Flying high-altitude balloon-borne telescopes 50 years ago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fazio, Giovanni G.

Based on theoretical predictions of cosmic gamma-ray fluxes by P. Morrison (1958) and M. Savedoff (1959), we started, at the University of Rochester, a program in high-energy gammaray astronomy to search for these sources using high-altitude balloon-borne telescopes. The first flight occurred in 1959 from Sioux Falls, SD, using scintillator/Cerenkov detectors. In 1962 I initiated a gamma-ray astronomy program at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) using vidicon spark chambers. Later Henry Helmken (SAO) developed a program in low-energy gamma-ray astronomy based on a gas Cerenkov detector. During the 1960's more flights followed from San Angelo, TX; Holloman AFB, NM; Hyderabad, India, and finally, Palestine, TX. All of these flights just produced upper limits to the cosmic gamma-ray flux. We also entered a collaboration with the Cornell Group (K. Greisen) to fly a large gas-Cerenkov telescope to search for ˜ 100 MeV gamma-rays. In the early 1970's, using this telescope, gammarays from the Crab Nebula pulsar were detected (McBreen et al. 1973). It soon became evident that gamma-ray astronomy, to be successful, had to be performed from space telescopes. In 1970, somewhat frustrated, I changed fields and started at SAO/Harvard the construction of a 1-meter balloon-borne telescope for far-infrared astronomy. This was a collaborative program with the University of Arizona (F. Low). This program was extremely successful, resulting in 19 flights over 20 years, and produced the first far-infrared high-resolution maps of many new galactic regions and detection of solar system sources. Experience gained from these programs later led to the development and flight of space gamma-ray and infrared telescopes and many of the participants were, and some still are, active in numerous space programs.

Interactive Astronomy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Jean K.

1997-01-01

Presents guiding principles for developing interactive lessons for the World Wide Web. Describes "Amazing Space: Education Online from the Hubble Space Telescope", a program where students study spectacular Hubble Space Telescope images of stars and star-forming regions to learn about the life cycle of stars and the creation of atoms. (JRH)

Infrared Astronomy and Education: Linking Infrared Whole Sky Mapping with Teacher and Student Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borders, Kareen; Mendez, Bryan; Thaller, Michelle; Gorjian, Varoujan; Borders, Kyla; Pitman, Peter; Pereira, Vincent; Sepulveda, Babs; Stark, Ron; Knisely, Cindy; Dandrea, Amy; Winglee, Robert; Plecki, Marge; Goebel, Jeri; Condit, Matt; Kelly, Susan

The Spitzer Space Telescope and the recently launched WISE (Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer) observe the sky in infrared light. Among the objects WISE will study are asteroids, the coolest and dimmest stars, and the most luminous galaxies. Secondary students can do authentic research using infrared data. For example, students will use WISE data to mea-sure physical properties of asteroids. In order to prepare students and teachers at this level with a high level of rigor and scientific understanding, the WISE and the Spitzer Space Tele-scope Education programs provided an immersive teacher professional development workshop in infrared astronomy.The lessons learned from the Spitzer and WISE teacher and student pro-grams can be applied to other programs engaging them in authentic research experiences using data from space-borne observatories such as Herschel and Planck. Recently, WISE Educator Ambassadors and NASA Explorer School teachers developed and led an infrared astronomy workshop at Arecibo Observatory in PuertoRico. As many common misconceptions involve scale and distance, teachers worked with Moon/Earth scale, solar system scale, and distance and age of objects in the Universe. Teachers built and used basic telescopes, learned about the history of telescopes, explored ground and satellite based telescopes, and explored and worked on models of WISE Telescope. An in-depth explanation of WISE and the Spitzer telescopes gave participants background knowledge for infrared astronomy observations. We taught the electromagnetic spectrum through interactive stations. We will outline specific steps for sec-ondary astronomy professional development, detail student involvement in infrared telescope data analysis, provide data demonstrating the impact of the above professional development on educator understanding and classroom use, and detail future plans for additional secondary professional development and student involvement in infrared astronomy. Funding was provided by NASA, WISE Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, Starbucks, and Washington Space Grant Consortium.

Space telescope optical telescope assembly/scientific instruments. Phase B: -Preliminary design and program definition study; Volume 2A: Planetary camera report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

Development of the F/48, F/96 Planetary Camera for the Large Space Telescope is discussed. Instrument characteristics, optical design, and CCD camera submodule thermal design are considered along with structural subsystem and thermal control subsystem. Weight, electrical subsystem, and support equipment requirements are also included.

James Webb Space Telescope in NASA's giant thermal vacuum chamber

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-04-20

Inside NASA's giant thermal vacuum chamber, called Chamber A, at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, the James Webb Space Telescope's Pathfinder backplane test model, is being prepared for its cryogenic test. Previously used for manned spaceflight missions, this historic chamber is now filled with engineers and technicians preparing for a crucial test. Exelis developed and installed the optical test equipment in the chamber. "The optical test equipment was developed and installed in the chamber by Exelis," said Thomas Scorse, Exelis JWST Program Manager. "The Pathfinder telescope gives us our first opportunity for an end-to-end checkout of our equipment." "This will be the first time on the program that we will be aligning two primary mirror segments together," said Lee Feinberg, NASA Optical Telescope Element Manager. "In the past, we have always tested one mirror at a time but this time we will use a single test system and align both mirrors to it as though they are a single monolithic mirror." The James Webb Space Telescope is the scientific successor to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. It will be the most powerful space telescope ever built. Webb is an international project led by NASA with its partners, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. Image credit: NASA/Chris Gunn Text credit: Laura Betz, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Modernization of NASA's Johnson Space Center Chamber: A Payload Transport Rail System to Support Cryogenic Vacuum Optical Testing of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garcia, Sam; Homan, Jonathan; Speed, John

2016-01-01

NASA is the mission lead for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the next of the "Great Observatories", scheduled for launch in 2018. It is directly responsible for the integration and test (I&T) program that will culminate in an end-to-end cryo vacuum optical test of the flight telescope and instrument module in Chamber A at NASA Johnson Space Center. Historic Chamber A is the largest thermal vacuum chamber at Johnson Space Center and one of the largest space simulation chambers in the world. Chamber A has undergone a major modernization effort to support the deep cryogenic, vacuum and cleanliness requirements for testing the JWST. This paper describe the challenges of developing, integrating and modifying new payload rails capable of transporting payloads within the thermal vacuum chamber up to 65,000 pounds. Ambient and Cryogenic Operations required to configure for testing will be explained. Lastly review historical payload configurations stretching from the Apollo program era to current James Webb Space Telescope testing.

JWST Program Implementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Januszewski, William

2018-01-01

This poster will feature what is involved in preparing a James Webb Space Telescope program for execution on board the spacecraft. The process from when the principle investigator hits the submit button to when the observations are executed on board the spacecraft will be addressed. Although the process shares a number of sumilarities with the implementation process for the Hubble Space Telescope, there are significant differences.

Novel In-Space Manufacturing Concepts for the Development of Large Space Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mooney, James T.; Reardon, Patrick; Gregory Don; Manning, Andrew; Blackmon, Jim; Howsman, Tom; Williams, Philip; Brantley, Whitt; Rakoczy, John; Herren, Kenneth

2006-01-01

There is a continuous demand for larger, lighter, and higher quality telescopes. Over the past several decades, we have seen the evolution from launchable 2 meter-class telescopes (such as Hubble), to today s demand for deployable 6 meter-class telescopes (such as JWST), to tomorrow s need for up to 150 meter-class telescopes. As the apertures continue to grow, it will become much more difficult and expensive to launch assembled telescope structures. To address this issue, we are seeing the emergence of new novel structural concepts, such as inflatable structures and membrane optics. While these structural concepts do show promise, it is very difficult to achieve and maintain high surface figure quality. Another potential solution to develop large space telescopes is to move the fabrication facility into space and launch the raw materials. In this paper we present initial in-space manufacturing concepts to enable the development of large telescopes. This includes novel approaches for the fabrication of both the optical elements and the telescope support structure. We will also discuss potential optical designs for large space telescopes and describe their relation to the fabrication methods. These concepts are being developed to meet the demanding requirements of DARPA s LASSO (Large Aperture Space Surveillance Optic) program which currently requires a 150 meter optical aperture with a 17 degree field of view.

