Constellation-X
Full Name: Constellation-X
Phase: Under study
Mission Project Home Page: http://ixo.gsfc.nasa.gov/
Program(s): Physics of the Cosmos
The Constellation-X Observatory is a combination of several X-ray telescopes working in unison to generate the observing power of one giant telescope. With the Observatory, scientists will investigate black holes, Einstein's Theory of General Relativity, galaxy formation, the evolution of the Universe on the largest scales, the recycling of matter and energy, and the nature of dark matter and dark energy.
Like all X-ray telescopes, Constellation-X must be positioned in space because X-ray light does not penetrate the Earth's atmosphere. Yet, in designing Constellation-X, scientists wanted an X-ray telescope similar to the large Earth-bound telescopes to collect as much X-ray light as possible. These requirements led to the unique multi-telescope design of Constellation-X. The four telescopes will combine to provide a sensitivity 100 times greater than any past or current X-ray satellite mission. Essentially, scientists will be able to collect more data in an hour than they would have collected in days or weeks with current X-ray telescopes. We will learn about thousands of faint X-ray emitting sources, not just the bright sources available to us today.
Constellation-X builds on three decades of X-ray satellites, including the currently operating Chandra X-ray Observatory (NASA) and XMM-Newton mission (ESA), and builds on proven technology. The technology requirements flow from the mission science objectives, as articulated by the Facility Science Team (FST) composed of approximately 50 scientists from more than 30 different institutions.
An extensive program is going forward using broad based Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) to develop and demonstrate the new technology needed to carry out the Constellation-X mission. Areas of activity include X-ray optics, detector and cooling systems, and deployable optical benches. The goal of this effort is to demonstrate that all required technology is in place and well understood before flight hardware is started.