Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT) Displacement Monitor System (DMS) Testing And Calibration

John G. Hagopian; William Northcutt

doi:10.1117/12.977991

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26 September 1989 Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT) Displacement Monitor System (DMS) Testing And Calibration

John G. Hagopian, William Northcutt

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Proceedings Volume 1111, Acquisition, Tracking, and Pointing III; (1989) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.977991
Event: SPIE 1989 Technical Symposium on Aerospace Sensing, 1989, Orlando, FL, United States

Abstract

NASA's shuttle-borne Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT) consists of two glancing incidence imaging mirror assemblies mounted on an optical bench which is bolted to the primary structure of the instrument. The X-ray detectors are located in the focal plane of the mirror assemblies approximately 3.5 meters away. It is desirable to monitor the relative alignment of these components throughout ground testing, and to determine the magnitude of launch or thermally induced perturbations to the alignment during flight. The Displacement Monitor System (DMS) was designed to accomplish this task. This paper describes the design of the DMS, the development and optimization of the DMS cablibration facility, and the characterization of the system. The characterization of the DMS includes environmental qualification, displacement vs output calibration over the operating temperature range, a detailed error analysis, and the generation of a calibration polynomial which utilizes DMS detector output and thermocouple data to optimize system performance. The DMS accuracy exceeded the requirements of a 15 arc second limit of error, and passed the stringent environmental tests. As such, the DMS is one of the first flight qualified displacement monitor systems with this accuracy to be flown in space.

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John G. Hagopian and William Northcutt "Broad Band X-Ray Telescope (BBXRT) Displacement Monitor System (DMS) Testing And Calibration", Proc. SPIE 1111, Acquisition, Tracking, and Pointing III, (26 September 1989); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.977991

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