)

    Publication date :

    2015


    Size :

    14 pages


    Type of media :

    Report


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English




    X-Ray Optics at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

    O'Dell, Stephen L. / Atkins, Carolyn / Broadway, David M. et al. | NTRS | 2015


    X-Ray Optics at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

    O'Dell, Stephen L. / Atkins, Carolyn / Broadway, David M. et al. | NTRS | 2015


    X-Ray Optics at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

    O'Dell S. L. / Atkins C. / Swartz D. A. et al. | NTIS | 2015