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Walsh BM, Kuntz KD, Busk S, Cameron T, Chornay D, Chuchra A, Collier MR, Connor C, Connor HK, Cravens TE, Dobson N, Galeazzi M, Kim H, Kujawski J, Paw U CK, Porter FS, Naldoza V, Nutter R, Qudsi R, Sibeck DG, Sembay S, Shoemaker M, Simms K, Thomas NE, Atz E, Winkert G. The Lunar Environment Heliophysics X-ray Imager (LEXI) Mission. SPACE SCIENCE REVIEWS 2024; 220:37. [PMID: 38756703 PMCID: PMC11093736 DOI: 10.1007/s11214-024-01063-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
The Lunar Environment heliospheric X-ray Imager (LEXI) is a wide field-of-view soft X-ray telescope developed to study solar wind-magnetosphere coupling. LEXI is part of the Blue Ghost 1 mission comprised of 10 payloads to be deployed on the lunar surface. LEXI monitors the dayside magnetopause position and shape as a function of time by observing soft X-rays (0.1-2 keV) emitted from solar wind charge-exchange between exospheric neutrals and high charge-state solar wind plasma in the dayside magnetosheath. Measurements of the shape and position of the magnetopause are used to test temporal models of meso- and macro-scale magnetic reconnection. To image the boundary, LEXI employs lobster-eye optics to focus X-rays to a microchannel plate detector with a 9.1× ∘ 9.1 ∘ field of view.
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Affiliation(s)
- B. M. Walsh
- Center for Space Physics, Boston University, Boston, 02215 MA USA
| | - K. D. Kuntz
- The Henry A. Rowland Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, 21218 MD USA
| | - S. Busk
- Center for Space Physics, Boston University, Boston, 02215 MA USA
| | - T. Cameron
- NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, 20771 MD USA
| | - D. Chornay
- NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, 20771 MD USA
| | | | - M. R. Collier
- NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, 20771 MD USA
| | - C. Connor
- Center for Space Physics, Boston University, Boston, 02215 MA USA
| | - H. K. Connor
- NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, 20771 MD USA
| | - T. E. Cravens
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, 66045 KS USA
| | - N. Dobson
- NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, 20771 MD USA
| | - M. Galeazzi
- Department of Physics, University of Miami, Miami, 33146 FL USA
| | - H. Kim
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Graz, Austria
| | - J. Kujawski
- Brandywine Photonics, College Station, 77845 TX USA
| | - C. K. Paw U
- Center for Space Physics, Boston University, Boston, 02215 MA USA
| | - F. S. Porter
- NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, 20771 MD USA
| | - V. Naldoza
- Center for Space Physics, Boston University, Boston, 02215 MA USA
| | - R. Nutter
- NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, 20771 MD USA
| | - R. Qudsi
- Center for Space Physics, Boston University, Boston, 02215 MA USA
| | - D. G. Sibeck
- NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, 20771 MD USA
| | - S. Sembay
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - M. Shoemaker
- NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, 20771 MD USA
| | - K. Simms
- NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, 20771 MD USA
| | - N. E. Thomas
- Marshall Space Flight Center, NASA, Huntsville, 35808 AL USA
| | - E. Atz
- Center for Space Physics, Boston University, Boston, 02215 MA USA
| | - G. Winkert
- NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, 20771 MD USA
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Collier MR, Porter FS, Sibeck DG, Carter JA, Chiao MP, Chornay DJ, Cravens TE, Galeazzi M, Keller JW, Koutroumpa D, Kujawski J, Kuntz K, Read AM, Robertson IP, Sembay S, Snowden SL, Thomas N, Uprety Y, Walsh BM. Invited Article: First flight in space of a wide-field-of-view soft x-ray imager using lobster-eye optics: Instrument description and initial flight results. THE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 2015; 86:071301. [PMID: 26233339 DOI: 10.1063/1.4927259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
We describe the development, launch into space, and initial results from a prototype wide field-of-view soft X-ray imager that employs lobster-eye optics and targets heliophysics, planetary, and astrophysics science. The sheath transport observer for the redistribution of mass is the first instrument using this type of optics launched into space and provides proof-of-concept for future flight instruments capable of imaging structures such as the terrestrial cusp, the entire dayside magnetosheath from outside the magnetosphere, comets, the Moon, and the solar wind interaction with planetary bodies like Venus and Mars [Kuntz et al., Astrophys. J. (in press)].
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Affiliation(s)
| | - F Scott Porter
- NASA/Goddard Spaceflight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - David G Sibeck
- NASA/Goddard Spaceflight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - Jenny A Carter
- The Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, United Kingdom
| | - Meng P Chiao
- NASA/Goddard Spaceflight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | | | - Thomas E Cravens
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas, 1251 Wescoe Hall Dr., Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA
| | | | - John W Keller
- NASA/Goddard Spaceflight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - Dimitra Koutroumpa
- CNRS/INSU, LATMOS-IPSL, Université Versailles St-Quentin, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ. Paris 06, 11 Boulevard d'Alembert, 78280 Guyancourt, France
| | - Joseph Kujawski
- Department of Physics, Siena College, Loudonville, New York 12211, USA
| | - Kip Kuntz
- The Henry A. Rowland Department of Physics and Astronomy, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
| | - Andy M Read
- The Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, United Kingdom
| | - Ina P Robertson
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas, 1251 Wescoe Hall Dr., Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA
| | - Steve Sembay
- The Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, United Kingdom
| | | | - Nicholas Thomas
- NASA/Goddard Spaceflight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
| | - Youaraj Uprety
- Department of Physics, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33124, USA
| | - Brian M Walsh
- Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
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