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Juno is on its way to Jupiter! The Atlas V lifted off at 12:25 p.m. Juno’s principal goal is to understand the origin and evolution of Jupiter. Underneath its dense cloud cover, Jupiter safeguards secrets to the fundamental processes and conditions that governed our solar system during its formation. As our primary example of a giant planet, Jupiter can also provide critical knowledge for understanding the planetary systems being discovered around other stars.
Amptek is proud to have supplied hybrid electronics and high voltage optocouplers for this mission.
On March 18, 2011, the Messenger spacecraft became the first or orbit the planet Mercury. Amptek is proud to be part of the mission, supplying hyrbid preamplifiers for the various scientific instruments on board.
The Energetic Particle Spectrometer EPPS/EPS. There are 24 A250F preamplifiers circling the detector. Photo courtesy of Johns Hopkins Univsersity.
Amptek Inc has introduced a new series of low energy X-ray windows for XRF. The new "C Series" X-ray windows are new technology that extend the low energy response of the Amptek Super SDD down to Carbon (C). These windows can be used in SEMs, benchtops, or hand-held analyzers.
Amptek provided an alternative to liquid nitrogen when it introduced the first thermoelectrically cooled detector. Now with the C Series, Amptek provides an alternative to the Beryllium (Be) window.
Click here for more information.
May 25, 2008 -- NASA's Phoenix spacecraft landed in the northern polar region of Mars today to begin three months of examining a site chosen for its likelihood of having frozen water within reach of the lander's robotic arm. Radio signals received at 4:53:44 p.m. Pacific Time (7:53:44 p.m. Eastern Time) confirmed the Phoenix Mars Lander had survived its difficult final descent and touchdown 15 minutes earlier. The signals took that long to travel from Mars to Earth at the speed of light. Amptek is proud to be part of this mission by supplying hybrid preamplifiers, shaping amplifiers, and other front-end electronics.
Photo of Phoenix on Mars.
Today, MESSENGER will experience its closest approach to Mercury, passing just 200 kilometers (124 miles) above the planet's surface. MESSENGER will begin to transmit the new data to Earth once all of the scientific measurements are completed, about 22 hours after the spacecraft's closest approach to Mercury. These flyby data will shed light on fundamental scientific questions related to the formation and evolution of the planet Mercury. As scientists analyze the data, the MESSENGER spacecraft will continue on its planned journey, which includes two more encounters of Mercury in October 2008 and September 2009, before entering an orbit around Mercury in March 2011. Amptek is proud to be part of this mission by supplying hybrid preamplifiers, shaping amplifiers, and other front-end electronics.
Photo of Mercury taken by MESSENGER on 1/13/08 on its first approach to the planet.
NASA's Dawn spacecraft is on its way to study a pair of asteroids after lifting off Thursday from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 7:34 a.m. EDT. Dawn's 4.8-billion-kilometer (3-billion-mile) odyssey includes exploration of asteroid Vesta in 2011 and the dwarf planet Ceres in 2015. These two icons of the asteroid belt have been witness to much of our solar system's history. By using Dawn's instruments to study both asteroids, scientists more accurately can compare and contrast the two. Dawn's science instrument suite will measure elemental and mineral composition, shape, surface topography, and tectonic history, and will also seek water-bearing minerals. In addition, the Dawn spacecraft and how it orbits Vesta and Ceres will be used to measure the celestial bodies' masses and gravity fields. Amptek if proud to be part of this mission by supplying hybrid preamplifiers!
The XR-100SDD Silicon Drift Detector (SDD) is Amptek's latest addition to its line of x-ray detectors that revolutionized the industry. Its high performance, small size, and low cost make it the ideal detector for OEM hand-help applications to bench-top analyzers. The silicon drift detector (SDD) enables extremely high count rate applications with excellent energy resolution. The detector is housed inside the same TO-8 package as Amptek's other detectors, so its form-factor is a direct replacement for current systems.
Click here for more information.NASA launched the five THEMIS satellites aboard a single Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on 2/17/07. The THEMIS satellites will soon disperse around Earth to monitor auroras like the Northern Lights. NASA is undertaking the mission to investigate what causes auroras in the Earth's atmosphere to change in appearance and dissipate. Discovering why the light of auroras can fluctuate and fade will provide scientists with important details on how the planet's protective magnetosphere works and on the sun-Earth connection.
