The Off-plane Grating Rocket Experiment (OGRE) system overview

Tutt, James H.; McEntaffer, Randall L.; Donovan, Benjamin D.; Schultz, Ted; Biskach, Michael P.; Chan, Kai-Wing; Kearney, John D.; Mazzarella, James R.; McClelland, Ryan S.; Riveros, Raul E.; Saha, Timo T.; Hlinka, Michal; Zhang, William W.; Soman, Matthew R.; Holland, Andrew D.; Lewis, Morgan; Holland, Karen; Murray, Neil J.

doi:10.1117/12.2311813

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…In 2021, NGXO finished procurement of the 24 unique sets of tooling needed for the Off-plane Grating Rocket Experiment (OGRE). [13][14][15] These 24 sets of tools can be used to create 12 concentric shells of primary and secondary mirror segment pairs. The NGXO's laboratory production facility can process approximately 8 mirrors in parallel at its maximum capacity, though typically, about 6 mirrors are parallel processed at any given moment due to various production challenges such as logistics, personnel availability, and machine outages.…”

Section: Laboratory-scale Production Capacitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Fabrication of lightweight silicon x-ray mirrors

Riveros,

Allgood,

Biskach

et al. 2023

Optics for EUV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Astronomy XI

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Numerous scientific questions at the forefront of our modern physical understanding require enhanced x-ray astronomical observations beyond the capabilities of existing x-ray telescopes. These observations demand spaceborne x-ray telescopes of unprecedented imaging power. x-ray focusing optics which are simultaneously light weight and of sufficient quality are presently impossible to realize, given real-world constraints and current manufacturing technology. Our group at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) investigates the development of an x-ray mirror manufacturing process capable of meeting the stringent quality, production time, and cost requirements of the next generation of x-ray telescopes. This process employs monocrystalline silicon: a lightweight, stiff, thermally conductive, and readily available material which is free of internal stress. These properties combined make silicon a nearly ideal material for thin mirror substrates. Presently, our process is capable of fabricating sub-arcsecond Half-Power-Diameter (HPD) resolution mirror pairs (primary and secondary) at a sub-millimeter mirror thicknesses and of virtually any x-ray optical design (e.g. Wolter-I, Wolter-Schwarzschild, etc.). Further, the substrates include three-dimensional structures on their backsides to aid their alignment and bonding. The mirror substrate surface quality is generally superior to that of the mirrors on the Chandra X-ray Observatory. This paper describes the various manufacturing steps involved in the production of x-ray mirror substrates and a present status report.

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Section: Laboratory-scale Production Capacitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Fabrication of lightweight silicon x-ray mirrors

Riveros,

Allgood,

Biskach

et al. 2023

Optics for EUV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Astronomy XI

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“…This mirror was produced for the short 3.5 m focal length telescope onboard the Off-plane Grating Rocket Experiment (OGRE) sounding rocket mission. 16,17 Removing the paraboloid from the measured data yields the residual errors remaining on the mirror surface, shown in Figure 3(b). In this case, their root-mean-square height is 3 nm, which approaches the confidence limit of our metrology.…”

Section: Production Capacitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Fabrication of monocrystalline silicon x-ray mirrors

Riveros

Biskach

Allgood

et al. 2019

Optics for EUV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Astronomy IX

Self Cite

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Progress within the field of x-ray astronomy depends on astronomical x-ray observations of ever-increasing quality and speed. Fast and high-resolution x-ray observations over a broad spectral range promise amazing new discoveries. These observations, however, require a spaceborne x-ray telescope of unprecedented imaging power. Of the numerous technological concerns associated with the design and construction of such a telescope, the x-ray focusing optics present a particularly complex and arduous set of challenges. An x-ray optical assembly comprises many thousands of x-ray mirrors, a most critical element. Our group at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) pursues the development of an x-ray mirror manufacturing process capable of meeting the stringent quality, production time, and cost requirements of the next-generation of x-ray telescopes. The manufacturing process employs monocrystalline silicon: a lightweight, stiff, thermally conductive, and readily available material which is free of internal stress; it is a nearly ideal material for a thin mirror substrate. The process involves various traditional optical fabrication techniques adapted to x-ray mirror geometry. Presently, our process is capable of fabricating sub-arcsecond half-powerdiameter (HPD) resolution mirror pairs (primary and secondary) at a mirror thickness of 0.5 mm and of virtually any x-ray optical design (e.g. Wolter-I, Wolter-Schwarzschild, etc.). The mirror substrate surface quality is comparable to, and sometimes exceeding, that of the mirrors on the Chandra X-ray Observatory. This paper describes the various manufacturing steps involved in the production of x-ray mirror substrates and a present status report.

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