The University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL, 35899March 1st, 2019
FiledMarch 1st, 2019The Active Luminescence For x-Ray Emission Detection (ALFRED) project was a cooperative research agreement between the University of Alabama in Huntsville Space Hardware Club and NASA’s Undergraduate Student Instrument Project (USIP) for the construction of an x-ray instrument to test anti-coincidence shielding in support of high-altitude atmospheric telescopes. The mission’s purpose was to test a novel scintillation material and active shield geometry. This paper focuses on the design of a scintillation detector, the development of high speed signal processing and veto circuitry and the manufacturing of a high altitude pressure vessel. In addition, test results obtained through a proof of concept flight on a zero pressure balloon launched from the Columbia Scientific Ballooning Facility in Fort Sumner, New Mexico are discussed. ALFRED vetoed 21% to 49% of background events across 20-100 keV compared to a conventional anti- coincidence shield’s veto rate of 19% to 53% of the events acr