DOCSLIB.ORG

The Spitzer Space Telescope: Exploring the Infrared Universe

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Spitzer Space Telescope: Exploring the Infrared Universe The Spitzer Space Telescope: Exploring the Infrared Universe Dr Giovanni Fazio CREDIT: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Harvard-Smithsonian CfA THE SPITZER SPACE TELESCOPE: EXPLORING THE INFRARED UNIVERSE From 2003 until 2020, NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope provided an unprecedented view of our universe in infrared. One of the most important instruments aboard the telescope was the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC), which was designed and operated by a team led by Dr Giovanni Fazio at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian. Across its 16-year run, the camera gave crucial insights into processes ranging from galaxy formation in the ancient universe, to emissions from supermassive black holes. The discoveries enabled by Dr Fazio and his colleagues could soon be instrumental in aiding observations from even more advanced telescopes. CREDIT: NASA/JPL-Caltech/STScI Infrared Radiation Launching the Spitzer Space Telescope Every part of the electromagnetic spectrum – from radio waves to visible In 2003, NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope light to x-rays – can tell astronomers was launched from Cape Canaveral in something different about our universe. Florida, and sent into orbit around the However, perhaps the most interesting Sun – trailing slightly behind the Earth part to study is the infrared range. but gradually drifting away from it. From this prime position, the telescope Lying next to the visible part of the could easily study infrared radiation spectrum, infrared waves have longer originating from sources many billions wavelengths than red light. Although of lightyears away, completely free from they cannot be seen with human eyes, the influence of Earth’s atmosphere. they can often be observed using optical telescopes. However, infrared In addition, the spacecraft was radiation also contains an abundance equipped with a supply of ultracold of information that cannot be gathered helium. Since the detector itself would The Spitzer Space Telescope. CREDIT: NASA/JPL-Caltech. through visible observations alone. normally produce its own infrared radiation due to its heat, it would All the same, infrared observations face typically introduce noise to its own early universe, giant planets and brown a major challenge: as the waves pass observations. However, when cooled to dwarfs, the planet-forming debris disks through Earth’s atmosphere, they are −271°C by the helium, Spitzer became surrounding newly-formed stars, and strongly absorbed by water vapour, well suited to studying wavelengths the extremely bright regions found at making them incredibly difficult to across the infrared range. the centres of some galaxies. observe from the ground. Fortunately, there is one clear solution to this Dubbed ‘NASA’s Great Observatory for To do this, the telescope was fitted problem. Infrared Astronomy’, the Spitzer Space with three cutting-edge instruments. Telescope was principally designed The most important of these was an to investigate four major topics: the arrangement of four array detectors WWW.SCIENTIA.GLOBAL Deep-field view of the sky dominated by galaxies. Very faint, Infrared image of the Helix Nebula taken by NASA’s Spitzer Space distant galaxies are circled in red. CREDIT: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ Telescope. CREDIT: NASA/JPL-Caltech. ESA/Spitzer/P. Oesch/S. De Barros/I.Labbe. named the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC), whose design and atoms in their neutral, unionised form. Yet as matter was drawn operation had been spearheaded by Dr Giovanni Fazio of the together under its own gravity, it eventually came to form stars. Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian since 1984. The intense radiation from these stars stripped the electrons from neutral hydrogen atoms to form hydrogen ions, initiating a The Infrared Array Camera new era called ‘reionisation’. Around this time, matter was also coalescing on larger scales to form the first galaxies. At the time of its launch, the IRAC represented a significant leap forward in the capabilities of space-based infrared detectors Because of the limited speed of light, the wavelengths emitted – boasting high sensitivity, a large field of view, and the ability by the most distant galaxies we can observe began their to produce images in four different infrared wavelengths journeys many billions of years ago, just as the reionisation simultaneously. era was getting underway. As a result, they can provide astronomers with a clear window into this long-distant period For five years after its launch, the instrument operated just in the history of the universe. as well as Dr Fazio and his colleagues had hoped, with high quality images being produced across the infrared spectrum. As Prior to Spitzer, there was much debate among astronomers expected, the Spitzer had used up its supply of helium by 2009, as to how early on in the reionisation era that galaxy formation and lost its ability to observe longer infrared wavelengths as the first began. Through infrared observations made by the IRAC, spacecraft warmed up. as well