We present an update on the development of the Spectroscopic Ultraviolet Multi-object Observatory (SUMO) concept and Prototype. Specific development includes telescope design and manufacturing, mechanical design, procurement of optics, controller development, and preliminary laboratory testing. The SUMO Prototype is part of the technology maturation program of SUMO, a mission concept designed for a small/medium-sized satellite platform, and will be the first time a DMD-based instrument is deployed in space. Because the SUMO Prototype will be deployed as a secondary payload, the spectrograph is designed for completely autonomous operation in the near-ultraviolet (NUV) regime. This research encapsulates a wide range of programs, including efforts to understand the processes of star formation and galaxy evolution. Since the last major UV NASA missions, FUSE and GALEX, NASA has invested significantly into technology development for the UV regime. As a result, high reflectance mirror coatings and state-of-the-art detectors are now available. These technologies, along with the developed optical design, allow SUMO to achieve effective areas that are comparable to those achieved by FUSE and GALEX, at a fraction of the size and cost. The SUMO Prototype consists of an 8 cm Cassegrain telescope and a digital micromirror device (DMD)-based multi-object spectrometer (MOS), with parallel imaging and spectroscopic channels. As part of this work, we also will develop a custom DMD controller, which is suitable for operation in the space environment. This controller works with a custom-developed object selection code, which performs multi-object spectroscopy in real-time. The SUMO Prototype is tentatively scheduled for flight in Spring 2025 aboard the INFUSE sounding rocket.
The INtegral Field Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Experiment (INFUSE), a sounding rocket payload under development by the Colorado Ultraviolet Spectroscopy Program (CUSP), will be the first far ultraviolet (100 nm to 200 nm) Integral Field Spectrograph (IFS) in space. With access to part of the Lyman ultraviolet (100.0 nm to 121.6 nm), INFUSE will be able to study spectral emission lines such as O VI in extended objects at greater spatial resolution and coverage than has previously been possible. An F/16, 0.49 m Cassegrain telescope feeds the instrument. A 26-element image slicer provided by Canon, Inc. forms the basis for the IFS. Each reflective slice acts as a long-slit, creating 26 different channels. Each channel is re-focused and dispersed by one of 26 identical holographic gratings supplied by Horiba JY onto the same 94 x 94 mm cross-strip (XS) microchannel plate detector (MCP). This MCP, provided by Sensor Sciences, will be the largest MCP of its type ever flown in space and will be advancing high event rate photon-counting detector technology for future NASA missions. We discuss the process and results of aligning the telescope and instrument, with a focus on the method by which the 26 gratings are aligned with the image slicer. Additionally, we examine the challenges the large primary mirror presented when being mounted and coated for flight. The first flight of INFUSE is schedule for October 2023 when it will spectroscopically image the XA region of the Cygnus Loop at the interface between the supernova and the ambient ISM, studying shock fronts in the supernova remnant.
The INtegral Field Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Experiment (INFUSE), a sounding rocket payload under development at the University of Colorado Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, will be the first far ultraviolet (1000 - 2000 A° ) integral field spectrograph (IFS) in space. With access to part of the Lyman ultraviolet (1000 - 1216 A° ), INFUSE will study spectral emission lines such as O VI in extended objects at greater spatial resolution and grasp than has previously been possible. An F/16, 0.49 m Cassegrain telescope feeds the instrument. A 26-element image slicer provided by Canon Inc. forms the basis for the IFS. Each reflective slice acts as a long-slit, creating 26 different channels. Each channel is re-focused and dispersed by one of 26 identical holographic gratings supplied by Horiba JY onto the same 94 x 94 mm cross-strip (XS) microchannel plate detector (MCP). This MCP, provided by Sensor Sciences, will be the largest MCP of its type ever flown in space and will be advancing high event rate photon-counting detector technology for future NASA missions. We discuss the process of aligning the instrument, with a focus on the method by which the 26 gratings are aligned with the image slicer. Additionally, we examine the challenges presented by mounting and coating the large primary mirror and the steps taken to ensure that the mirror remains stable in flight. The first flight of INFUSE is projected for Spring 2023 when it will spectroscopically image the XA region of the Cygnus Loop at the interface between the supernova and the ambient ISM, studying shock fronts in the supernova remnant.
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