Micro-X Sounding Rocket First Flight and Modifications for Second Flight

Manzagol-Harwood, Renee Elisabeth

doi:https://doi.org/10.21985/n2-tc68-ce06

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Micro-X Sounding Rocket First Flight and Modifications for Second Flight

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Micro-X is a high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy sounding rocket mission that had its first flight in July 2018, becoming the first program to carry Transition-Edge Sensors (TES) and multiplexing Superconducting QUantum Interference Device (SQUID) readout electronics into space, successfully collect data, and subsequently recover the instruments. While a rocket pointing failure led to no time on-target, the success of the flight systems was demonstrated. Deadtimes were seen at different times during flight, which have been attributed to the changing magnetic field direction as the rocket tumbled; modifications have been made for improved magnetic susceptibility for second flight. The instrument’s original configuration was optimized for Supernova Remnant imaging, and this same configuration is planned for the re-flight in 2022. The successful flight operation of the instrument puts the program in a position to modify the payload for indirect galactic dark matter searches. This thesis will cover the Micro-X instrument in its first flight configuration, the results of the first flight with focus on the magnetic field susceptibility of the first flight system, and modifications that have been made for the second flight in August 2022.

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