Automated observation scheduling for the VLT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnston, Mark D.

1988-01-01

It is becoming increasingly evident that, in order to optimize the observing efficiency of large telescopes, some changes will be required in the way observations are planned and executed. Not all observing programs require the presence of the astronomer at the telescope: for those programs which permit service observing it is possible to better match planned observations to conditions at the telescope. This concept of flexible scheduling has been proposed for the VLT: based on current and predicted environmental and instrumental observations which make the most efficient possible use of valuable time. A similar kind of observation scheduling is already necessary for some space observatories, such as Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Space Telescope Science Institute is presently developing scheduling tools for HST, based on the use of artificial intelligence software development techniques. These tools could be readily adapted for ground-based telescope scheduling since they address many of the same issues. The concept are described on which the HST tools are based, their implementation, and what would be required to adapt them for use with the VLT and other ground-based observatories.

Overview of the James Webb Space Telescope observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clampin, Mark

2011-09-01

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large aperture, space telescope designed to provide imaging and spectroscopy over the near and mid-infrared from 1.0 μm to 28 μm. JWST is a passively cooled infrared telescope, employing a five layer sunshield to achieve an operating temperature of ~40 K. JWST will be launched to an orbit at L2 aboard an Ariane 5 launcher in 2013. The Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is the lead center for the JWST program and manages the project for NASA. The prime contractor for JWST is Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems (NGST). JWST is an international partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). ESA will contribute the Ariane 5 launch, and a multi-object infrared spectrograph. CSA will contribute the Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS), which includes the Tunable Filter Imager (TFI). A European consortium, in collaboration with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), builds the mid-infrared imager (MIRI). In this paper we present an overview of the JWST science program, and discuss recent progress in the development of the observatory. In this paper we will discuss the scientific motivations for JWST, and discuss recent progress in the construction of the observatory, focusing on the telescope and its optics, which have recently completed polishing.

Creating a Teacher-Student Research Program Using the Spitzer Space Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daou, D.; Pompea, S.; Thaller, M.

2004-12-01

The Spitzer Science Center (SSC) and the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) have created a program for teacher and student research using observing time on the Spitzer Space Telescope. The participating teachers attended a fall, 2004 workshop to become familiar with the Spitzer Space Telescope (SST) archives, and to receive training in infrared astronomy and observational techniques. The teachers will also attend a workshop offered by the SSC to learn about the observation planning process, and telescope and instrument capabilities. This program has as its goals the fundamental NASA goals of inspiring and motivating students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics as well as to engage the public in shaping and sharing the experience of exploration and discovery. Our educational plan addresses the NASA objectives of improving student proficiency in science and improving science instruction by providing a unique opportunity to a group of teachers and students to observe with the SST and work with the SST archival data. This program allows a team of 12 teachers and their students to utilize up to 3 hours of Director's discretionary observing time on the Spitzer Space Telescope for educational observations. Leveraging on a well-established teacher professional development, the SSC is offering this program to teachers in the Teacher Leaders in Research Based Science Education (TLRRBSE), an ongoing program at the NOAO. This NSF-sponsored program touches the formal education community through a national audience of well-trained and supported middle and high school teachers. The Spitzer educational research program also reaches an additional national audience of students through an informal education program based at the University of Arizona's Astronomy Camp, directed by Dr. Don McCarthy. During this camp, the teachers and their students will learn about the SST through the vast amount of data available in the Spitzer archives.

Mirror Material Properties Compiled for Preliminary Design of the Next Generation Space Telescope (30 to 294 Kelvin)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Luz, P. L.; Rice, T.

1998-01-01

This technical memorandum reports on the mirror material properties that were compiled by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) from April 1996 to June 1997 for preliminary design of the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) Study. The NGST study began in February 1996, when the Program Development Directorate at NASA MSFC studied the feasibility of the NGST and developed the pre-phase A program for it. After finishing some initial studies and concepts development work on the NGST, MFSC's Program Development Directorate handed this work to the Observatory Projects Office at MSFC and then to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). This technical memorandum was written by MSFC's Preliminary Design Office and Materials and Processes Laboratory for the NGST Optical Telescope Assembly (OTA) team, in Support of NASA GSFC. It contains material properties for 9 mirror Substrate materials, using information from at least 6 industrial Suppliers, 16 textbooks, 44 technical papers, and 130 technical abstracts.

Design of a Teacher-Student Research Program Using the Spitzer Space Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pompea, S. M.; Daou, D.; Thaller, M.

2004-12-01

Under the sponsorship of the NASA Spitzer Science Center, we have designed a program for teacher and student research using observing time on the Spitzer Space Telescope. The participating teachers attended a fall, 2004 workshop to become familiar with the Spitzer Science Center Archives, observation planning process, and telescope and instrument capabilities in order to plan observations. They also received fundamental training in infrared astronomy and infrared observational techniques, before they began planning their observing program. This program has as its goals the fundamental NASA goals of inspiring and motivating students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics as well as to engage the public in shaping and sharing the experience of exploration and discovery. Our educational plan addresses the OSS/NASA objectives of improving student proficiency in science and improving science instruction by providing a unique opportunity to a group of teachers and students to observe with the Spitzer Space Telescope and work with infrared archival data. This program allows a team of 12 teachers and their students to utilize up to 3 hours of Director's discretionary observing time on the Spitzer Space Telescope for educational observations. With the goal of leveraging on a well-established teacher professional development, the program serves teachers in the NSF-sponsored Teacher Leaders in Research Based Science Education (TLRRBSE), an ongoing Public Affairs and Educational Outreach Department program at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) in Tucson. The program touches the formal education community through a national audience of well-trained and supported middle and high school teachers. There are currently 68 teachers (and their students) participating in TLRBSE with an additional 57 teachers in the still-supported precursor RBSE program. The Spitzer educational research program also reaches an additional national audience of students through an informal education program based at the University of Arizona's Astronomy Camp, directed by Dr. Don McCarthy, who has been active in both the RBSE and TLRBSE programs. The TLRBSE Project is funded by the National Science Foundation under ESI 0101982, funded through the AURA/NSF Cooperative Agreement AST-9613615. NOAO is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), Inc. under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation. JPL manages the Spitzer Space Telescope mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Science operations are conducted at the Spitzer Science Center at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. JPL is a division of Caltech.

The Space Telescope Observatory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bahcall, J. N.; Odell, C. R.

1979-01-01

A convenient guide to the expected characteristics of the Space Telescope Observatory for astronomers and physicists is presented. An attempt is made to provide enough detail so that a professional scientist, observer or theorist, can plan how the observatory may be used to further his observing programs or to test theoretical models.

Appendange deployment mechanism for the Hubble Space Telescope program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenfield, H. T.

1985-01-01

The key requirements, a design overview, development testing (qualification levels), and two problems and their solutions resolved during the mechanism development testing phase are presented. The mechanism described herein has demonstrated its capability to deploy/restow two large Hubble Space Telescope deployable appendages in a varying but controlled manner.

The James Webb Space Telescope: Mission Overview and Status

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenhouse, Matthew A.

2009-01-01

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is the infrared successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. It is a cryogenic infrared space observatory with a 25 sq. m aperture (6 m telescope yielding diffraction limited angular resolution at a wavelength of 2 micron. The science instrument payload includes three passively cooled near-infrared instruments providing broad- and narrow-band imagery, coronagraphy, as well as multi object and integral-field spectroscopy over the 0.6 < 0 < 5.0 micron spectrum. An actively cooled mid-infrared instrument provides broad-band imagery, coronagraphy, and integral-field spectroscopy over the 5.0 < 0 < 29 micron spectrum. The JWST is being developed by NASA, in partnership with the European and Canadian Space Agencies, as a general user facility with science observations to be proposed by the international astronomical community in a manner similar to the Hubble Space Telescope. Technology development and mission design are complete, and construction is underway in all areas of the program. The JWST is on schedule to reach launch readiness during 2014.

The James Webb Space Telescope: Mission Overview and Status

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenhouse, Matthew A.

2011-01-01

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is the Infrared successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. It is a cryogenic infrared space observatory with a 25 sq m aperture (6 m class) telescope yielding diffraction limited angular resolution at a wave1ength of 2 micron. The science instrument payload includes three passively cooled near-infrared instruments providing broad- and narrow-band imagery, coronagraphy, as well as multi-object and integral-field spectroscopy over the 0.6

Space Science Research and Technology at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Charles L.

