XR-100 Lands on Eros on-board the NEAR spacecraft! (2/13/01)

The NEAR mission, launched on 2/17/96, met its end yesterday when it landed successfully on Eros. The spacecraft spent the last year orbitting, 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 orbitter 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).

NEAR Home Page

CEASE Launched on Ariane 5 Rocket (11/16/00)

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.

XR-100CR Analyzes the Gold Ibex in Greece (11/15/00)

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.

Advance Product Announcement (8/15/00)

Amptek announces its next generation XR-100CR x-ray detector. The innovation continues at 158 eV FWHM!

• 5mm² Area
• 500µm Thick
• 2-Stage Thermoelectric Cooler
• Internal Silver Collimator

Click here for more information.

DIDM Successfully Launched and Operating on the CHAMP Mission! (7/26/00)

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.

CLUSTER II Spacecrafts Successfully Launched! (7/16/00)

Congratulations 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.

CLUSTER Home Page

CEASE Successfully Launched and Operating on TSX-5! (6/8/00)

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.

XR-100T lands on Mars on the Pathfinder mission! (July 4, 1997)

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. Detailed information on the APXS instrument can be found on the NASA Pathfinder Science homepage, Current Pathfinder Results and at the University of Chicago.

Here is the first rock spectrum from Mars!

XR-100 goes to the asteroid Eros!

The NEAR mission, launched on February 17, 1996, uses an Amptek XR-100 X-Ray Detector in its rendezvous with the asteroid Eros. The XR-100, employed as the X-Ray Solar Monitor, provides the XGRS instrument with a high-resolution incident solar x-ray spectrum.

NEAR Educators Guide (description of XGRS instrument)

Amptek hybrids go to Jupiter on Galileo!

Man's knowledge about the chemical and physical composition of Jupiter and its satellites as well as the structure and dynamics of its magnetosphere have been vastly improved with the arrival of the Galileo spacecraft at the giant planet.

This bold adventure was made possible by using the best available technology in the engineering and scientific fields.

Amptek is proud to represent the best technology in the charge sensitive preamplifier field, and pledges to continue developing innovative products for the engineering and scientific community.

Amptek preamplifers were used in the Ultraviolet Spectrometer, Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrometer, and the Plasma Subsytem instruments.

R & D 100 Award 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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