{"id":10705,"date":"2024-04-17T12:01:25","date_gmt":"2024-04-17T16:01:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zobi.alcowep.com\/bourtagshdrevxnls658739\/astronauts-to-patch-up-nasas-nicer-telescope\/"},"modified":"2024-04-17T12:01:25","modified_gmt":"2024-04-17T16:01:25","slug":"astronauts-to-patch-up-nasas-nicer-telescope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zobi.alcowep.com\/bourtagshdrevxnls658739\/astronauts-to-patch-up-nasas-nicer-telescope\/","title":{"rendered":"Astronauts To Patch Up NASA\u2019s NICER Telescope"},"content":{"rendered":"

Astronauts To Patch Up NASA\u2019s NICER Telescope<\/h2>\n

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4 min read<\/p>\n

Astronauts To Patch Up NASA\u2019s NICER Telescope<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

NASA is planning to repair NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer)<\/a>, an X-ray telescope on the International Space Station<\/a>, during a spacewalk later this year. It will be the fourth science observatory in orbit serviced by astronauts.<\/p>\n

In May 2023, scientists discovered<\/a> that NICER had developed a \u201clight leak.\u201d Unwanted sunlight was entering the instrument and reaching the telescope\u2019s sensitive detectors. While the team took immediate steps to mitigate the impact on observations, they also began thinking about a potential repair.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sunlight interferes with NICER\u2019s ability to collect viable X-ray measurements during the station\u2019s daytime,\u201d said Zaven Arzoumanian, NICER\u2019s science lead at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center<\/a> in Greenbelt, Maryland. \u201cNighttime observations are unaffected, and the telescope continues to produce incredible science. Hundreds of published papers have used NICER since the mission began. Blocking some of the light leaking in would allow us to return to more normal operations around the clock.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Photograph<\/figure>
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This image, obtained June 8, 2018, shows NASA\u2019s NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer) on the International Space Station, where it studies neutron stars and other X-ray sources. NICER is about the size of a washing machine. The sunshades of its X-ray concentrators are visible as an array of circular features.<\/div>\n
NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\t\tDownload high-resolution images and videos from NASA\u2019s Scientific Visualization Studio.<\/span>
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Arzoumanian presented efforts to address the issue during a talk on Friday, April 12, at the 21st meeting of the High Energy Astrophysics Division of the American Astronomical Society<\/a> in Horseshoe Bay, Texas.<\/p>\n

NICER is located near the station\u2019s inner starboard solar panels. From that perch, it looks out at the X-ray sky, collecting data on many cosmic phenomena, like regular pulses<\/a> from superdense stellar remnants called neutron stars and \u201clight echoes\u201d<\/a> from flaring black holes. Observing these objects helps answer questions about their nature and behavior and increases our understanding of matter<\/a> and gravity. In 2017, NICER also demonstrated<\/a> the use of pulsing neutron stars in our galaxy to serve as navigational beacons for future deep space exploration through a program called SEXTANT (Station Explorer for X-ray Timing and Navigation Technology).<\/p>\n

The telescope has 56 aluminum X-ray concentrators. Each concentrator has a set of nested mirrors<\/a>, designed to skip X-rays into a detector. In front of the concentrator lies a thin filter, called a thermal shield, that blocks out sunlight. The concentrator is topped by a hollow circular piece of carbon composite, called a sunshade, with six segments that resemble a sliced pie. The sunshade is designed to keep the concentrators cool in sunlight and protect the delicate thermal shields. After the light leak developed, photos revealed several small areas of damage in some of the shields, though what caused them is still unclear.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t design NICER for mission servicing. It was installed robotically, and we operate it from the ground,\u201d said Keith Gendreau, NICER\u2019s principal investigator at Goddard. \u201cThe possibility of a repair has been an exciting challenge. We considered both spacewalk and robotic solutions, puzzling out how to install patches using what\u2019s already present on the telescope and in space station toolkits.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"A<\/figure>
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The International Space Station appears in this photograph taken by Expedition 56 crew members from a Soyuz spacecraft after undocking on Oct. 4, 2018. NICER is the small white box standing above the station\u2019s main truss at far right, adjacent to the inner solar panel.<\/div>\n
NASA\/Roscosmos<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

After many months of consideration, the spacewalk was selected as the path forward. NASA\u2019s Hubble Space Telescope<\/a> and Solar Maximum Mission<\/a>, as well as AMS (Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, also on the station)<\/a> are the only other science observatories repaired by astronauts in orbit.<\/p>\n

NICER\u2019s solution is straightforward. Five pie piece-shaped wedges will slot into the sunshades above the areas with the greatest damage and lock into place. The patches are designed to take advantage of an existing piece of astronaut equipment, called a T-handle tool.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we worked hard to ensure the patches are mechanically simple, most repair activities in space are very complicated,\u201d said Steve Kenyon, NICER\u2019s mechanical lead at Goddard. \u201cWe\u2019ve been conducting tests to confirm the repair work will be both an effective fix for NICER\u2019s light leak and completely safe for the astronauts on the spacewalk and the space station.\u201d<\/p>\n

The patches are currently scheduled to launch to the space station aboard Northrop Grumman\u2019s 21st commercial resupply services mission later this year. Astronauts will complete their installation during a spacewalk, along with other tasks.<\/p>\n

NICER is an Astrophysics Mission of Opportunity within NASA\u2019s Explorers Program, which provides frequent flight opportunities for world-class scientific investigations from space utilizing innovative, streamlined, and efficient management approaches within the heliophysics and astrophysics science areas. NASA\u2019s Space Technology Mission Directorate supports the SEXTANT component of the mission, demonstrating pulsar-based spacecraft navigation.<\/p>\n

NICER also collaborates<\/a> in automated tandem with JAXA\u2019s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency\u2019s) experiment MAXI (Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image) to rapidly observe stars and other objects that flare unpredictably, advancing scientific understanding of our dynamic universe.<\/p>\n

By <\/strong>Jeanette Kazmierczak<\/strong><\/a>
NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center<\/strong><\/a>, Greenbelt, Md.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Media Contact:<\/strong>
Claire Andreoli<\/strong>
301-286-1940<\/strong>
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov<\/strong><\/a>
NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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