as visible and ultraviolet observations from the Hubble Space Telescope, significant strides have been made towards Fortunately, this didn’t stop the IRAC from picking up shorter solving this intriguing mystery. infrared wavelengths, closer to the visible range. As a result, the detector could continue operating in full capacity in two of its Rethinking Reionisation four wavelength bands until 2020, until Spitzer finally retired after a 16-year run. In a study published in 2016, measurements taken by both Spitzer and Hubble were used to investigate a galaxy named Over that time, the IRAC captured striking infrared images of GN-z11. Positioned more than 13 billion lightyears away from a wide variety of astronomical structures, and led to several us, this galaxy is one of the oldest known to astronomers – important discoveries about their formation and evolution. Dr forming around 400 million years after the Big Bang. Fazio was involved in two particularly important branches of this research: exploring the formation and evolution of galaxies Previously, calculations had predicted that reionisation in the in the early universe, and the characteristic emissions from early universe must have peaked roughly 550 million years after material found at the centre of our own galaxy. the Big Bang. Intriguingly, however, these new observations from the IRAC and Hubble showed that GN-z11 had a similar Observing Ancient Galaxies brightness to galaxies observed around the time of this peak, despite being 150 million years older. For much of its first few hundreds of millions of years, the universe was a largely dark, uneventful place, full of hydrogen WWW.SCIENTIA.GLOBAL to explore the variability of different wavelengths in more depth. In their 2021 study – one of the last to use data gathered by the IRAC – the researchers discovered that x-rays flares emitted by the black hole on short timescales were less variable than its infrared wavelengths. After analysing the results with advanced mathematical models, the researchers concluded that this difference arose because the processes responsible for infrared and x-ray wavelengths are intrinsically linked. As fluctuating infrared wavelengths interact with electrons within the infalling material, scattering effects related Infrared image of the core of the Milky Way taken by NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope. to quantum mechanics will produce CREDIT: NASA/JPL-Caltech. distinctive fluctuating x-rays, after a certain time delay. This result suggested that the build- amounts of energy, causing it to glow up of galaxies could have been well brightly. Unusually, however, Sagittarius This discovery was an important step underway shortly after the beginning of A* is extremely dim – emitting roughly forward in our understanding of the reionisation – far earlier in the universe’s 100 million times less radiation than its enigmatic conditions surrounding the history than many astronomers maximum possible limit. heaviest single bodies in the universe. previously thought. If correct, this would However, Dr Fazio and his colleagues suggest the need for a fundamental With a high density of nearby stars hope that the many lines of research re-think of how stars and galaxies first creating a bright background to the initiated by the IRAC’s observations are formed. black hole, astronomers have long only just beginning. seen Sagittarius A* as a compelling Ultimately, Dr Fazio and his colleagues and challenging target for observation. Informing Future Observations hope that the IRAC’s observations will In a 2014 study, Dr Fazio’s team used now fuel future interest in this mystery. IRAC measurements to study a disk of Throughout its lengthy and highly Today, new generations of upcoming gas orbiting and falling into the black productive lifetime, the IRAC has led space telescopes have built on the hole. Such material caused Sagittarius astronomers to draw highly advanced capabilities of their predecessors, A* to fluctuate in brightness at infrared insights into primordial galaxies, and could soon lead to discoveries wavelengths at a rate of about four supermassive black holes, and a variety of large numbers of similarly ancient times in 24 hours. These continuous of other areas. Now, these researchers galaxies – potentially transforming our observations were about twice as long are eagerly hoping to continue exploring understanding of how they formed and as the fluctuations measured in any the infrared universe through a evolved. previous infrared observations, opening successor to Spitzer: the James Webb up new possibilities for future studies. Space Telescope, which is scheduled for Analysing Sagittarius A* launch in late-2021. Variability Across the Spectrum While most black holes form as massive Encompassing many of the latest stars collapse in dramatic supernova Infrared is far from the only type of advances in technology, the telescope explosions, the supermassive black radiation emitted by material falling into will allow them to characterise the holes found in the centres of many supermassive black holes. In addition, physical properties of these features galaxies are far larger still – reaching waves from across the electromagnetic far more easily.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • REVIEW ARTICLE the NASA Spitzer Space Telescope
    REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 78, 011302 ͑2007͒ REVIEW ARTICLE The NASA Spitzer Space Telescope ͒ R. D. Gehrza Department of Astronomy, School of Physics and Astronomy, 116 Church Street, S.E., University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455 ͒ T. L. Roelligb NASA Ames Research Center, MS 245-6, Moffett Field, California 94035-1000 ͒ M. W. Wernerc Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, MS 264-767, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California 91109 ͒ G. G. Faziod Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 ͒ J. R. Houcke Astronomy Department, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853-6801 ͒ F. J. Lowf Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, Arizona 85721 ͒ G. H. Riekeg Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, Arizona 85721 ͒ ͒ B. T. Soiferh and D. A. Levinei Spitzer Science Center, MC 220-6, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, California 91125 ͒ E. A. Romanaj Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, MS 264-767, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California 91109 ͑Received 2 June 2006; accepted 17 September 2006; published online 30 January 2007͒ The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Spitzer Space Telescope ͑formerly the Space Infrared Telescope Facility͒ is the fourth and final facility in the Great Observatories Program, joining Hubble Space Telescope ͑1990͒, the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory ͑1991–2000͒, and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory ͑1999͒. Spitzer, with a sensitivity that is almost three orders of magnitude greater than that of any previous ground-based and space-based infrared observatory, is expected to revolutionize our understanding of the creation of the universe, the formation and evolution of primitive galaxies, the origin of stars and planets, and the chemical evolution of the universe.
    [Show full text]
  • Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer Launch Press
    PRess KIT/DECEMBER 2009 Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer Launch Contents Media Services Information ................................................................................................................. 3 Quick Facts ............................................................................................................................................. 4 Mission Overview .................................................................................................................................. 5 Why Infrared? ....................................................................................................................................... 10 Science Goals and Objectives ......................................................................................................... 12 Spacecraft ............................................................................................................................................. 16 Science Instrument ............................................................................................................................. 19 Infrared Missions: Past and Present ............................................................................................... 23 NASA’s Explorer Program ................................................................................................................. 25 Program/Project Management .......................................................................................................... 27 Media Contacts J.D. Harrington
    [Show full text]
  • Tiny "Chipsat" Spacecra Set for First Flight
    7/24/2019 Tiny "Chipsat" Spacecraft Set for First Flight - Scientific American Subscribe S P A C E Tiny "Chipsat" Spacecra Set for First Flight Launch in July will test new way to explore the solar system—and beyond By Nicola Jones, Nature magazine on June 1, 2016 A rearward view of the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Crew of STS-132 On 6 July, if all goes to plan, a pack of about 100 sticky-note-sized ‘chipsats’ will be launched up to the International Space Station for a landmark deployment. During a brief few days of testing, the minuscule satellites will transmit data on their energy load and orientation before they drift out of orbit and burn up in Earth’s atmosphere. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/tiny-chipsat-spacecraft-set-for-first-flight/ 1/6 7/24/2019 Tiny "Chipsat" Spacecraft Set for First Flight - Scientific American The chipsats, flat squares that measure just 3.2 centimetres to a side and weigh about 5 grams apiece, were designed for a PhD project. Yet their upcoming test in space is a baby step for the much-publicized Breakthrough Starshot mission, an effort led by billionaire Yuri Milner to send tiny probes on an interstellar voyage. “We’re extremely excited,” says Brett Streetman, an aerospace engineer at the non- profit Charles Stark Draper Laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who has investigated the feasibility of sending chipsats to Jupiter’s moon Europa. “This will give flight heritage to the chipsat platform and prove to people that they’re a real thing with real potential.” The probes are the most diminutive members of a growing family of small satellites.