2007-01-01

This presentation will summarize the various projects and programs managed in the Space Science Programs and Projects Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Projects in the portfolio include NASA's Chandra X-Ray telescope, Hinode solar physics satellite, various advanced space propulsion technologies, including solar sails and tethers, as well as NASA's Discovery and New Frontiers Programs.

Creation of the Hubble Space Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Dell, C. R.

2009-08-01

The Hubble Space Telescope has been the most successful space astronomy project to date, producing images that put the public in awe and images and spectra that have produced many scientific discoveries. It is the natural culmination of a dream envisioned when rocket flight into space was first projected and a goal set for the US space program soon after NASA was created. The design and construction period lasted almost two decades and its operations have already lasted almost as long. The capabilities of the observatory have evolved and expanded with periodic upgrading of its instrumentation, thus realizing the advantages of its unique design. The success of this long-lived observatory is closely tied to the availability of the Space Shuttle and the end of the Shuttle program means that the end of the Hubble program will follow before long.

A search for narrow band signals with SERENDIP II: a progress report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Werthimer, D.; Brady, R.; Berezin, A.; Bowyer, S.

1988-01-01

Commensal programs for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), carried out concurrently with conventional radio astronomical observing programs, can be an attractive and cost-effective means of exploring the large multidimensional search space intrinsic to this effort. Our automated commensal system, SERENDIP II, is a high resolution 131,072 channel spectrometer. It searches for 0.49 Hz signals in sequential 64,700 Hz bands of the IF signal from a radio telescope being used for an astronomical observation. Upon detection of a narrow band signal with power above a preset threshold, the frequency, power, time, and telescope direction are recorded for later study. The system has been tested at the Hat Creek Radio Astronomy Observatory 85 ft telescope and the NASA-JPL Deep Space Station (DSS 14) 64 m telescope. It is currently collecting data at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory 300 ft telescope.

A search for narrow band signals with SERENDIP II: a progress report.

PubMed

Werthimer, D; Brady, R; Berezin, A; Bowyer, S

1988-01-01

Commensal programs for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), carried out concurrently with conventional radio astronomical observing programs, can be an attractive and cost-effective means of exploring the large multidimensional search space intrinsic to this effort. Our automated commensal system, SERENDIP II, is a high resolution 131,072 channel spectrometer. It searches for 0.49 Hz signals in sequential 64,700 Hz bands of the IF signal from a radio telescope being used for an astronomical observation. Upon detection of a narrow band signal with power above a preset threshold, the frequency, power, time, and telescope direction are recorded for later study. The system has been tested at the Hat Creek Radio Astronomy Observatory 85 ft telescope and the NASA-JPL Deep Space Station (DSS 14) 64 m telescope. It is currently collecting data at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory 300 ft telescope.

Development of the MAMA Detectors for the Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Timothy, J. Gethyn

1997-01-01

The development of the Multi-Anode Microchannel Array (MAMA) detector systems started in the early 1970's in order to produce multi-element detector arrays for use in spectrographs for solar studies from the Skylab-B mission. Development of the MAMA detectors for spectrographs on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) began in the late 1970's, and reached its culmination with the successful installation of the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) on the second HST servicing mission (STS-82 launched 11 February 1997). Under NASA Contract NAS5-29389 from December 1986 through June 1994 we supported the development of the MAMA detectors for STIS, including complementary sounding rocket and ground-based research programs. This final report describes the results of the MAMA detector development program for STIS.

NASA Discusses Recent Testing of the James Webb Space Telescope

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-01-10

Members of the media were invited to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on Jan. 10, to hear about the results of recent cryogenic vacuum tests on the James Webb Space Telescope, and the next steps on the observatory’s path to space. Webb was tested as a complete optical system in Chamber A at Johnson, which mimics the space environment the telescope will experience during its mission. Built in 1965 to conduct thermal-vacuum testing on the Apollo command and service modules, Chamber A is the largest structure of its kind in the world and is a listed National Historic Landmark. The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier infrared space observatory of the next decade. Webb will help to solve mysteries of our solar system, look to distant worlds orbiting other stars, and probe the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, the ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency.

The future of space imaging. Report of a community-based study of an advanced camera for the Hubble Space Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Robert A. (Editor)

1993-01-01

The scientific and technical basis for an Advanced Camera (AC) for the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is discussed. In March 1992, the NASA Program Scientist for HST invited the Space Telescope Science Institute to conduct a community-based study of an AC, which would be installed on a scheduled HST servicing mission in 1999. The study had three phases: a broad community survey of views on candidate science program and required performance of the AC, an analysis of technical issues relating to its implementation, and a panel of experts to formulate conclusions and prioritize recommendations. From the assessment of the imaging tasks astronomers have proposed for or desired from HST, we believe the most valuable 1999 instrument would be a camera with both near ultraviolet/optical (NUVO) and far ultraviolet (FUV) sensitivity, and with both wide field and high resolution options.

Finding Our Origins with the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gardner, Jonathan P.

2003-01-01

NASA's Origins program is a series of space telescopes designed to study the origins of galaxies, stars, planets and life in the universe. In this talk, I will concentrate on the origin and evolution of galaxies, beginning with the Big Bang and tracing what we have learned with the Hubble Space Telescope through to the present day. I will introduce several of the tools that astronomers use to measure distances, measure velocities, and look backwards in time. I will show that results from studies with Hubble have led to plans for its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, which is designed to find the first galaxies that formed in the distant past. I will finish with a short discussion of other missions in the Origins theme, including the Terrestrial Planet Finder.

Finding our Origins with the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gardner, Jonathan P.

2004-01-01

NASA s Origins program is a series of space telescopes designed to study the origins of galaxies, stars, planets and life in the universe. In this talk, I will concentrate on the origin and evolution of galaxies, beginning with the Big Bang and tracing what we have learned with the Hubble Space Telescope through to the present day. I will introduce several of the tools that astronomers use to measure distances, measure velocities, and look backwards in time. I will show that results from studies with Hubble have led to plans for its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, which is designed to find the first galaxies that formed in the distant past. I will finish with a short discussion of other missions in the Origins theme, including the Terrestrial Planet Finder.

Observations of the orbital debris complex by the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vilas, Faith; Anz-Meador, Phillip; Talent, Dave

1997-01-01

The midcourse space experiment (MSX) provides the opportunity to observe debris at multiple, simultaneous wavelengths, or in conjunction with other sensors and prior data sets. The instruments onboard MSX include an infrared telescope, an infrared interferometer, a visible telescope, an ultraviolet telescope and a spectroscopic imager. The spacecraft carries calibration spheres for instrument calibration and atmospheric drag studies. The experimental program, the implementation aspects, the data reduction techniques and the preliminary results are described.

Using the ISS as a Testbed to Prepare for the Next Generation of Space-Based Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ess, Kim; Thronson, Harley; Boyles, Mark; Sparks, William; Postman, Marc; Carpenter, Kenneth

2012-01-01

The ISS provides a unique opportunity to develop the technologies and operational capabilities necessary to assemble future large space telescopes that may be used to investigate planetary systems around neighboring stars. Assembling telescopes in space is a paradigm-shifting approach to space astronomy. Using the ISS as a testbed will reduce the technical risks of implementing this major scientific facility, such as laser metrology and wavefront sensing and control (WFSC). The Optical Testbed and Integration on ISS eXperiment (OpTIIX) will demonstrate the robotic assembly of major components, including the primary and secondary mirrors, to mechanical tolerances using existing ISS infrastructure, and the alignment of the optical elements to a diffraction-limited optical system in space. Assembling the optical system and removing and replacing components via existing ISS capabilities, such as the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) or the ISS flight crew, allows for future experimentation and repair, if necessary. First flight on ISS for OpTIIX, a small 1.5 meter optical telescope, is planned for 2015. In addition to demonstration of key risk-retiring technologies, the OpTIIX program includes a public outreach program to show the broad value of ISS utilization.

