The XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission), depicted in an artist’s rendering, is an X-ray mission tasked with exploring some of the universe’s most dynamic entities. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab holds the credit for this image.
Set to launch later this month, JAXA’s XRISM satellite will employ its Resolve tool to scrutinize X-ray illumination, granting never-before-seen knowledge into the universe’s most powerful objects.
The XRISM project, pronounced “crism,” is intent on disentangling high-energy illumination into something akin to an X-ray spectrum of colors. The operation, guided by JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), will utilize an apparatus named Resolve to achieve this.
Scheduled to commence from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center on August 25, 2023 (or August 26 in Japan), the XRISM launch is eagerly awaited.
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Scientific Exploration and Tools
Richard Kelley, NASA’s main investigator for XRISM at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, underlined the mission’s importance, stating, “The Resolve tool will provide a fresh perspective on some of the universe’s most potent phenomena like black holes, galaxy clusters, and post-stellar explosion effects. The data collected after the launch will enhance our understanding of their actions and compositions.”
At Japan’s Tsukuba Space Center, team members from both NASA and JAXA calibrated XRISM’s Resolve component, pictured here, a tad above absolute zero, prior to its installation on the spacecraft. The calibration results define Resolve’s delicate functioning, which is vital for researchers who will employ XRISM to study the cosmos once it’s in orbit. Credit: JAXA
A collaboration between NASA and JAXA, Resolve is an X-ray microcalorimeter spectrometer instrument. It detects minimal temperature variations caused when an X-ray strikes its 6-by-6-pixel detector. To identify the X-ray’s energy, the detector must chill to roughly minus 460 Fahrenheit (minus 270 Celsius), slightly above absolute zero.
After a complex mechanical cooling procedure inside a container the size of a refrigerator filled with liquid helium, the tool attains its operational temperature.
From Energy Patterns to Cosmic Discoveries
By gathering thousands or even millions of X-rays from a cosmic source, Resolve can record high-definition energy patterns of the object. Spectra represent the measurement of light’s intensity across an energy continuum. Scientists historically used prisms in early spectrometers to detect energy lines, resulting from absorption or emission of energy by atoms or molecules.
Today, astronomers use spectrometers to investigate various aspects of cosmic objects such as their physical conditions, movements, and contents. Resolve will perform spectroscopy for X-rays with energies between 400 to 12,000 electron volts by assessing individual X-rays to create a spectrum. (Visible light energies, by comparison, range from 2 to 3 electron volts.)
Brian Williams, NASA’s XRISM project scientist at Goddard, emphasized the mission’s unmatched abilities, noting, “The spectra that XRISM will gather will be the most intricate we’ve ever seen for certain phenomena. The mission will grant us understanding into some of the most complex regions, like the inner structures of neutron stars and near-light-speed particle jets fueled by black holes in active galaxies.”
Additional Tools and Collaborative Efforts
Complementing Resolve is another device named Xtend, a JAXA creation. Xtend has one of the broadest viewing scopes of any X-ray imaging satellites ever launched, able to cover an area around 60% larger than the average apparent size of a full Moon.
Resolve and Xtend depend on a pair of identical X-ray Mirror Assemblies developed at Goddard.
XRISM symbolizes a cooperative venture between JAXA and NASA, with contributions from ESA (European Space Agency). Included in NASA’s role is scientific involvement from the Canadian Space Agency.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about XRISM
What is the XRISM mission?
The XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) is a collaborative mission between JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and NASA. It’s designed to explore and analyze some of the universe’s most energetic objects, such as black holes and galaxy clusters, using specialized X-ray instruments called Resolve and Xtend.
When is the XRISM mission scheduled to launch?
The XRISM mission is scheduled to launch from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center on August 25, 2023 (August 26 in Japan).
What are the main instruments used in the XRISM mission?
The XRISM mission primarily uses two instruments: Resolve, an X-ray microcalorimeter spectrometer, and Xtend, an X-ray imaging tool boasting one of the largest fields of view of any X-ray imaging satellites.
What are the main goals of the XRISM mission?
The XRISM mission aims to provide unprecedented insights into the universe’s most energetic objects, including black holes, clusters of galaxies, and stellar explosions’ aftermath. By analyzing X-ray light and forming high-resolution spectra, the mission seeks to understand these objects’ physical states, motions, and compositions.
How does Resolve function, and what is its role in the XRISM mission?
Resolve is an X-ray microcalorimeter spectrometer instrument that measures tiny temperature changes created when an X-ray hits its detector. It functions by cooling down to a temperature just above absolute zero, allowing it to determine the X-ray’s energy. Its role in the XRISM mission is to measure high-resolution spectra of cosmic objects, contributing to understanding their energetic properties.
Who are the main collaborators on the XRISM mission?
The XRISM mission is a joint effort between JAXA and NASA, with participation from the European Space Agency (ESA). NASA’s contribution also includes scientific participation from the Canadian Space Agency.
More about XRISM
- XRISM Official Website
- NASA’s XRISM Mission Overview
- European Space Agency’s Involvement in XRISM
- Canadian Space Agency’s Contribution to XRISM
- NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
5 comments
I can’t wait for the launch of XRISM, this is gona be huge for understanding black holes and other cosmic stuff. Anybody else super excited??
I love how JAXA and NASA are coming together for this. Space exploration is a global effort, and it’s inspiring to see all these innovations and collaboration between countries.
Didn’t really get all the technical bits but its sounds important, and i’m glad that countries are working together. Go science!
The part about Xtend’s field of view being 60% larger than the full Moon is fascinating, Is there any more info on that, Could it be used for more than just the XRISM mission.
The use of Resolve and Xtend in X-ray technology? That’s amazing. How cool is that I mean, analyzing energy of x-rays at minus 460 Fahrenheit. Just wow!