The High Resolution Gamma-ray and Hard X-ray Spectrometer (HIREGS) is used to detect X-ray and gamma-ray emissions from solar flares and objects in our galaxy such as black holes and neutron stars.
For close to two months, the HIREGS science team prepared the instrument for its fully automated circumpolar balloon flight over Antarctica.
The heart of the instrument is an array of 12 germanium semi-conductor crystals that can detect individual X-ray and gamma-ray photons as they interact in the material and produce small electrical signals.
Information about each detector event is packaged and stored by the on-board computer, along with temperatures, power levels, and other data describing the health of the instrument.
As a precaution in case the instrument lands in an unrecoverable location, a portion of the data is tranmitted to an under-flying airplane every few days.