JWST Pathfinder Telescope Risk Reduction Cryo Test Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matthews, Gary W.; Scorse, Thomas R.; Spina, John A.; Noel, Darin M.; Havey, Keith A., Jr.; Huguet, Jesse A.; Whitman, Tony L.; Wells, Conrad; Walker, Chanda B.; Lunt, Sharon;

A scientific assessment of a new technology orbital telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

As part of a program designed to test the Alpha chemical laser weapons system in space, the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO) developed components of an agile, lightweight, 4-meter telescope, equipped with an advanced active-optics system. BMDO had proposed to make space available in the telescope's focal plane for instrumentation optimized for scientific applications in astrophysics and planetary astronomy for a potential flight mission. Such a flight mission could be undertaken if new or additional sponsorship can be found. Despite this uncertainty, BMDO requested assistance in defining the instrumentation and other design aspects necessary to enhance the scientific value of a pointing and tracking mission. In response to this request, the Space Studies Board established the Task Group on BMDO New Technology Orbital Observatory (TGBNTOO) and charged it to: (1) provide instrumentation, data management, and science-operations advice to BMDO to optimize the scientific value of a 4-meter mission; and (2) support a space studies board assessment of the relative scientific merit of the program. This report deals with the first of these tasks, assisting the Advanced Technology Demonstrator's (ATD's) program scientific potential. Given the potential scientific aspects of the 4-meter telescope, this project is referred to as the New Technology Orbital Telescope (NTOT), or as the ATD/NTOT, to emphasize its dual-use character. The task group's basic conclusion is that the ATD/NTOT mission does have the potential for contributing in a major way to astronomical goals.

Recommended Priorities for NASA's Gamma Ray Astronomy Program 1999-2013

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carol, Ladd

1999-01-01

The Gamma-Ray Astronomy Program Working Group (GRAPWG) recommends priorities for the NASA Gamma-Ray Astronomy Program. The highest priority science topic is nuclear astrophysics and sites of gamma ray line emission. Other high priority topics are gamma ray bursts, hard x-ray emission from accreting black holes and neutron stars, the Advanced Compton Telescope (ACT), the High-resolution Spectroscopic Imager (HSI), and the Energetic X-ray Imaging Survey Telescope (EXIST). The recommendations include special consideration for technology development, TeV astronomy, the ultra-long duration balloon (ULDB) program, the International Space Station, optical telescope support, and data analysis and theory.

Detection of the Second r-process Peak Element Tellurium in Metal-poor Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roederer, Ian U.; Lawler, James E.; Cowan, John J.; Beers, Timothy C.; Frebel, Anna; Ivans, Inese I.; Schatz, Hendrik; Sobeck, Jennifer S.; Sneden, Christopher

2012-03-01

Using near-ultraviolet spectra obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope, we detect neutral tellurium in three metal-poor stars enriched by products of r-process nucleosynthesis, BD +17 3248, HD 108317, and HD 128279. Tellurium (Te, Z = 52) is found at the second r-process peak (A ≈ 130) associated with the N = 82 neutron shell closure, and it has not been detected previously in Galactic halo stars. The derived tellurium abundances match the scaled solar system r-process distribution within the uncertainties, confirming the predicted second peak r-process residuals. These results suggest that tellurium is predominantly produced in the main component of the r-process, along with the rare earth elements. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with programs GO-8342 and GO-12268. Some of the data presented in this Letter were obtained from the Multimission Archive at the Space Telescope Science Institute (MAST). STScI is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555. These data are associated with programs GO-7348, GO-7402, GO-8197, and GO-9455.

Two-stage optics - High-acuity performance from low-acuity optical systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meinel, Aden B.; Meinel, Marjorie P.

1992-01-01

The concept of two-stage optics, developed under a program to enhance the performance, lower the cost, and increase the reliability of the 20-m Large Deployable Telescope, is examined. The concept permits the large primary mirror to remain as deployed or as space-assembled, with phasing and subsequent control of the system done by a small fully assembled optical active element placed at an exit pupil. The technique is being applied to correction of the fabrication/testing error in the Hubble Space Telescope primary mirror. The advantages offered by this concept for very large space telescopes are discussed.

Giving Birth to the James Webb Space Telescope: Part 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mather, John

2013-01-01

In late October 1995, I found a remarkable message on my answering machine from Ed Weiler, then the Program Scientist for the Hubble Space Telescope. Would I work on the next generation space telescope, the successor to the beautiful HST? It took me mere moments to work out the answer: Of course! At the time, my work on the COsmic Background Explorer (COBE) was finished, I was writing a book about it (The Very First Light, with John Boslough), and I thought NASA might never do anything nearly as spectacular again. Wow, was I happy to be surprised by that call!

Hubble Space Telescope cycle 5 call for proposals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bond, Howard E. (Editor)

1994-01-01

This document invites and supports participation by the international astronomical community in the HST General Observer and Archival Research programs. These documents contain the basic procedural and technical information required for HST proposal preparation and submission, including applicable deadlines. The telescope and its instruments were built under the auspices of the NASA and the European Space Agency.

Prime focus architectures for large space telescopes: reduce surfaces to save cost

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breckinridge, J. B.; Lillie, C. F.

2016-07-01

Conceptual architectures are now being developed to identify future directions for post JWST large space telescope systems to operate in the UV Optical and near IR regions of the spectrum. Here we show that the cost of optical surfaces within large aperture telescope/instrument systems can exceed $100M/reflection when expressed in terms of the aperture increase needed to over come internal absorption loss. We recommend a program in innovative optical design to minimize the number of surfaces by considering multiple functions for mirrors. An example is given using the Rowland circle imaging spectrometer systems for UV space science. With few exceptions, current space telescope architectures are based on systems optimized for ground-based astronomy. Both HST and JWST are classical "Cassegrain" telescopes derived from the ground-based tradition to co-locate the massive primary mirror and the instruments at the same end of the metrology structure. This requirement derives from the dual need to minimize observatory dome size and cost in the presence of the Earth's 1-g gravitational field. Space telescopes, however function in the zero gravity of space and the 1- g constraint is relieved to the advantage of astronomers. Here we suggest that a prime focus large aperture telescope system in space may have potentially have higher transmittance, better pointing, improved thermal and structural control, less internal polarization and broader wavelength coverage than Cassegrain telescopes. An example is given showing how UV astronomy telescopes use single optical elements for multiple functions and therefore have a minimum number of reflections.

Free-Space Optical Communications Program at JPL

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hemmati, H.

1999-01-01

Conceptual design of a multi-functional optical instrument is underway for the X2000-Second Delivery Program. The transceiver will perform both free-space optical-communication and science imaging by sharing a common 10-cm aperture telescope.

A 4-m evolvable space telescope configured for NASA's HabEx Mission: the initial stage of LUVOIR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lillie, Charles F.; MacEwen, Howard A.; Polidan, Ronald S.; Breckinridge, James B.

2017-09-01

Previous papers have described our concept for a large telescope that would be assembled in space in several stages (in different configurations) over a period of fifteen to 20 years. Spreading the telescope development, launch and operations cost over 20 years would minimize the impact on NASA's annual budget and drastically shorten the time between program start and "first light" for this space observatory. The first Stage of this Evolvable Space Telescope (EST) would consist of an instrument module located at the prime focus of three 4-meter hexagonal mirrors arranged in a semi-circle to form one-half of a 12-m segmented mirror. After several years three additional 4-m mirrors would be added to create a 12-m filled aperture. Later, twelve more 4-m mirrors will be added to this Stage 2 telescope to create a 20-m filled aperture space telescope. At each stage the telescope would have an unparalleled capability for UVOIR observations, and the results of these observations will guide the evolution of the telescope and its instruments. In this paper we describe our design concept for an initial configuration of our Evolvable Space Telescope that can meet the requirements of the 4-m version of the HabEx spacecraft currently under consideration by NASA's Habitable Exoplanet Science and Technology Definition Team. This "Stage Zero" configuration will have only one 4-m mirror segment with the same 30-m focal length and a prime focus coronagraph with normal incidence optics to minimize polarization effects. After assembly and checkout in cis-lunar space, the telescope would transfer to a Sun-Earth L2 halo orbit and obtain high sensitivity, high resolution, high contrast UVOIR observations that address the scientific objectives of the Habitable-Exoplanet Imaging Missions.

Complementarity of NGST, ALMA, and Far IR Space Observatories

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mather, John C.

2004-01-01

The Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) and the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) will both start operations long before a new far IR observatory to follow SIRTF into space can be launched. What will be unknown even after they are operational, and what will a far IR space observatory be able to add? I will compare the telescope design concepts and capabilities and the advertised scientific programs for the projects and attempt to forecast the research topics that will be at the forefront in 2010.