    [Show full text]
  • + New Horizons
    Media Contacts NASA Headquarters Policy/Program Management Dwayne Brown New Horizons Nuclear Safety (202) 358-1726 [email protected] The Johns Hopkins University Mission Management Applied Physics Laboratory Spacecraft Operations Michael Buckley (240) 228-7536 or (443) 778-7536 [email protected] Southwest Research Institute Principal Investigator Institution Maria Martinez (210) 522-3305 [email protected] NASA Kennedy Space Center Launch Operations George Diller (321) 867-2468 [email protected] Lockheed Martin Space Systems Launch Vehicle Julie Andrews (321) 853-1567 [email protected] International Launch Services Launch Vehicle Fran Slimmer (571) 633-7462 [email protected] NEW HORIZONS Table of Contents Media Services Information ................................................................................................ 2 Quick Facts .............................................................................................................................. 3 Pluto at a Glance ...................................................................................................................... 5 Why Pluto and the Kuiper Belt? The Science of New Horizons ............................... 7 NASA’s New Frontiers Program ........................................................................................14 The Spacecraft ........................................................................................................................15 Science Payload ...............................................................................................................16
    [Show full text]
  • ASTR 2310: Chapter 6
    ASTR 2310: Chapter 6 Astronomical Detection of Light The Telescope as a Camera Refraction and Reflection Telescopes Quality of Images Astronomical Instruments and Detectors Observations and Photon Counting Other Wavelengths Modern Telescopes Refracting / Reflecting Telescopes 0 Refracting Telescope: Lens focuses light onto the focal plane Focal length Reflecting Telescope: Concave Mirror focuses light onto the focal Focal length plane Almost all modern telescopes are reflecting telescopes. Secondary Optics 0 In reflecting telescopes: Secondary mirror, to re- direct light path towards back or side of incoming light path. Eyepiece: To view and enlarge the small image produced in the focal plane of the primary optics. Disadvantages of 0 Refracting Telescopes • Chromatic aberration: Different wavelengths are focused at different focal lengths (prism effect). Can be corrected, but not eliminated by second lens out of different material. • Difficult and expensive to produce: All surfaces must be perfectly shaped; glass must be flawless; lens can only be supported at the edges. The Best Location for a Telescope0 Far away from civilization – to avoid light pollution The Best Location for a Telescope (II)0 Paranal Observatory (ESO), Chile http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranal_Observatory On high mountain-tops – to avoid atmospheric turbulence ( seeing) and other weather effects The Powers of a Telescope: 0 Size does matter! 1. Light-gathering power: Depends on the surface area A of the primary lens / D mirror, proportional to diameter squared: A = pi (D/2)2 The Powers of a Telescope (II) 0 2. Resolving power: Wave nature of light => The telescope aperture produces fringe rings that set a limit to the resolution of the telescope.
    [Show full text]
  • UV and Infrared Astronomy
    Why Put a Telescope In Space? • Access to light that does not penetrate the atmosphere • No seeing. A telescope can reach the diffraction limit: 1.22 l/D radians Astronomy in Space. I. UV Astronomy Ultraviolet Astronomy 912-3650 Å (Lyman Limit to Balmer jump) • Continuua of hot stars (spectral types O,B,A) • H I Lyman lines (1-n transitions) • Resonance lines of Li-like ions C IV, N V, O VI • H2 Lyman and Werner bands Normal incidence optics • Special UV-reflective coatings The Far Ultraviolet 912 to 1150 Å • Defined by Lyman limit, MgF cutoff at 1150 Å • LiF + Al reflects longward of 1050 Å • SiC reflects at shorter wavelengths The Astronomy Quarterly, Vol. 7, pp. 131-142, 1990 0364-9229f90 $3.00+.00 Printed in the USA. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 1990 Pergamon Press plc ASTRONOMICAL ADVANTAGES History OFAN • 9/1/1946: Lyman Spitzer EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL OBSERVATORY proposed a Space Telescope in LYMAN SPITZER, Jr. ’ a Report to project Rand This study points out, in a very preliminary way, the results that might be expected from astronomical measurements made with a satellite • 1966: Spitzer (Princeton) vehicle. The discussion is divided into three parts, corresponding to three different assumptions concerning the amount of instrumentation provided. chairs NASA Ad Hoc In the first section it is assumed that no telescope is provided; in the second a 10-&h reflector is assumed; in the third section some of the results Committee on the "Scientific obtainable with a large reflecting telescope, many feet in diameter, and revolving about the earth above the terrestrial atmosphere, are briefly Uses of the Large Space sketched.