Amptek is proud to be part of the THEMIS team, and honored to supply hybrid preamplifiers to the mission.
STEREO lifted off at 8:52 pm EDT from Cape Canveral Air Force Station, FL. The twin spacecraft will investigate the origins of special solar storms erupting from the sun. Amptek is proud to be part of this mission by supplying hybrid premplifiers and electronics.
STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) is the third mission in NASA's Solar Terrestrial Probes program (STP). This two-year mission will employ two nearly identical space-based observatories - one ahead of Earth in its orbit, the other trailing behind - to provide the first-ever stereoscopic measurements to study the Sun and the nature of its coronal mass ejections, or CMEs.
Congratulations to the STEREO Team! Click here for the STEREO homepage.
Amptek announced the X-123 today, a complete x-ray spectrometer. This compact, low power, high performance module is the culmination of 14 years of X-ray detector development at Amptek. All that is needed is a 5 Volts DC input and a USB or RS232 connection to a computer.
2.7 x 3.9 x 1 in. (7 x 10 x 2.5 cm)
The Messenger spacecraft was successfully launched on 8/3/2004. Messenger is a scientific investigation of the planet Mercury. Its journey will take 7 years. Amptek charge sensitive preamplifiers and front-end electronics are used throughout Messenger's scientific payload.
Messenger Home Page
The international Cassini-Huygens mission has successfully entered orbit around Saturn! After a 7 year journey, Cassini will begin its scientific exploration of Saturn. On-board are Amptek charge sensitive premplifiers and electronics!
The innovation continues at 149 eV FWHM!
Click here for more information.
The Rosetta spacecraft, now on its way to Comet 67 P/Churyumov- Gerasimenko, will be the first ever to orbit and drop a lander on a comet. The 3000 kg spacecraft will study the origin of comets, the relationship between cometary and interstellar material and its implications with regard to the origin of the Solar System. On its 10 year journey to the comet, the spacecraft will hopefully pass by at least one asteroid. Rosetta has a complex trajectory including three Earth and one Mars graviy assist manoeuvre before finally reaching the comet. On arrival at 67P Rosetta will enter orbit around the comet and stay with it as it journeys in towards the Sun.
Amptek is proud to have provided the Radiation Hard Hybrid Preamplifiers and High Voltage Opto-Couplers for this mission.
Descriptive article on Rosetta
Amptek charge sensitive preamplifiers land on Mars on January 3 and 24, 2004. Amptek salutes the Spirit/Opportunity team for a successful trip and landing and is proud to be part of this mission. Amptek's charge sensitive preamplifiers A250 and A225 are used on the various instruments onboard the Spirit/Opportunity.
This is the second and third trip to Mars for Amptek technology. The first was the Pathfinder mission in 1997.
Mars Exloration Rover Home Page
The first of five delivered SSJ5 Electrostatic Analyzers (ESA) was successfully launched into orbit onboard the last of the Titan 2 rockets. SSJ5 is integrated into the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft (F16) and began its flight at 16:17 on 10/11/03.
The SSJ5 uses a nested spherical deflection plate system to simultaneously analyze electrons and ions over a 90° field of view. It utilizes a space qualified microprocessor that permits customizing data rates, measurement ranges, on board storage, and specific analysis algorithms, such as Auroral boundary detection or real time charging measurements.
Click here for launch article. Titan 2 Launch on 10/18/03 |
 First on-orbit data from SSJ5 |
Amptek preamplifiers vaporized on Sunday, September 21, 2003 on board the GALILEO spacecraft as it plunged into the Jupiter's turbulent atmosphere at 2:57 p.m. EST. This sacrifice of the 3,000-pound, $1.5 billion spacecraft was purposely made by NASA in order to avoid collision with Europa and contaminate it with any Earth germs. Europa, one of Jupiter's moons, is believed to sustain life.
The GALILEO spacecraft was launched in 1989 from the Space Shuttle Atlantis. It travelled 2.8 billion miles, took over 14,000 images of the jovian system and other planets. It recorded the impact of comet Shoemaker-Levy with Jupiter, deployed a probe to measure Jupiter's turbulent atmosphere, and discovered ice cover and salt water beneath the surface of Europa.
