Greetings from Esrange!
There has been a lot of activity here in recent days as the launch of PoGOLite draws closer. The weather has, at last, started to cooperate and we have been able to complete our last formal outdoor test before we are declared ‘flight ready’. During this so-called ‘hang test’, we check that there is no interference between the balloon communication systems and our scientific instrument. PoGOLite uses a combination of high power radio links and satellite links to transfer data to the ground and commands up to the gondola. We also practiced the operations needed to pick up the telescope with the enormous Hercules launch vehicle - no room for error and not as easy as it might sound! The hang test happened to coincide with the PoGOLite press event hosted by Olle Norberg, Director General of The Swedish National Space Board.
Bild: KTH PhD student Merlin Kole prepares the telescope for tests.
On Sunday 1st July, the launch window for PoGOLite opens. The start of the launch window marks the day when our primary science target, The Crab, is sufficiently separated from the Sun and therefore visible to our telescope. The Crab is a neutron star which rotates 30 times per second while sending out flashes of high energy X-ray radiation. This may not sound particularly spectacular until I mention that the neutron star is only 15 km in diameter but weighs approximately the same as our Sun! In other words, the Crab contains material of almost unimaginable density. It is the brightest source of X-rays on the sky and PoGOLite will help us to better understand how the X-rays are produced in the Crab’s extreme physical environment - for example, the Crab has magnetic field which is about a million times stronger than that we experience on Earth.
Most likely, the first launch attempt will not occur until late next week. A NASA test balloon is in the queue before us and the weather prognosis looks a little shaky early next week. Until then, we will continue our tests and rehearsals, and hopefully find some time to relax. The Kiruna Festival takes place this week - providing a welcome and much needed chance to wind down a little before the excitement of waiting for a launch opportunity!
More news after the weekend...
- Mark