    [Show full text]
  • The Spitzer Space Telescope and the IR Astronomy Imaging Chain
    Spitzer Space Telescope (A.K.A. The Space Infrared Telescope Facility) The Infrared Imaging Chain Fundamentals of Astronomical Imaging – Spitzer Space Telescope – 8 May 2006 1/38 The infrared imaging chain Generally similar to the optical imaging chain... 1) Source (different from optical astronomy sources) 2) Object (usually the same as the source in astronomy) 3) Collector (Spitzer Space Telescope) 4) Sensor (IR detector) 5) Processing 6) Display 7) Analysis 8) Storage ... but steps 3) and 4) are a bit more difficult! Fundamentals of Astronomical Imaging – Spitzer Space Telescope – 8 May 2006 2/38 The infrared imaging chain Longer wavelength – need a bigger telescope to get the same resolution or put up with lower resolution Fundamentals of Astronomical Imaging – Spitzer Space Telescope – 8 May 2006 3/38 Emission of IR radiation Warm objects emit lots of thermal infrared as well as reflecting it Including telescopes, people, and the Earth – so collection of IR radiation with a telescope is more complicated than an optical telescope Optical image of Spitzer Space Telescope launch: brighter regions are those which reflect more light IR image of Spitzer launch: brighter regions are those which emit more heat Infrared wavelength depends on temperature of object Fundamentals of Astronomical Imaging – Spitzer Space Telescope – 8 May 2006 4/38 Atmospheric absorption The atmosphere blocks most infrared radiation Need a telescope in space to view the IR properly Fundamentals of Astronomical Imaging – Spitzer Space Telescope – 8 May 2006 5/38
    [Show full text]
  • On the Verge of an Astronomy Cubesat Revolution
    On the Verge of an Astronomy CubeSat Revolution Evgenya L. Shkolnik Abstract CubeSats are small satellites built in standard sizes and form fac- tors, which have been growing in popularity but have thus far been largely ignored within the field of astronomy. When deployed as space-based tele- scopes, they enable science experiments not possible with existing or planned large space missions, filling several key gaps in astronomical research. Unlike expensive and highly sought-after space telescopes like the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), whose time must be shared among many instruments and science programs, CubeSats can monitor sources for weeks or months at time, and at wavelengths not accessible from the ground such as the ultraviolet (UV), far-infrared (far-IR) and low-frequency radio. Science cases for Cube- Sats being developed now include a wide variety of astrophysical experiments, including exoplanets, stars, black holes and radio transients. Achieving high- impact astronomical research with CubeSats is becoming increasingly feasible with advances in technologies such as precision pointing, compact sensitive detectors, and the miniaturisation of propulsion systems if needed. CubeSats may also pair with the large space- and ground-based telescopes to provide complementary data to better explain the physical processes observed. A Disruptive & Complementary Innovation Fifty years ago, in December 1968, National Aeronautics and Space Admin- istration (NASA) put in orbit the first satellite for space observations, the Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 2. Since then, astronomical observation from space has always been the domain of big players. Space telescopes are arXiv:1809.00667v1 [astro-ph.IM] 3 Sep 2018 usually designed, built, launched and managed by government space agencies such as NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace School of Earth and Space Exploration; Interplanetary Initiative { Arizona State Univer- sity, Tempe, AZ 85287.