Amptek congratulates the managers, scientists and engineers worldwide who worked on the GALILEO MISSION and is proud to have contributed our preamplifier technology to several instruments that made scientific discoveries to enrich man's knowledge of the chemical and physical composition of Jupiter and its satellites.
Amptek preamplifiers were used in the Ultraviolet Spectrometer, Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrometer, and the Plasma Subsystem instruments.The Amptek Cool-X X-Ray Generator has been selected for the R&D 100 Award by the independent judging panel and editors of R&D Magazine as one of the year's most technologically significant products (July, 2003).
The COOL-X is a novel, miniature X-ray generator which uses a pyroelectric crystal to generate electrons that produce X-rays in the target material (Cu). The hermetically sealed package has a thin beryllium window which allows the X-rays to be transmitted. The COOL-X does not use radioisotopes or high power X-ray tubes. It is a self contained, solid state system which generates X-rays when the crystal is thermally cycled.
ESA PR 36-2003. The European Mars Express space probe has been placed successfully in a trajectory that will take it beyond the terrestrial environment and on the way to Mars getting there in late December. This first European Space Agency probe to head for another planet will enter an orbit around Mars, from where it will perform detailed studies of the planet’s surface, its subsurface structures and its atmosphere. It will also deploy Beagle 2, a small autonomous station which will land on the planet, studying its surface and looking for possible signs of life, past or present.
Beagle 2 Home Page
ESA Mars Express
Credit: ESA
The Beagle 2 is equipped with the Amptek XR-100 x-ray detector, the A250 charge sensitive preamplifier, and the A275 shaping amplifier.
The Amptek PX4 is an interface between Amptek’s XR100 series of X-ray and gamma-ray detectors and a personal computer with data acquisition, control, and analysis software. The PX4 includes three major components: (1) a shaping amplifier, based on a state of the art, high performance, low power DP4 digital pulse processor, (2) a multichannel analyzer, and (3) power supplies. It replaces both the previous generation PX2 shaping amplifier and power supply and the separate MCA.
The Amptek A250CF "Cool FET" Charge Sensitive Preamplifier is the lowest noise, general purpose, preamplifier available. It is designed to give the ultimate performance when used with either low or high detector capacitance detectors and is a direct replacement for other higher noise charge sensitive preamplifiers. The A250CF "Cool FET" technology uses a Peltier cooler to keep the input FET(s) at -50 °C. Cooling is totally transparent to the user. The A250CF "CoolFET" will be available in the summer of 2003.
The COOL-X is a novel, miniature X-ray generator which uses a pyroelectric crystal to generate electrons that produce X-rays in the target material (Cu). The hermetically sealed package has a thin beryllium window which allows the X-rays to be transmitted. The COOL-X does not use radioisotopes or high power X-ray tubes. It is a self contained, solid state system which generates X-rays when the crystal is thermally cycled.
Click here for more information
The DP4 Digital Pulse Processor from OEM applications features variable shaping times and replaces both the shaping amplifier and MCA.
A CEASE II instrument was successfully launched onboard the US Air Force DSP operational spacecraft into a geosynchronous (GEO) orbit! The initial on-orbit checkout has shown excellent performance, measuring solar proton events, outer zone electron populations, and injections of lower energy particles. The instrument launched on DSP is the first to incorporate an electrostatic analyzer for improved measurements of the particles which cause surface charging in GEO orbit. The CEASE II launch on DSP is the third successful launch and turn-on of a CEASE.
CEASE is a small, low power instrument that provides spacecraft operators with fully processed, real time, in situ measurements and autonomously generated warnings of the space radiation environment threats.
Amptek Inc. announced today that they would provide four CEASE II Space Radiation Alarm Sensors for integration into Spacebus 4000 satellites being constructed by Alcatel Space for GE Americom communication satellites.
CEASE is designed for use on all satellite systems, such as those for communications, military, environmental, imaging, and scientific exploration. The agreement with Alcatel Space and GE Americom is the first commercial mission for Amptek's Space Radiation Alarm.
