The OGRESS sounding rocket payload

摘要

We present an overview of the Off-plane Grating Rocket for Extended Source Spectroscopy (OGRESS) sounding rocket payload based at the University of Iowa. OGRESS is designed to perform moderate resolution (R~10-40) spectroscopy of diffuse celestial X-ray sources between 0.3 -1.2 keV. A wire grid focuser constrains light from diffuse sources into a converging beam that feeds an array of diffraction gratings in the extreme off-plane mount. The spectrum is focused onto Gaseous Electron Multiplier (GEM) detectors. Scheduled to launch in 2014, OGRESS will obtain accurate physical diagnostics of the Cygnus Loop supernova remnant and will increase the technical readiness level of GEMs. OGRESS is the fourth-generation of similar payloads from the partnership between the University of Iowa and the University of Colorado, with higher throughput, and improved noise characteristics over its predecessors.