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The Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER): Design and DevelopmentDuring 2014 and 2015, NASA's Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) mission proceeded successfully through Phase C, Design and Development. An X-ray (0.2{12 keV) astrophysics payload destined for the International Space Station, NICER is manifested for launch in early 2017 on the Commercial Resupply Services SpaceX-11 flight. Its scientific objectives are to investigate the internal structure, dynamics, and energetics of neutron stars, the densest objects in the universe. During Phase C, flight components including optics, detectors, the optical bench, pointing actuators, electronics, and others were subjected to environmental testing and integrated to form the flight payload. A custom-built facility was used to co-align and integrate the X-ray \concentrator" optics and silicon-drift detectors. Ground calibration provided robust performance measures of the optical (at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center) and detector (at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) subsystems, while comprehensive functional tests prior to payload-level environmental testing met all instrument performance requirements. We describe here the implementation of NICER's major subsystems, summarize their performance and calibration, and outline the component-level testing that was successfully applied.
Document ID
20170002028
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
doi:10.1117/12.2231304
Authors
Gendreau, Keith C. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Arzoumanian, Zaven (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Adkins, Phillip W. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Albert, Cheryl L. (ASRC Federal Space and Defense Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Anders, John F. (InuTeq, LLC Beltsville, MD, United States)
Aylward, Andrew T. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Baker, Charles L. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Balsamo, Erin R. (Maryland Univ. Baltimore County Baltimore, MD, United States)
Bamford, William A. (Emergent Space Technologies, Inc. Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Benegalrao, Suyog S. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Berry, Daniel L. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Bhalwani, Shiraz (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Brown, Gary L. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Budinoff, Jason G. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Cazeau, Thoniel (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Chen, Philip T. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Fan, Terry W.-M. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Gallo, Luis D. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Green, Chris M. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Ha, Kong Q. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Hassouneh, Munther A. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Hestnes, Phyllis (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Hoge, Lisa J. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Jacobs, Tawanda M. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Kellogg, James W. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Kenyon, Steven J. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Kozon, Robert P. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Lewis, Jess H. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Liu, Kuochia Alice (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Manthripragada, Sridhar S. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Markwardt, Craig B. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Mcginnis, Isaac E. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Miller, Roger L. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Mitchell, Alissa L. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Mitchell, Jason W. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Mohammed, Jelila S. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Monroe, Charles A. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Montt de Garcia, Kristina (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Mule, Peter D. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Ngo, Son M. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Norwood, Dwight A. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Okajima, Takashi (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Olsen, Lawrence G. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Onyeachu, Chimaobi O. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Peterson, Jacqualine R. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Pham, Karen K. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Pollard, Sue E. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Powers, Daniel F. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Powers, Charles E. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Price, Samuel R. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Ramirez, Julian B. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Rogstad, Eric M. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Savadkin, Bruce (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Schweiss, Nancy S. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Semper, Sean R. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Serlemitsos, Peter J. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Winternitz, Luke B. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Wofford, George I. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Wright, Michael R. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Yang, Mike Y. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Yu, Wayne H. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Date Acquired
March 7, 2017
Publication Date
July 1, 2016
Publication Information
Publication: Space Telescope and Instrumentation 2016; Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray
Volume: 9905
ISSN: 0277-786X
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Spacecraft Design, Testing And Performance
Report/Patent Number
GSFC-E-DAA-TN35082
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNG13CR48C
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNG15VN01C
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNG06EO90A
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
SEXTANT
X-ray astrophysics
International Space Station
Timing spectroscopy
Neutron stars

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