Complementarity of NGST, ALMA, and far IR Space Observatories

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mather, John C.; Fisher, Richard R. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) and the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) will both start operations long before a new far IR observatory in space can be launched. What will be unknown even after they are operational, and what will a far IR space observatory be able to add? I will compare the telescope design concepts and capabilities and the advertised scientific programs for the projects and attempt to forecast the research topics that will be at the forefront in 2010.

Lunar transit telescope lander design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Omar, Husam A.

1991-01-01

The Program Development group at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center has been involved in studying the feasibility of placing a 16 meter telescope on the lunar surface to scan the skies using visible/ Ultraviolet/ Infrared light frequencies. The precursor telescope is now called the TRANSIT LUNAR TELESCOPE (LTT). The Program Development Group at Marshall Space Flight Center has been given the task of developing the basic concepts and providing a feasibility study on building such a telescope. The telescope should be simple with minimum weight and volume to fit into one of the available launch vehicles. The preliminary launch date is set for 2005. A study was done to determine the launch vehicle to be used to deliver the telescope to the lunar surface. The TITAN IV/Centaur system was chosen. The engineering challenge was to design the largest possible telescope to fit into the TITAN IV/Centaur launch system. The telescope will be comprised of the primary, secondary and tertiary mirrors and their supporting system in addition to the lander that will land the telescope on the lunar surface and will also serve as the telescope's base. The lunar lander should be designed integrally with the telescope in order to minimize its weight, thus allowing more weight for the telescope and its support components. The objective of this study were to design a lander that meets all the constraints of the launching system. The basic constraints of the TITAN IV/Centaur system are given.

Lunar transit telescope lander design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Omar, Husam A.

1992-01-01

The Program Development group at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center has been involved in studying the feasibility of placing a 16 meter telescope on the lunar surface to scan the skies using visible/ Ultraviolet/ Infrared light frequencies. The precursor telescope is now called the TRANSIT LUNAR TELESCOPE (LTT). The Program Development Group at Marshall Space Flight Center has been given the task of developing the basic concepts and providing a feasibility study on building such a telescope. The telescope should be simple with minimum weight and volume to fit into one of the available launch vehicles. The preliminary launch date is set for 2005. A study was done to determine the launch vehicle to be used to deliver the telescope to the lunar surface. The TITAN IV/Centaur system was chosen. The engineering challenge was to design the largest possible telescope to fit into the TITAN IV/Centaur launch system. The telescope will be comprised of the primary, secondary and tertiary mirrors and their supporting system in addition to the lander that will land the telescope on the lunar surface and will also serve as the telescope's base. The lunar lander should be designed integrally with the telescope in order to minimize its weight, thus allowing more weight for the telescope and its support components. The objective of this study were to design a lander that meets all the constraints of the launching system. The basic constraints of the TITAN IV/Centaur system are given.

STS-61 Space Shuttle mission report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fricke, Robert W., Jr.

1994-01-01

The STS-61 Space Shuttle Program Mission Report summarizes the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) servicing mission as well as the Orbiter, External Tank (ET), Solid Rocket Booster (SRB), Redesigned Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM), and the Space Shuttle main engine (SSME) systems performance during the fifty-ninth flight of the Space Shuttle Program and fifth flight of the Orbiter vehicle Endeavour (OV-105). In addition to the Orbiter, the flight vehicle consisted of an ET designated as ET-60; three SSME's which were designated as serial numbers 2019, 2033, and 2017 in positions 1, 2, and 3, respectively; and two SRB's which were designated BI-063. The RSRM's that were installed in each SRB were designated as 360L023A (lightweight) for the left SRB, and 360L023B (lightweight) for the right SRB. This STS-61 Space Shuttle Program Mission Report fulfills the Space Shuttle Program requirement as documented in NSTS 07700, Volume 8, Appendix E. That document requires that each major organizational element supporting the Program report the results of its hardware evaluation and mission performance plus identify all related in-flight anomalies. The primary objective of the STS-61 mission was to perform the first on-orbit servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope. The servicing tasks included the installation of new solar arrays, replacement of the Wide Field/Planetary Camera I (WF/PC I) with WF/PC II, replacement of the High Speed Photometer (HSP) with the Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR), replacement of rate sensing units (RSU's) and electronic control units (ECU's), installation of new magnetic sensing systems and fuse plugs, and the repair of the Goddard High Resolution Spectrometer (GHRS). Secondary objectives were to perform the requirements of the IMAX Cargo Bay Camera (ICBC), the IMAX Camera, and the Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS) Calibration Test.

President Signs NASA Transition Authorization Act on This Week @NASA – March 24, 2017

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-03-24

On March 21, President Trump signed the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Transition Authorization Act of 2017. The bipartisan legislation reaffirms Congress’ commitment to the agency and directs it to pursue a balanced portfolio for space exploration and space science, including continued development of the Space Launch System, Orion, Commercial Crew Program; space and planetary science missions, such as the James Webb Space Telescope, Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope, and Europa mission; and ongoing operations of the International Space Station and Commercial Resupply Services Program. In a statement, acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot, who attended the signing, along with two astronauts and members of Congress, thanked the president and Congress for supporting the agency and its mission. Also, Spacewalk Outside the Space Station, SpaceX’s Dragon Returns Safely to Earth, Jeff Williams Visits Washington Area, Advanced Woven Thermal Protection, and Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.

Pointing History Engine for the Spitzer Space Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bayard, David; Ahmed, Asif; Brugarolas, Paul

2007-01-01

The Pointing History Engine (PHE) is a computer program that provides mathematical transformations needed to reconstruct, from downlinked telemetry data, the attitude of the Spitzer Space Telescope (formerly known as the Space Infrared Telescope Facility) as a function of time. The PHE also serves as an example for development of similar pointing reconstruction software for future space telescopes. The transformations implemented in the PHE take account of the unique geometry of the Spitzer telescope-pointing chain, including all data on relative alignments of components, and all information available from attitude-determination instruments. The PHE makes it possible to coordinate attitude data with observational data acquired at the same time, so that any observed astronomical object can be located for future reference and re-observation. The PHE is implemented as a subroutine used in conjunction with telemetry-formatting services of the Mission Image Processing Laboratory of NASA s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to generate the Boresight Pointing History File (BPHF). The BPHF is an archival database designed to serve as Spitzer s primary astronomical reference documenting where the telescope was pointed at any time during its mission.

The NASA Spitzer Space Telescope.

PubMed

Gehrz, R D; Roellig, T L; Werner, M W; Fazio, G G; Houck, J R; Low, F J; Rieke, G H; Soifer, B T; Levine, D A; Romana, E A

2007-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Spitzer Space Telescope (formerly the Space Infrared Telescope Facility) is the fourth and final facility in the Great Observatories Program, joining Hubble Space Telescope (1990), the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory (1991-2000), and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory (1999). 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. This review presents a brief overview of the scientific objectives and history of infrared astronomy. We discuss Spitzer's expected role in infrared astronomy for the new millennium. We describe pertinent details of the design, construction, launch, in-orbit checkout, and operations of the observatory and summarize some science highlights from the first two and a half years of Spitzer operations. More information about Spitzer can be found at http://spitzer.caltech.edu/.

An update of the Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking/Maui Space Surveillance System (NEAT/MSSS) collaboration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bambery, R. J.; Helin, E. F.; Pravdo, S. H.; Lawrence, K. J.; Hicks, M. D.

2002-01-01

Jet Propulsion Laboratory's (JPL) Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) program has two simultaneously-operating, autonomous search systems on two geographically-separated 1.2-m telescopes; one at the Maui Space Surveillance System (NEAT/MSSS) and the other on the Palomar Observatory's Oschin telescope (NEAT/Palomar). This paper will focus exclusively on the NEAT/MSSS system.