The NEAR mission, launched on 2/17/96, met its end yesterday when it landed successfully on Eros. The spacecraft spent the last year orbiting, photographing, and analyzing the asteroid. When it completed its primary objective, it was decided to try and land the spacecraft on the asteroid. NEAR, designed to be an orbiter not a lander, landed at a smooth 4 mph. The Amptek XR-100 X-Ray Detector, employed as the X-Ray Solar Monitor, provided the XGRS instrument on-board NEAR with a high-resolution incident solar x-ray spectrum. This is the second XR-100 to land on an extraterrestrial body (the other now resting on the surface of Mars).
At 8:07 pm yesterday the STRV-1C spacecraft carrying CEASE was successfully launched on an Ariane 5 rocket from the Koiou launch facility in French Guyana. The launch authority, Arianespace, reported that both of DERA's Space Technology Research Vehicles (STRV 1 c&d) had separated successfully from the rocket 34 minutes after launch as planned. The 100kg microsatellites carry a suite of environmental monitors which will give comprehensive radiation measurements, assess atomic oxygen and electrostatic charging effects, and detect cosmic dust and ionospheric anomalies. STRV-1C will travel through the harsh space environment of the geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO). This is the second CEASE instrument launched this year.
CEASE is a small, low power instrument that provides spacecraft operators with fully processed, real time, in situ measurements and autonomously generated warnings of the space radiation environment threats.
At the request of the Thera Foundation, the XR-100CR journeyed to Santorini, Greece to analyze the recently found Gold Ibex at the Akrotiri archaeological site. This artifact is unique in that it is the only object found at the site made of a precious metal. Click here for more information.
The DIDM (Digital Ion Drift Meter) instrument was launched on the CHAMP spacecraft on July 15, 2000 at 13h 59 min 59.628 sec MET from the Plesetzk launch range in Russia. DIDM was successfully powered-on at 4:23 EDT (8:23 UTC) Monday morning (7/24/00). The High Voltage was turned on Wednesday (7/26/00) and all is well with the instrument.
Digital Ion Drift Meter (DIDM) instruments are designed to measure the velocity vectors of ambient ions at a spacecraft's location.
CHAMP Mission Home PageCongratulations for the launch of the CLUSTER II mission. Amptek wishes to thank all of the experimenters in the CLUSTER Mission for their trust in using our preamplifiers. CLUSTER uses the following Amptek preamps: A101, A111, A121, A225, A250, A275, A150.
Amptek, Inc. announced today that its space radiation sensor CEASE is in excellent health on board the U.S. Air Force TSX-5 spacecraft. The Tri-Service Experiment 5 spacecraft was launched on June 7, 2000, on a Pegasus rocket. The CEASE experiment was turned on the next day and immediately began measurements of the space radiation environment. Based on the initial data received, CEASE is performing as expected.
CEASE is a small, low power instrument that provides operators with fully processed, real time, in situ measurements and autonomously generated warnings of the space radiation environment threats.
Initial flight data clearly showed the expected signature of the radiation belts. Fortuitously, CEASE was turned on during a strong geomagnetic storm (category G3). The effects of this storm can be seen in CEASE's measurements.
On July 4, 1997, the Amptek XR-100 X-Ray Detector landed on Mars. For its unique design and reliability, this detector was selected for the Pathfinder Mission and placed on the Sojourner arm to perform rock and soil analysis using x-ray fluorescence techniques.
The Alpha Proton X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) onboard the Mars Pathfinder microrover is designed to provide a complete detailed chemical analysis of Martian soil and rocks. The Amptek XR-100T X-Ray Detector with theA250 Charge Sensitive Preamplifier provides the APXS with x-ray fluorescence capability.
Here is the first rock spectrum from Mars!
![[barnacle martian rock spectrum]](barnacle.gif)
![[r&d100 cover]](rd100.jpg)
For the development of the XR-100 X-Ray Detector, Amptek was honored by R & D Magazine to receive the coveted "R & D 100 Award" for 1994, as one of the year's most technologically significant products. The XR-100, high resolution x-ray detector, combines a thermoelectrically cooled silicon PIN-Photodiode with an Amptek A250 Charge Sensitive Preamplifier. The unique, all solid state design of the XR-100 eliminates the need to use liquid nitrogen to cool the detector.
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Please send sales and technical questions to sales@amptek.com Direct web page comments to webmaster@amptek.com |
![[tsx-5 spacecraft - orbital]](cease_p1.jpg)
