Search results for "EXPLORATION"
showing 10 items of 201 documents
Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory: Fast Response Space Missions for Early Time Phase of Gamma Ray Bursts
2013
One of the unexplored domains in the study of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) is the early time phase of the optical light curve. We have proposed Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory (UFFO) to address this question through extraordinary opportunities presented by a series of small space missions. The UFFO is equipped with a fast-response Slewing Mirror Telescope that uses a rapidly moving mirror or mirror array to redirect the optical beam rather than slewing the entire spacecraft or telescope to aim the optical instrument at the GRB position. The UFFO will probe the early optical rise of GRBs with sub-second response, for the first time, opening a completely new frontier in GRB and transient studies. Its…
Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory for the observation of early photons from gamma-ray bursts
2013
One of the least documented and understood aspects of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) is the rise phase of the optical light curve. The Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory (UFFO) is an effort to address this question through extraordinary opportunities presented by a series of space missions including a small spacecraft observatory. The UFFO is equipped with a fast-response Slewing Mirror Telescope (SMT) that uses a rapidly moving mirror or mirror array to redirect the optical beam rather than slewing the entire spacecraft to aim the optical instrument at the GRB position. The UFFO will probe the early optical rise of GRBs with sub-second response, for the first time, opening a completely new frontier in …
The Cryogenic Anticoincidence Detector for ATHENA-XMS
2012
The TES cryogenic detectors, due to their high spectral resolution and imaging capability in the soft X-ray domain, are the reference devices for the next proposed space missions whose aims are to characterize the spectra of faint or diffuse sources. ATHENA is the re-scoped IXO mission, and one of its focal plane instrument is the X-ray Microcalorimeter Spectrometer (XMS) working in the energy range 0.3-10 keV. XMS will be able to achieve the proposed scientific goals if a background lower than 0.02 cts/cm2/s/keV is guaranteed. The studies performed by GEANT4 simulations depict a scenario where it is mandatory to use an active Anti-Coincidence (AC) to reduce the expected background in the L…
Short-term variations in Be stars observed by the CoRoT and Kepler space missions
2010
AbstractThe corot and kepler space missions are collecting very high-precision long-duration photometric data of many Be stars, allowing us to better understand the origin of their short-term variability and the link between these variations and the Be phenomenon. In this paper, we present a brief summary of the results obtained in the analysis of several Be stars observed with corot in terms of pulsations. In addition, we show that variations of the Be star HD 175869 can be explained as two active regions separated by 150 degrees or as unstable pulsating modes in a star with an extensive mixing in radiative layers corresponding to a core overshooting of 0.35Hp. A preliminary study of the p…
Development of a TES based Cryo-Anticoincidence for a large array of microcalorimeters
2009
The employment of large arrays of microcalorimeters in space missions (IXO, EDGE/XENIA)[1][2][3], requires the presence of an anticoincidence detector to remove the background due to the particles, with a rejection efficiency at least equal to Suzaku (98%) [1]. A new concept of anticoincidence is under development to match the very tight thermal requirements and to simplify the design of the electronic chain. The idea is to produce a Cryo-AntiCoincidence (Cryo-AC) based on a silicon absorber and read by a TES (Transition-Edge Sensor). This configuration would ensure very good performances in terms of efficiency, time response and signal to noise ratio. We present the results of estimations,…
Phononic crystals: Harnessing the propagation of sound, elastic waves, and phonons
2016
Comptes Rendus Physique - In Press.Proof corrected by the author Available online since jeudi 3 mars 2016
CALOS: an experiment to study the solar corona with an array of NTD Ge microcalorimeters
2002
In response to the Italian Space Agency announcement "New Ideas for Space Missions", we have proposed an observatory "CALorimetri per Osservazioni Solari" (CALOS) that will perform spatially resolved (Deltatheta similar to 2) X-ray spectroscopy of the solar corona over the 0.1 - 10 keV band using an array of NTD germanium microcalorimeters. The observatory will also include an X-ray polarimeter of radically new design that will study the hard X-ray solar emission and its polarization and will serve as a flare alarm.
Methodology for the retrieval of vegetation chlorophyll fluorescence from space in the frame of the flex mission preparatory
2016
FLEX (FLuorescence EXperiment) is a candidate mission for the European Space Agency (ESA) Earth Explorer program. The main objective of the mission is the measurement the chlorophyll fluorescence signal emitted by vegetation at the red and far-red spectral regions (roughly 630-770 nm). The current FLEX mission design includes different instruments intended to provide the appropriate characterization of those atmospheric and surface parameters necessary for the retrieval and interpretation of the fluorescence signal. The complete processing chain for the derivation of fluorescence and reflectance products from the radiance data acquired by the different instruments included in the FLEX paylo…
A view of extraterrestrial soils
2009
International audience; The nature of soils on celestial bodies other than Earth is a growing area of research in planetary geology. However, disagreement over the significance of these deposits arises in part due to the lack of a unified concept and definition of soil in the literature. The pragmatic definition “medium for plant growth” is taken by some to imply the necessity of biota for soil to exist, and has been commonly adopted in the planetary science community. In contrast, a more complex and informative definition bases on scientific theory: soil is the (bio)geochemically/physically altered material at the surface of a planetary body that encompasses surficial extraterrestrial tell…
Robotic Exploration of Planetary Surfaces – Rover Technologies Developed for Space Exploration
2009
Mobility is a key feature for any science mission and for space exploration in general. Missions with mobile systems provide a much wider spectrum of outcomes by employing a higher number of samples within an increased area of exploration. The additional degree of freedom of a rover in comparison to a lander or even a robotic arm allows the mission to be flexibly adapted to the landing site as it is encountered.