Cryo-Vacuum Testing of JWST's Integrated Telescope & Scientific Instrument Suite (OTIS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kimble, Randy; Apollo, Peter; Feinberg, Lee; Glazer, Stuart; Hanley, Jeffrey; Keski-Kuha, Ritva; Kirk, Jeffrey; Knight, J. Scott; Lambros, Scott; Lander, Juli; McGuffey, Douglas; Mehalick, Kimberly; Ohl, Raymond; Ousley, Wes; Reis, Carl; Reynolds, Paul; Begoña Vila, Maria; Waldman, Mark; Whitman, Tony

2018-01-01

A year ago we reported on the planning for a major test in the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) program: cryo-vacuum testing of the combination of the Optical Telescope Element (OTE) and the Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM). The cryo-vacuum testing of that scientific heart of the JWST observatory, known as OTIS (= OTE + ISIM), has now been completed in historic chamber A at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. From July through October 2017, the flight payload was cooled to its operating temperatures, put through a comprehensive suite of optical, thermal, and operational tests, and then safely warmed back to room temperature. We report here on the execution and top-level results from this milestone event in the JWST program.

Enabling Telescopes of the Future: Long-Range Technology Investing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thronson, Harley

2004-01-01

The Office of Space Science at NASA Headquarters has a current staff of about 60 professionals (aka, scientists, engineers, budget analysts) and an annual budget of $2.5 B out of NASA s $15.0 B. About 35 missions or programs in various stages of development or operation are managed by OSS, notable among them are Hubble Space Telescope, Mars Global Surveyor, Mars 2001 Odyssey, Chandra X-ray Observatory, TRACE (solar observatory), Cassini (mission to Saturn), Galileo (mission at Jupiter), and Next Generation Space Telescope. OSS has an annual technology budget of several hundred million dollars. So, what is it that we are doing?

Hubble Space Telescope Program on STS-95 Supported by Space Acceleration Measurement System for Free Flyers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kacpura, Thomas J.

2000-01-01

John Glenn's historic return to space was a primary focus of the STS 95 space shuttle mission; however, the 83 science payloads aboard were the focus of the flight activities. One of the payloads, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital System Test (HOST), was flown in the cargo bay by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. It served as a space flight test of upgrade components for the telescope before they are installed in the shuttle for the next Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission. One of the upgrade components is a cryogenic cooling system for the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS). The cooling is required for low noise in the receiver's sensitive electronic instrumentation. Originally, a passive system using dry ice cooled NICMOS, but the ice leaked away and must be replaced. The active cryogenic cooler can provide the cold temperatures required for the NICMOS, but there was a concern that it would create vibrations that would affect the fine pointing accuracy of the Hubble platform.

Results of a technical analysis of the Hubble Space Telescope nickel-cadmium and nickel-hydrogen batteries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manzo, Michelle A.

1991-01-01

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Program Office requested the expertise of the NASA Aerospace Flight Battery Systems Steering Committee (NAFBSSC) in the conduct of an independent assessment of the HST's battery system to assist in their decision of whether to fly nickel-cadmium or nickel-hydrogen batteries on the telescope. In response, a subcommittee to the NAFBSSC was organized with membership comprised of experts with background in the nickel-cadmium/nickel-hydrogen secondary battery/power systems areas. The work and recommendations of that subcommittee are presented.

The Next Generation Space Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mather, John C.; Seery, Bernard (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The Next Generation Space Telescope NGST is an 6-7 m class radiatively cooled telescope, planned for launch to the Lagrange point L2 in 2009, to be built by a partnership of NASA, ESA, and CSA. The NGST science program calls for three core instruments: 1) Near IR camera, 0.6 - 5 micrometer; 2) Near IR multiobject spectrometer, 1 - 5 micrometer, and 3) Mid IR camera and spectrometer, 5 - 28 micrometers. I will report on the scientific goals, project status, and the recent reduction in aperture from the target of 8 m.

Space Science

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-04-01

NASA's Space Optics Manufacturing Center has been working to expand our view of the universe via sophisticated new telescopes. The Optics Center's goal is to develop low-cost, advanced space optics technologies for the NASA program in the 21st century - including the long-term goal of imaging Earth-like planets in distant solar systems. To reduce the cost of mirror fabrication, Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has developed replication techniques, the machinery, and materials to replicate electro-formed nickel mirrors. Optics replication uses reusable forms, called mandrels, to make telescope mirrors ready for final finishing. MSFC optical physicist Bill Jones monitors a device used to chill a mandrel, causing it to shrink and separate from the telescope mirror without deforming the mirror's precisely curved surface.

Looking Back in Time: Building the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Optical Telescope Element

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feinberg, Lee

2016-01-01

When it launches in 2018, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will look back in time at the earliest stars and galaxies forming in the universe. This talk will look back in time at the development of the JWST telescope. This will include a discussion of the design, technology development, mirror development, wave front sensing and control algorithms, lightweight cryogenic deployable structure, pathfinder telescope, and integration and test program evolution and status. The talk will provide the engineering answers on why the mirrors are made of Beryllium, why there are 18 segments, where and how the mirrors were made, how the mirrors get aligned using the main science camera, and how the telescope is being tested. It will also look back in time at the many dedicated people all over the country who helped build it.

The JWST Science Instrument Payload: Mission Context and Status

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenhouse, Matthew A.

2014-01-01

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is the scientific successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. It is a cryogenic infrared space observatory with a 25 sq m aperture (6 m class) telescope that will achieve diffraction limited angular resolution at a wavelength of 2 microns. The science instrument payload includes four passively cooled near-infrared instruments providing broad- and narrow-band imagery, coronography, as well as multi-object and integral-field spectroscopy over the 0.6 < lambda < 5.0 microns spectrum. An actively cooled mid-infrared instrument provides broad-band imagery, coronography, and integral-field spectroscopy over the 5.0 < lambda < 29 microns spectrum. The JWST is being developed by NASA, in partnership with the European and Canadian Space Agencies, as a general user facility with science observations to be proposed by the international astronomical community in a manner similar to the Hubble Space Telescope. Technology development and mission design are complete. Construction, integration and verification testing is underway in all areas of the program. The JWST is on schedule for launch during 2018.

Research and Development in Optical Communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, Keith

2004-01-01

A report in the form of lecture slides summarizes the optical-communications program of NASA s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and describes the JPL Optical Communications Telescope Laboratory (OCTL) and its role in the program. The purpose of the program is to develop equipment and techniques for laser communication between (1) ground stations and (2) spacecraft (both near Earth and in deep space) and aircraft. The OCTL is an astronomical- style telescope facility that includes a 1-m-diameter, 75.8-m-focal length telescope in an elevation/azimuth mount, plus optical and electronic subsystems for tracking spacecraft and aircraft, receiving laser signals from such moving targets, and transmitting high-power laser signals to such targets. Near-term research at the OCTL is expected to focus on mitigating the effects of atmospheric scintillation on uplinks and on beacon-assisted tracking of ground stations by stations in deep space. Near-term experiments are expected to be performed with retroreflector-equipped aircraft and Earth-orbiting spacecraft techniques to test mathematical models of propagation of laser beams, multiple-beam strategies to mitigate uplink scintillation, and pointing and tracking accuracy of the telescope.

Optical Testing and Verification Methods for the James Webb Space Telescope Integrated Science Instrument Module Element

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Antonille, Scott R.; Miskey, Cherie L.; Ohl, Raymond G.; Rohrbach, Scott O.; Aronstein, David L.; Bartoszyk, Andrew E.; Bowers, Charles W.; Cofie, Emmanuel; Collins, Nicholas R.; Comber, Brian J.;

Optical testing and verification methods for the James Webb Space Telescope Integrated Science Instrument Module element

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antonille, Scott R.; Miskey, Cherie L.; Ohl, Raymond G.; Rohrbach, Scott O.; Aronstein, David L.; Bartoszyk, Andrew E.; Bowers, Charles W.; Cofie, Emmanuel; Collins, Nicholas R.; Comber, Brian J.; Eichhorn, William L.; Glasse, Alistair C.; Gracey, Renee; Hartig, George F.; Howard, Joseph M.; Kelly, Douglas M.; Kimble, Randy A.; Kirk, Jeffrey R.; Kubalak, David A.; Landsman, Wayne B.; Lindler, Don J.; Malumuth, Eliot M.; Maszkiewicz, Michael; Rieke, Marcia J.; Rowlands, Neil; Sabatke, Derek S.; Smith, Corbett T.; Smith, J. Scott; Sullivan, Joseph F.; Telfer, Randal C.; Te Plate, Maurice; Vila, M. Begoña.; Warner, Gerry D.; Wright, David; Wright, Raymond H.; Zhou, Julia; Zielinski, Thomas P.

