HiPeG: A high performance balloon gondola for fine angular resolution X-ray telescopes

Year: 2006

Authors: Di Cocco G., Basili A., Franceschini T., Landini G., Malagutia G., Palladino G., Silvestri S., Gizzi LA., Barbini A., Galimberti M.

Autors Affiliation: IASF, Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica cosmica, INAF – Sezione di Bologna, I-40129 Bologna, Italy; IPCF, Istituto per i Processi Chimico-Fisici, CNR – Area di Pisa, I-56124 Pisa, Italy

Abstract: A platform for balloon-borne hard X-ray experiments capable of tens of arcsec pointing accuracy is a necessary condition for the new generation of high angular resolution X-ray telescopes. We have designed a new multi-mission platform in which the attitude determination system is based upon a high performance GPS and a star sensor equipped with a high-dynamic range CCD detector. The device is an autonomous and flexible system which, by means of efficient star identification and tracking algorithms, permits a fine dynamical pointing and reconstruction of the pointing trajectory down to the arcsec level. This paper presents specifications of the gondola and summarizes its characteristics which will be tested in a balloon flight scheduled in near future. (c) 2005 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Journal/Review: ADVANCES IN SPACE RESEARCH

Volume: 37 (11)      Pages from: 2103  to: 2107

More Information: Proceedings Paper: 35th COSPAR Scientific Assembly, Paris, FRANCE, JUL 18-25, 2004
KeyWords: Attitude control; Balloon-borne; Pointing precision; Star sensor; X-ray telescope
DOI: 10.1016/j.asr.2005.06.029

Citations: 3
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