In-flight performance of the NIRSpec micro shutter array

Timothy D. Rawle; Giovanna Giardino; David E. Franz; Robert Rapp; Maurice te Plate; Christian A. Zincke; Yasin M. Abul-Huda; Catarina Alves de Oliveira; Katie Bechtold; Tracy Beck; Stephan M. Birkmann; Torsten Böker; Ralf Ehrenwinkler; Pierre Ferruit; Dennis Garland; Peter Jakobsen; Diane Karakla; Hermann Karl; Charles D. Keyes; Robert Koehler; Kumari Nimisha; Nora Lützgendorf; Elena Manjavacas; Anthony Marston; S. Harvey Moseley; Peter Mosner; James Muzerolle; Patrick Ogle; Charles Proffitt; Elena Sabbi; Marco Sirianni; Glenn Wahlgren; Emily Wislowski; Raymond H. Wright; Chi Rai Wu; Peter Zeidler

doi:10.1117/12.2629231

27 August 2022 In-flight performance of the NIRSpec micro shutter array

Timothy D. Rawle, Giovanna Giardino, David E. Franz, Robert Rapp, Maurice te Plate, Christian A. Zincke, Yasin M. Abul-Huda, Catarina Alves de Oliveira, Katie Bechtold, Tracy Beck, Stephan M. Birkmann, Torsten Böker, Ralf Ehrenwinkler, Pierre Ferruit, Dennis Garland, Peter Jakobsen, Diane Karakla, Hermann Karl, Charles D. Keyes, Robert Koehler, Kumari Nimisha, Nora Lützgendorf, Elena Manjavacas, Anthony Marston, S. Harvey Moseley, Peter Mosner, James Muzerolle, Patrick Ogle, Charles Proffitt, Elena Sabbi, Marco Sirianni, Glenn Wahlgren, Emily Wislowski, Raymond H. Wright, Chi Rai Wu, Peter Zeidler

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 12180, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2022: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave; 121803R (2022) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2629231
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2022, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Conference Poster

Abstract

The NIRSpec instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) brings the first multi-object spectrograph (MOS) into space, enabled by a programmable Micro Shutter Array (MSA) of ∼250,000 individual apertures. During the 6-month Commissioning period, the MSA performed admirably, completing ∼800 reconfigurations with an average success rate of ∼96% for commanding shutters open in science-like patterns. We show that 82.5% of the unvignetted shutter population is usable for science, with electrical short masking now the primary cause of inoperable apertures. In response, we propose a plan to recheck existing shorts during nominal operations, which is expected to reduce the number of affected shutters. We also present a full assessment of the Failed Open and Failed Closed shutter populations, which both show a marginal increase in line with predictions from ground testing. We suggest an amendment to the Failed Closed shutter flagging scheme to improve flexibility for MSA configuration planning. Overall, the NIRSpec MSA performed very well during Commissioning, and the MOS mode was declared ready for science operations on schedule.

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Timothy D. Rawle, Giovanna Giardino, David E. Franz, Robert Rapp, Maurice te Plate, Christian A. Zincke, Yasin M. Abul-Huda, Catarina Alves de Oliveira, Katie Bechtold, Tracy Beck, Stephan M. Birkmann, Torsten Böker, Ralf Ehrenwinkler, Pierre Ferruit, Dennis Garland, Peter Jakobsen, Diane Karakla, Hermann Karl, Charles D. Keyes, Robert Koehler, Kumari Nimisha, Nora Lützgendorf, Elena Manjavacas, Anthony Marston, S. Harvey Moseley, Peter Mosner, James Muzerolle, Patrick Ogle, Charles Proffitt, Elena Sabbi, Marco Sirianni, Glenn Wahlgren, Emily Wislowski, Raymond H. Wright, Chi Rai Wu, and Peter Zeidler "In-flight performance of the NIRSpec micro shutter array", Proc. SPIE 12180, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2022: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave, 121803R (27 August 2022); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2629231

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