2016-09-01

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a 6.5m diameter, segmented, deployable telescope for cryogenic IR space astronomy. The JWST Observatory includes the Optical Telescope Element (OTE) and the Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM), that contains four science instruments (SI) and the Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS). The SIs are mounted to a composite metering structure. The SIs and FGS were integrated to the ISIM structure and optically tested at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center using the Optical Telescope Element SIMulator (OSIM). OSIM is a full-field, cryogenic JWST telescope simulator. SI performance, including alignment and wavefront error, was evaluated using OSIM. We describe test and analysis methods for optical performance verification of the ISIM Element, with an emphasis on the processes used to plan and execute the test. The complexity of ISIM and OSIM drove us to develop a software tool for test planning that allows for configuration control of observations, implementation of associated scripts, and management of hardware and software limits and constraints, as well as tools for rapid data evaluation, and flexible re-planning in response to the unexpected. As examples of our test and analysis approach, we discuss how factors such as the ground test thermal environment are compensated in alignment. We describe how these innovative methods for test planning and execution and post-test analysis were instrumental in the verification program for the ISIM element, with enough information to allow the reader to consider these innovations and lessons learned in this successful effort in their future testing for other programs.

Hubble Space Telescope faint object camera instrument handbook (Post-COSTAR), version 5.0

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nota, A. (Editor); Jedrzejewski, R. (Editor); Greenfield, P. (Editor); Hack, W. (Editor)

1994-01-01

The faint object camera (FOC) is a long-focal-ratio, photon-counting device capable of taking high-resolution two-dimensional images of the sky up to 14 by 14 arc seconds squared in size with pixel dimensions as small as 0.014 by 0.014 arc seconds squared in the 1150 to 6500 A wavelength range. Its performance approaches that of an ideal imaging system at low light levels. The FOC is the only instrument on board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) to fully use the spatial resolution capabilities of the optical telescope assembly (OTA) and is one of the European Space Agency's contributions to the HST program.

Aerospace applications of virtual environment technology.

PubMed

Loftin, R B

1996-11-01

The uses of virtual environment technology in the space program are examined with emphasis on training for the Hubble Space Telescope Repair and Maintenance Mission in 1993. Project ScienceSpace at the Virtual Environment Technology Lab is discussed.

NASA Astrophysics E/PO: A Quarter Century of Discovery and Inspiration with the Hubble Space Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jirdeh, Hussein; Straughn, Amber; Smith, Denise Anne; Eisenhamer, Bonnie

2015-08-01

April 24, 2015 marked the 25th anniversary of the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope. In its quarter-century in orbit, the Hubble Space Telescope has transformed the way we understand the Universe, helped us find our place among the stars, and paved the way to incredible advancements in science and technology.In this presentation, we explain how NASA and ESA, including the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) and partners, is using the 25th anniversary of Hubble’s launch as a unique opportunity to communicate to students, educators, and the public the significance of the past quarter-century of discovery with the Hubble Space Telescope. We describe the various programs, resources, and experiences we are utilizing to enhancethe public understanding of Hubble’s many contributions to the scientific world. These include educator professional development opportunities, exhibits, events, traditional and social media, and resources for educators (formal k-12, informal, and higher education). We also highlight how we are capitalizing on Hubble’s cultural popularity to make the scientific connection to NASA’s next Great Observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope.This presentation highlights many of the opportunities by which students, educators, and the public are joining in the anniversary activities, both in-person and online. Find out more at hubble25th.org and follow #Hubble25 on social media.

SST and the Milky Way, an Artist's Concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

The Spitzer Space Telescope whizzes in front of a brilliant, infrared view of the Milky Way galaxy's plane in this artistic depiction.

The mission marks the last of NASA's Great Observatories, a program that includes the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory and the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory.

In addition to studying many of the coldest, oldest and most dust-enshrouded objects and processes in the universe, the mission will also be an important part of NASA's Origins Program, which seeks to answer the questions: Where did we come from? Are we alone?

Hubble space telescope: The GO and GTO observing programs, version 3.0

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Downes, Ron

1992-01-01

A portion of the observing time with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) was awarded by NASA to scientists involved in the development of the HST and its instruments. These scientists are the Guaranteed Time Observers (GTO's). Observing time was also awarded to General Observers (GO's) on the basis of the proposal reviews in 1989 and 1991. The majority of the 1989 programs have been completed during 'Cycle 1', while the 1991 programs will be completed during 'Cycle 2', nominally a 12-month period beginning July 1992. This document presents abstracts of these GO and GTO programs, and detailed listings of the specific targets and exposures contained in them. These programs and exposures are protected by NASA policy, as detailed in the HST Call for Proposals (CP), and are not to be duplicated by new programs.

Space Surveillance Tech Area Benefits from University Partnerships (Postprint)

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-12-10

Michigan Technological University’s Oculus- ASR, is a calibration satellite for AMOS’s telescopic non- resolved object characterization program...calibration satellite for AMOS’s telescopic non- resolved object characterization program. Another example is the University of Buffalo, which is... time and on-orbit data. Without partnerships such as these, a school would not be able to deliver as high quality a satellite , decreasing relevance

Astronaut Anna Fisher in NBS Training For Hubble Space Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a cooperative program of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) to operate a long-lived space-based observatory. It was the flagship mission of NASA's Great Observatories program. The HST program began as an astronomical dream in the 1940s. During the 1970s and 1980s, the HST was finally designed and built becoming operational in the 1990s. The HST was deployed into a low-Earth orbit on April 25, 1990 from the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-31). The design of the HST took into consideration its length of service and the necessity of repairs and equipment replacement by making the body modular. In doing so, subsequent shuttle missions could recover the HST, replace faulty or obsolete parts and be re-released. Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC's) Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) served as the test center for shuttle astronauts training for Hubble related missions. Shown is astronaut Anna Fisher training on a mock-up of a modular section of the HST for an axial scientific instrument change out.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1979-08-13

Once the United States' space program had progressed from Earth's orbit into outerspace, the prospect of building and maintaining a permanent presence in space was realized. To accomplish this feat, NASA launched a temporary workstation, Skylab, to discover the effects of low gravity and weightlessness on the human body, and also to develop tools and equipment that would be needed in the future to build and maintain a more permanent space station. The structures, techniques, and work schedules had to be carefully designed to fit this unique construction site. The components had to be lightweight for transport into orbit, yet durable. The station also had to be made with removable parts for easy servicing and repairs by astronauts. All of the tools necessary for service and repairs had to be designed for easy manipulation by a suited astronaut. And construction methods had to be efficient due to limited time the astronauts could remain outside their controlled environment. In lieu of all the specific needs for this project, an environment on Earth had to be developed that could simulate a low gravity atmosphere. A Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) was constructed by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in 1968. Since then, NASA scientists have used this facility to understand how humans work best in low gravity and also provide information about the different kinds of structures that can be built. Included in the plans for the space station was a space telescope. This telescope would be attached to the space station and directed towards outerspace. Astronomers hoped that the space telescope would provide a look at space that is impossible to see from Earth because of Earth's atmosphere and other man made influences. In an effort to make replacement and repairs easier on astronauts the space telescope was designed to be modular. Practice makes perfect as demonstrated in this photo: an astronaut practices moving modular pieces of the space telescope in the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) at MSFC. The space telescope was later deployed in April 1990 as the Hubble Space Telescope.

Strengthening the Connection Between Space and Society: A Comparative Analysis of Supernovae Distribution in the Andromeda Galaxy for Secondary School Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borders, Kareen; Mendez, B.; Borders, K.; Thaller, M.; Plecki, M.; Usuda, K.

