Data of the stratospheric balloon launched on 5/23/2001
For HERO (High Energy Replicated Optics)

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Details of the balloon and launch operations


 
Launch site:Fort Sumner Municipal Airport, New Mexico, US  
Launch team: National Scientific Balloon Facility (NSBF)
Balloon: Open balloon (zero pressure)
Volume: Raven - 39.570.000 cu ft - 0.8 Mil.
Serial number: -
Flight identification number: -
Campaign: - 
Payload weight: -
Gondola weight: -
Overall weight: -

The balloon was launched by dynamic method assisted by launch vehicle on May 23, 2001.

The balloon flight spent 17 hr at a float altitude of 39 km during the day and 37 km at night.  

Images


Click to enlarge.

View of the HERO optics in a ground test

View of the flight line minutes before the launch

Balloon release

The gondola being picked up by the balloon and released by the launch vehicle

View of the initial phase of ascent

© HERO web site

Description of the payload or experiment


HERO (High Energy Replicated Optics)
Responsable institution:  NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
Principal Investigator:  Dr. Brian Ramsey

The instrument, is the first one aimed to obtain focused images of astronomical X-ray sources at hard X-ray energies (20–45 keV).

The key component (the hard X-ray optics) are full-shell electroformed-nickel-replicated (ENR) mirrors coated with iridium to enhance high-energy reflectivity. As the critical grazing angle for reflection varies approximately inversely with energy, these mirrors employ smaller angles than their low-energy counterparts and consequently have smaller diameters and collecting areas per shell. The mirrors have a 6 meter focal length.

To exploit the full potential of the HERO optics necessitates a balloon gondola that can provide commensurate pointing accuracy, stability, and pointing knowledge. The HERO gondola utilizes a coarse aspect system for slewing based on a differential global positioning system (GPS) and a fine inertial-mode pointing system that uses a novel day/night aspect camera system to update onboard gyroscopes.  

Performance in flight and data obtained


During this flight -a test one-, the hard X-ray telescopes were pointed at the Crab Nebula, Cyg X-1, and GRS 1915+105, where they captured the First high-energy focused images of cosmic sources. This test flight confirmed the stability of the optical bench and the ability of the attitude control system to hold X-ray targets with suficient stability for extended periods of time.

External references and bibliographical sources


  HERO web site Marshall Space Flight Center, NASA
 Balloon Flight 2001 of the HERO Engineering Test Payload NASA information
 First Images from HERO, a Hard X-Ray Focusing Telescope The Astrophysical Journal, 568:432-435, 2002 March 20
 HERO : High-Energy Replicated Optics for a Hard-X-Ray Balloon Payload Proc. SPIE Vol. 4138, p. 147-153, X-Ray Optics, Instruments, and Missions IV
 HERO will provide new view of X-ray universe Science NASA
 NASA Marshall scientists capture historic, first focused high-energy X-ray images of astronomical objects NASA Press release
 The Development of Hard-X-Ray Optics at MSFC Proc. SPIE Vol. 4851, p. 631-638, X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Telescopes and Instruments for Astronomy
 The HERO Program, high-energy replicated optics for a hard-x-ray balloon payload Proc. SPIE Vol. 3765, p. 816-821, EUV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Instrumentation for Astronomy X
 Where no Telescope Has Gone Before Science NASA

If you detected mistakes in the information presented here, please tell me     (Updated on 17-Aug-2007 - 03:27:11pm)

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