Performance of the GHRS Pt-Ne hollow-cathode lamps after their return from space and comparison with archival data

Kerber, F.; Lindler, Don J.; Bristow, Paul; Nave, Gillian; Reader, Joseph; Sansonetti, Craig J.; Lembke, Dominik; Heap, Sara R.; Rosa, M. R.; Wood, H. John

doi:10.1117/12.671739

Cited by 1 publication

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“…The lifetime of lamps equivalent to those on used on STIS has been studied by accelerated aging tests in the laboratory (Kerber et al 2004). Spectra of the actual lamps used on the GHRS and FOS were taken at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) after their return from space and were compared with archival data (Kerber et al 2006). However, the lamps flown before those on COS have been used sparingly-the ones on the GHRS were operated for about 50 hr total while the Pt/Cr/Ne lamps on the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) operated for about 120 hr before COS was installed on the HST.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lifetime and Failure Characteristics of Pt/Ne Hollow Cathode Lamps Used as Calibration Sources for UV Space Instruments

Nave

Sansonetti

Penton

et al. 2012

Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific

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We report accelerated aging tests on three Pt/Ne lamps from the same manufacturing run as lamps installed on the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS). One lamp was aged in air at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) at a current of 10 mA and 50% duty cycle (30 s on, 30 s off) until failure. Two other lamps were aged by the COS instrument development team in a vacuum chamber. Initial radiometrically calibrated spectra were taken of all three lamps at NIST. Calibrated spectra of the air-aged lamp were taken after 206, 500, 778, 783 and 897 hr of operation. Spectra of the vacuum-aged lamps were taken after 500 hr for both lamps, and after 1000 hr for one of the lamps. During vacuum aging, the lamp voltage, photometric stability and temperature were monitored. All three lamps lasted for over 900 hr (100,000 cycles) when run at 10 mA, sufficient for 10-12 years of operation on COS. The total output dropped by less than 15% over 500 hr, with short-term repeatability within a few percent. We recommend that future space operation of these lamps include the lamp voltage in the telemetry as a diagnostic for the lamp aging.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%