Design and Analysis of the Rocket Experiment Demonstration of a Soft X-Ray (REDSoX) Polarimeter Mirror Module Assembly

The Rocket Experiment Demonstration of a Soft X-ray (REDSoX) Polarimeter is a NASA sounding rocket experiment that is designed to demonstrate the technology necessary for measuring linear X-ray polarization as a function of energy below 1 keV. In astrophysics, soft X-ray spectropolarimetry will be used to probe the nature of acceleration mechanisms in quasar jets and to test models of neutron star structure. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has designed a grazing-incidence mirror module assembly (MMA) for the REDSoX payload and used Finite Element Modelling Software (ANSYS) to perform structural analysis of the design. In this paper we will describe the overall design of the REDSoX MMA, details of the analysis techniques used for predicting factor of safety in the mirror adhesive bonds and structural components, the buckling analysis of the outer housing, and the raytrace technique used to estimate the effect of gravity sag on optical performance during ground testing.