The MAXI Mission on the ISS: Science and Instruments for Monitoring All Sky X-Ray Images

Understand

The MAXI (Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image) mission is the first astronomical payload to be installed on the Japanese Experiment Module-Exposed Facility (JEM-EF) on the ISS.

• It is scheduled for launch in the middle of 2009 to monitor all-sky X-ray objects on every ISS orbit.
• MAXI will be more powerful than any previous X-ray All Sky Monitor (ASM) payloads, being able to monitor hundreds of AGN.
• MAXI will provide all sky images of X-ray sources of about 20 mCrab in the energy band of 2-30 keV from observation on one ISS orbit (90 min), about 4.5 mCrab for one day, and about 1 mCrab for one month.