    [Show full text]
  • Paul Hertz NASA Town Hall with Bonus Material
    Paul Hertz Dominic Benford Felicia Chou Valerie Connaughton Lucien Cox Jeanne Davis Kristen Erickson Daniel Evans Michael Garcia Ellen Gertsen Shahid Habib Hashima Hasan Douglas Hudgins Patricia Knezek Elizabeth Landau William Latter Michael New Mario Perez Gregory Robinson Rita Sambruna Evan Scannapieco Kartik Sheth Eric Smith Eric Tollestrup NASA Town Hall with bonus material AAS 235th Meeting | January 5, 2020 Paul Hertz Director, Astrophysics Division Science Mission Directorate @PHertzNASA Posted at http://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/documents 1 2 Spitzer 8/25/2003 Formulation + SMEX/MO (2025), Implementation MIDEX/MO (2028), etc. Primary Ops ] Extended Ops SXG (RSA) 7/13/2019 Webb Euclid (ESA) 2021 WFIRST 2022 Mid 2020s Ariel (ESA) 2028 XMM-Newton Chandra (ESA) TESS 7/23/1999 12/10/1999 4/18/2018 NuSTAR 6/13/2012 Fermi IXPE Swift 6/11/2008 2021 11/20/2004 XRISM (JAXA) SPHEREx 2022 2023 Hubble ISS-NICER GUSTO 4/24/1990 6/3/2017 2021 SOFIA Full Ops 5/2014 + Athena (early 2030s), Revised November 24, 2019 LISA4 (early 2030s) Outline • Celebrate Accomplishments § Mission Milestones • Committed to Improving § Building an Excellent Workforce § Research and Analysis Initiatives • Program Update § Research & Analysis, Technology, Fellowships § ROSES-2020 Preview • Missions Update § Operating Missions and Senior Review § Webb, WFIRST § Other missions • Planning for the Future § FY20 Budget § Project Artemis § Supporting Astro2020 § Creating the Future 5 NASA Astrophysics Celebrate Accomplishments https://www.nasa.gov/2019 7 NASA Astrophysics
    [Show full text]
  • ASTERIA Data Guide
    ASTERIA Data Users Guide (v2) Mary Knapp November 2019 1 Overview This document describes the formatting and idiosyncrasies of ASTERIA photometric data. ASTERIA is the Arcsecond Space Telescope Enabling Research In Astrophysics. 2 Brief ASTERIA System Description ASTERIA is a 6U (10 cm x 20 cm x 34 cm) CubeSat spacecraft. ASTERIA was launched August 2017 as payload to the International Space Station and deployed into orbit on November 20, 2017. ASTERIA's current orbit matches the ISS inclination and has an average altitude of approximately 400 km. In this orbit, ASTERIA experiences an average of 30 minutes in Earth's shadow (eclipse) and 60 minutes in sunlight. ASTERIA is 3-axis stabilized via a set of reaction wheels. The reaction wheels are part of the XACT attitude control system provided by Blue Canyon Technology (BCT). Torque rods are used for reaction wheel desaturation. ASTERIA carries a small refractive telescope (f/1.4, ∼85 mm). The telescope focuses light on a 2592 x 2192 pixel CMOS detector. The detector pixels are 6.5 microns, yielding a plate scale of ∼15 arcsec/pixel. The full field of view of the detector is ∼9 x 10 degrees. ASTERIA's camera is deliberately defocused in order to oversample the PSF. 3 Definitions List of definitions for acronyms and other terms with specific meanings in the context of ASTERIA. • Epoch: The spacecraft epoch refers to the bootcount of the spacecraft. An epoch begins when ASTE- RIA's flight computer reboots and sets time to January 1, 1970 (the zero point for Unix timestamps). • Uptime: Spacecraft time is relative and is tracked in seconds from flight computer boot.
