The Lunar Occultation Observer (LOCO) mission concept

Richard S. Miller

doi:10.1117/12.735766

13 September 2007 The Lunar Occultation Observer (LOCO) mission concept

Richard S. Miller

Proceedings Volume 6686, UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XV; 66860D (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.735766
Event: Optical Engineering + Applications, 2007, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

The hard X-ray sky has tremendous potential for future discoveries and is one of the last electromagnetic regimes without a sensitive all-sky survey. A new approach to such a survey is to utilize the Moon as an occulting disk. The Lunar Occultation Observer (LOCO) mission concept, based on this Lunar Occultation Technique (LOT) and incorporating advanced inorganic scintillators as a detection medium, represents a sensitive and cost effective option for NASA's Beyond Einstein Black Hole Finder Probe or a future Explorer-class mission. We present the motivating factors for the LOT, outline developmental details and simulation results, as well as give preliminary estimates for source detection sensitivity.

Citation Download Citation

Richard S. Miller "The Lunar Occultation Observer (LOCO) mission concept", Proc. SPIE 6686, UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XV, 66860D (13 September 2007); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.735766

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