Astro-E2 is the fifth in the series of Japanese astronomy satellites devoted to observations of celestial X-ray sources, following the highly successful Hakucho, Tenma, Ginga and ASCA satellites. Like ASCA, Astro-E2 is a joint Japanese-US mission, developed by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (part of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, ISAS/JAXA) in collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA/GSFC) and many other institutions. Launch is planned for February 2005 using the Japanese M-V launch vehicle. Astro-E2 has excellent X-ray sensitivity, with high throughput over a broad-band energy range of 0.2 to 600 keV. This broad bandpass, combined with high resolution spectroscopy capabilities, makes Astro-E2 a unique tool capable of addressing a variety of outstanding problems in astrophysics, involving the origins of elements and structures in the Universe as well as the evolution and dynamics of these structures.
Guest observing time on Astro-E2 will be awarded on a competitive basis. The overall purpose of this document is to aid potential users of Astro-E2 in proposing for time during the Guest Observer (GO) phase of the mission. In particular, upon reading this document, the proposer should be able to determine whether or not Astro-E2 is best suited to conduct the investigation in question. This should be demonstrated in the proposal, preferably using simulations of the proposed observations. All proposals should clearly answer the following four questions:
Chapter 3 covers how the satellite time will be allocated. This includes the data rights and available time for both the Science Working Group (SWG) and GOs, as well as policies regarding Targets of Opportunity (TOOs). In addition, observational constraints due to the orbit, sun angle, and the pointing accuracy are described. Finally, the proposal process is reviewed, including how to submit a proposal, how they will be evaluated, and how observations will be scheduled, performed, and the results disseminated. US proposers should note especially the NASA requirements regarding the relevance of the proposed science to NASA's mission.
Chapter 4 explains how to write a strong proposal, including a summary of what constraints must be met, and what must be included in the proposal. It is expected that most proposals will be for targets which have been observed previously in X-rays, and so existing X-ray data can be used to estimate the likely Astro-E2 count rates and determine if any filters are required. Simulation tools, including XSPEC, PIMMS, and xrssim, can help make these estimates and are covered in detail with examples.
The last four chapters describe the telescope and instruments on Astro-E2. Chapter 5 covers the five X-ray Telescopes (XRTs) on Astro-E2. Chapter 6 describes the X-Ray Spectrometer (XRS), the prime instrument on Astro-E2 which will provide 6-7 eV resolution between 0.3-12 keV. Chapter 7 reviews the X-ray Imaging Spectrometers (XISs), four CCDs with moderate spectral resolution and a large field of view. Chapter 8 explains the operation of the Hard X-ray Detector (HXD), which extends the high energy bandpass of Astro-E2 to 600 keV.
Disclaimer:
This document was prepared using the best current knowledge of the Astro-E2 satellite by the Astro-E2 teams at ISAS/JAXA and NASA/GSFC as of May 2004. It is possible that information contained in this document may contain inadvertent errors or omissions. We welcome suggestions for corrections or clarifications. Revisions of this document will be available on the Astro-E2 Web sites listed in Appendix C.