    [Show full text]
  • The Space Infrared Interferometric Telescope (SPIRIT): High- Resolution Imaging and Spectroscopy in the Far-Infrared
    Leisawitz, D. et al., J. Adv. Space Res., in press (2007), doi:10.1016/j.asr.2007.05.081 The Space Infrared Interferometric Telescope (SPIRIT): High- resolution imaging and spectroscopy in the far-infrared David Leisawitza, Charles Bakera, Amy Bargerb, Dominic Benforda, Andrew Blainc, Rob Boylea, Richard Brodericka, Jason Budinoffa, John Carpenterc, Richard Caverlya, Phil Chena, Steve Cooleya, Christine Cottinghamd, Julie Crookea, Dave DiPietroa, Mike DiPirroa, Michael Femianoa, Art Ferrera, Jacqueline Fischere, Jonathan P. Gardnera, Lou Hallocka, Kenny Harrisa, Kate Hartmana, Martin Harwitf, Lynne Hillenbrandc, Tupper Hydea, Drew Jonesa, Jim Kellogga, Alan Koguta, Marc Kuchnera, Bill Lawsona, Javier Lechaa, Maria Lechaa, Amy Mainzerg, Jim Manniona, Anthony Martinoa, Paul Masona, John Mathera, Gibran McDonalda, Rick Millsa, Lee Mundyh, Stan Ollendorfa, Joe Pellicciottia, Dave Quinna, Kirk Rheea, Stephen Rineharta, Tim Sauerwinea, Robert Silverberga, Terry Smitha, Gordon Staceyf, H. Philip Stahli, Johannes Staguhn j, Steve Tompkinsa, June Tveekrema, Sheila Walla, and Mark Wilsona a NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD b Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA c California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA d Lockheed Martin Technical Operations, Bethesda, Maryland, USA e Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC, USA f Department of Astronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA g Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA h Astronomy Department, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA i NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama, USA j SSAI, Lanham, Maryland, USA ABSTRACT We report results of a recently-completed pre-Formulation Phase study of SPIRIT, a candidate NASA Origins Probe mission. SPIRIT is a spatial and spectral interferometer with an operating wavelength range 25 - 400 µm.
    [Show full text]
  • Nasa Space Telescope Imaging Technology
    NASA SPACE TELESCOPE IMAGING TECHNOLOGY MISSION FACTS ENABLING TECHNOLOGY > Wide Field and Planetary Camera HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE Better understand > Completed more than 1.3 MILLION OBSERVATIONS the age of the universe > Traveled 4+ BILLION MILES on low Earth orbit 4+ > Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph “THE FORERUNNER” BILLION > Discovered that the universe is approximately MILES > High Speed Photometer L3HARRIS ROLE: 13.7 BILLION YEARS OLD > Faint Object Camera & Spectrograph Provided fine guidance and focus control systems and 2.4m backup mirror CHANDRA X-RAY Explain the structure, > Uses X-RAY VISION to detect extremely hot, > High Resolution Camera activity and evolution high-energy regions of space OBSERVATORY > Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer of the universe > Flies 200 TIMES HIGHER than Hubble – X-RAY “THE DETECTIVE” VISION > High Energy Transmission more than 1/3 of the way to the moon Grating Spectrometer L3HARRIS ROLE: > Provides data on quasars as they were > Low Energy Transmission Designed, integrated and 10 BILLION YEARS AGO Grating Spectrometer tested imaging system JAMES WEBB Observe distant events > Will be the MOST POWERFUL space telescope ever > Near-Infrared Camera and objects, such as the SPACE TELESCOPE > Will balance between gravity of Earth and sun > Near-Infrared Spectrograph formation of the first 940,000 MILES IN SPACE MOST “THE HISTORIAN” galaxies, stars and POWERFUL > Mid-Infrared Instrument planets in the universe > 6.5-METER MIRROR made of 18 gold-coated > Fine Guidance Sensor/Near InfraRed L3HARRIS
    [Show full text]