Critical Mirror Assembly Completed for AXAF Satellite; Milestone Moves TRW Closer to Integration of NASA's Newest X-Ray Space Observatory.

REDONDO BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 21, 1996--NASA's Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), the third in the agency's planned series of Great Observatories, has reached a major technical milestone in the development of its science payload: completion of the high-resolution mirror assembly (HRMA) that forms the heart of the satellite's X-ray telescope.

Completion of the HRMA, which was designed and built by Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, N.Y., moves AXAF prime contractor TRW (NYSE:TRW) one significant step closer to being ready to integrate the AXAF satellite.

TRW Space & Electronics Group is building AXAF for NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. The satellite's X-ray measurements will help scientists ``bridge the spectrum gap'' between the two Great Observatories currently on orbit: the Hubble Space Telescope, which operates in the visible spectrum, and the TRW-built Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, which observes cosmic events in high-energy gamma ray spectrum.

TRW expects to begin assembling and testing the AXAF spacecraft during spring 1997, with integration of the spacecraft with its X-ray telescope and science instruments slated to begin in the fall of 1997. Launch of the AXAF from the Space Shuttle is scheduled for August 1998.

The HRMA, the central optical component of AXAF's 10-meter telescope, was developed by Kodak under contract to TRW. It is made up of four pairs of cylindrical mirrors arranged in a ``nested,'' concentric pattern. The mirrors must be precisely aligned to focus X-rays from celestial sources onto science instruments located at the other end of the AXAF telescope.

``The mounting of the grazing incidence mirrors in the HRMA by Kodak is a truly remarkable engineering achievement,'' said Steven Loer, manager of TRW's AXAF telescope project.

``It required a high-precision alignment process to within fractions of an arc second. That's equivalent to being able to distinguish two objects the size of a basketball 30 miles away. We are extremely proud of the teamwork between Kodak, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and TRW that led to this important milestone.''

Kodak's HRMA work was particularly challenging, added Loer, because the entire process had to be done in an extremely clean facility with stringent process and worker clothing requirements to prevent contamination of the mirrors.

The orientation of the HRMA mirrors, which are shaped something like an ordinary drinking glass with no bottom, address the unique properties of X-ray radiation. Because X-rays have a very short wavelength and a very high-energy level, they are absorbed rather than reflected by the surface of conventional mirrors.

The cylindrical, finely polished HRMA mirrors are aligned such that X-ray radiation enters the telescope through the ``end'' of the assembly. The walls of the cylinders are very slightly angled so that X-rays graze off the surfaces, like a stone skipping on a pond. The HRMA's ``nested'' design maximizes the frontal, energy-collecting area of the telescope.

According to Ed Wheeler, TRW's AXAF program manager, the HRMA completion positions TRW for a successful integration of the AXAF satellite.

``The AXAF program is progressing quite well,'' said Wheeler. ``We're making steady progress in assembling and testing not only the telescope, but also the major spacecraft flight structures and the power, propulsion and electronic subsystems that will be integrated into the AXAF satellite.''

The AXAF platform will study X-rays, an invisible form of energy that comes from the deepest reaches of the universe. By studying X-ray radiation, scientists will be able to better understand astronomical mysteries, such as whether black holes exist or whether the universe is still expanding.

AXAF will detect X-ray sources 100 times fainter and produce images 10 times sharper than any planned or previously flown X-ray mission.

TRW Space & Electronics Group, with headquarters in Redondo Beach, has built more than 185 communications, scientific and defense spacecraft; produced, integrated and tested more than 130 payloads; developed more than 200 advanced space instruments; and integrated some 550 experiments into spacecraft. The group is an operating unit of Cleveland-based TRW Inc.

TRW Inc. provides advanced-technology products and services for the automotive and space and defense markets worldwide. The company's 1995 sales were approximately $10 billion.

CONTACT: TRW Inc., Redondo Beach

A. Brooks McKinney, 310/814-8177