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NASA’s NICER Science Operations Resume After Successful Repairs
On January 16, during a spacewalk, the crew aboard the International Space Station applied necessary patches to NASA’s NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer) mission. The X-ray telescope, located adjacent to the station’s starboard solar array, was able to resume its science operations later that same day.
The repairs addressed damage discovered in May 2023 on NICER’s thermal shields. These shields function as filters, blocking sunlight while allowing X-rays to penetrate. Following the identification of this damage, the NICER team proactively restricted observations during daylight hours to protect the sensitive detectors from excessive sunlight interference. However, nighttime observations remained largely unaffected, allowing the team to continue their vital data collection for scientific research.
The recent repair process was executed smoothly, with the latest data indicating enhanced performance from the detectors behind the repaired sections during the night cycle. Notably, the amount of sunlight exposure within NICER during the day has been significantly minimized.
Despite these advancements, initial data analysis reveals that the telescope still encounters more sunlight interference than anticipated. The patches specifically target areas of documented damage, as identified through a combination of astronomical observations and images captured by external robotic systems and astronauts aboard the station. The ongoing measurements, alongside high-resolution photos taken during the spacewalk, are providing valuable insights that may facilitate further improvements in daytime observation capabilities.
For now, NICER is fully operational during its night orbit phase, contributing to groundbreaking discoveries in time domain and multimessenger astrophysics.
Media contact: Alise Fisher, NASA Headquarters / Claire Andreoli, NASA Goddard
Challenges from Sunlight Leak Affecting NASA’s NICER Telescope, Yet Research Continues
On May 22, NASA’s NICER X-ray telescope aboard the International Space Station experienced a “light leak,” allowing undesired sunlight to infiltrate the instrument. This incident led to an assessment of the ongoing data collection, revealing a detrimental impact on observations made during the daytime, while nighttime operations appeared to remain unaffected.
The NICER team suspects that damage to at least one of the thin thermal shields across its 56 X-ray Concentrators has occurred, permitting sunlight to reach the highly sensitive detectors.
In response, the NICER team has adjusted its daytime observation strategies, focusing on celestial objects positioned away from the Sun’s glare. Additionally, they have implemented modifications that automatically decrease the instrument’s sensitivity during daylight, thereby mitigating the effects of sunlight intrusion. The team is also exploring further tactics to lessen the impact of this light leak on scientific observations.
To date, NICER data has informed more than 300 published scientific papers, and the team remains optimistic about the telescope’s continued ability to yield significant scientific advancements.
Media contact: Alise Fisher, NASA Headquarters / Claire Andreoli, NASA Goddard
Source
www.nasa.gov