2011-05-01

In order to prepare students in grades 4-12 for a global workforce, NASA supports science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) immersion education for secondary students. Secondary schools, through the NASA Explorer School program, the Spitzer Space Telescope, the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, and the WISE (Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer) Telescope Teacher Ambassador program, offer authentic research opportunities for students. Spitzer and WISE studied the sky in infrared light. Among the objects WISE studied are asteroids, the coolest and dimmest stars, and the most luminous galaxies. The lessons learned from the NASA Explorer School program and Spitzer and WISE teacher and student programs can be applied to other programs, engaging students in authentic research experiences by using data from space-borne and earth-based observatories such Kitt Peak Observatory. Several ground based telescopes at Kitt Peak Observatory study visible light from objects such as supernovae. Utilizing a student research immersion philosophy along with data analysis skills learned from the Spitzer and WISE student research programs, an analysis of supernovae distribution with respect to location in the Andromeda galaxy was conducted using images of the Andromeda galaxy taken from the WIYN 0.9 meter telescope on Kitt Peak. A comparison was made between the 12 outer fields (spiral arms) and the 4 inner fields (central bulge). Novae were found by "blinking” images of each field throughout 100 epochs of data. Blinking is a technique used to compare images of fields and noting brightness (via x,y coordinates) in one field that is not visible in the same field during a different epoch. Although the central bulge was expected to contain more supernovae due to stellar density and proximity of stars to each other, analysis of data indicates that the there is also a concentration of supernovae that appeared in outer regions. WISE Telescope funding is gratefully acknowledged.

Modular Orbital Demonstration of an Evolvable Space Telescope (MODEST)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baldauf, Brian; Conti, Alberto

2016-01-01

The "Search for Life" via imaging of exoplanets is a mission that requires extremely stable telescopes with apertures in the 10 m to 20 m range. The High Definition Space Telescope (HDST) envisioned for this mission would have an aperture >10 m, which is a larger payload than what can be delivered to space using a single launch vehicle. Building and assembling the mirror segments enabling large telescopes will likely require multiple launches and assembly in space. Space-based telescopes with large apertures will require major changes to system architectures.The Optical Telescope Assembly (OTA) for HDST is a primary mission cost driver. Enabling and affordable solutions for this next generation of large aperture space-based telescope are needed.This paper reports on the concept for the Modular Orbital Demonstration of an Evolvable Space Telescope (MODEST), which demonstrates on-orbit robotic and/or astronaut assembly of a precision optical telescope in space. It will also facilitate demonstration of active correction of phase and mirror shape. MODEST is proposed to be delivered to the ISS using standard Express Logistics Carriers (ELCs) and can mounted to one of a variety of ISS pallets. Post-assembly value includes space, ground, and environmental studies, and a testbed for new instruments. This demonstration program for next generation mirror technology provides significant risk reduction and demonstrates the technology in a six-mirror phased telescope. Other key features of the demonstration include the use of an active primary optical surface with wavefront feedback control that allows on-orbit optimization and demonstration of precise surface control to meet optical system wavefront and stability requirements.MODEST will also be used to evaluate advances in lightweight mirror and metering structure materials such as SiC or Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer that have excellent mechanical and thermal properties, e.g. high stiffness, high modulus, high thermal conductivity, and low thermal expansion. It has been demonstrated that mirrors built from these materials can be rapidly replicated in a highly cost effective manner, making these materials excellent candidates for a low cost, high performance OTA.

Surveillance of Space in Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newsam, G.

Australia's geography and technology base got it off to a flying start in the early days of surveillance of space, starting with CSIRO's first radio telescope in the 1940's and climaxing in NASA's establishment of station 43 in the Deep Space Network at Tidbinbilla in 1965. But Britain's exit from space and the subsequent closure of the Woomera launch range and associated space tracking facilities in the early 1970's saw the start of a long draw-down of capability. Programs such as CSIRO's radio astronomy telescopes, Electro-Optic Systems' adoption of laser technology for satellite laser ranging and tracking system, and the exploration of the use of technology developed in Australia's over-the-horizon-radar program for surveillance of space, kept some interest in the problem alive, but there has been no serious national investment in the area for the last thirty years. Recently, however, increased awareness of the vulnerability of space systems and the need to include potential opponents' space capabilities in operations planning has led to a revival of interest in space situational awareness within the Australian Defence Organisation. While firm commitments to new systems must wait on the next Defence White Paper due out at the end of 2007 and the policy directions it formally endorses, discussions have already started with the US on participating in the Space Surveillance Network (SSN) and developing a comprehensive space situational awareness capability. In support of these initiatives the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) is drawing up an inventory of relevant Australian capabilities, technologies and activities: the paper will describe the findings of this inventory, and in particular local technologies and systems that might be deployed in Australia to contribute to the SSN. In the optical regime the available options are rather limited; they centre primarily on the satellite laser ranging technology developed by Electro-Optic Systems and operating in stations at Yarragadee, Western Australia and Mt Stromlo, Australian Capital Territory. Recently, however, Australia has also agreed to host a node of AFRL's Extended HANDS telescope network in Learmonth, Western Australia, and discussions are underway with researchers in Australian academia about also participating in this research program. In the RF regime, however, DSTO has substantial HF and microwave radar programs, elements of which could be readily adapted to surveillance of space. Proposals have already been developed internally within both programs for various forms of space surveillance systems including both broad area surveillance and imaging along with some very initial technology concept demonstrator systems. Recently proposals have also been floated to substantially increase Australia's civilian space surveillance programs including the Ionospheric Prediction Service's longstanding program to monitor the ionosphere and space weather, meteor radars and other systems. Finally Australia's bid to host the international Square Kilometre Array radio telescope has already generated concrete commitments to establish several very substantial RF arrays in Western Australia that may also provide instruments of unprecedented sensitivity and resolution for surveillance of space. The paper will survey these technology development programs and associated progress on integrating them into some sort of national program for space situational awareness.

EAGLE: relay mirror technology development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartman, Mary; Restaino, Sergio R.; Baker, Jeffrey T.; Payne, Don M.; Bukley, Jerry W.

2002-06-01

EAGLE (Evolutionary Air & Space Global Laser Engagement) is the proposed high power weapon system with a high power laser source, a relay mirror constellation, and the necessary ground and communications links. The relay mirror itself will be a satellite composed of two optically-coupled telescopes/mirrors used to redirect laser energy from ground, air, or space based laser sources to distant points on the earth or space. The receiver telescope captures the incoming energy, relays it through an optical system that cleans up the beam, then a separate transmitter telescope/mirror redirects the laser energy at the desired target. Not only is it a key component in extending the range of DoD's current laser weapon systems, it also enables ancillary missions. Furthermore, if the vacuum of space is utilized, then the atmospheric effects on the laser beam propagation will be greatly attenuated. Finally, several critical technologies are being developed to make the EAGLE/Relay Mirror concept a reality, and the Relay Mirror Technology Development Program was set up to address them. This paper will discuss each critical technology, the current state of the work, and the future implications of this program.

Asteroid Detection Results Using the Space Surveillance Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruprecht, Jessica D.; Ushomirsky, Gregory; Woods, Deborah F.; Viggh, Herbert E. M.; Varey, Jacob; Cornell, Mark E.; Stokes, Grant

2015-11-01

From 1998-2013, MIT Lincoln Laboratory operated a highly successful near-Earth asteroid search program using two 1-m optical telescopes located at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory Experimental Test Site (ETS) in Socorro, N.M. In 2014, the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) program successfully transitioned operations from the two 1-m telescopes to the 3.5-m Space Surveillance Telescope (SST) located at Atom Site on White Sands Missile Range, N.M. This paper provides a summary of first-year performance and results for the LINEAR program with SST and provides an update on recent improvements to the moving-object pipeline architecture that increase utility of SST data for NEO discovery and improve sensitivity to fast-moving objects. Ruprecht et al. (2014) made predictions for SST NEO search productivity as a function of population model. This paper assesses the NEO search performance of SST in the first 1.5 years of operation and compares results to model predictions.This work is sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under Air Force Contract #FA8721-05-C-0002. The views, opinions, and/or findings contained in this article/presentation are those of the authors / presenters and should not be interpreted as representing the official views or policies of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government. Distribution Statement A: Approved for public release, distribution unlimited.

Asteroid Detection Results Using the Space Surveillance Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruprecht, J.; Ushomirsky, G.; Woods, D.; Viggh, H.; Varey, J.; Cornell, M.; Stokes, G.

From 1998-2013, MIT Lincoln Laboratory operated a highly successful near-Earth asteroid search program using two 1-m optical telescopes located at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory Experimental Test Site (ETS) in Socorro, N.M. In 2014, the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) program successfully transitioned operations from the two 1-m telescopes to the 3.5-m Space Surveillance Telescope (SST) located at Atom Site on White Sands Missile Range, N.M. This paper provides a summary of first-year performance and results for the LINEAR program with SST and provides an update on recent improvements to the moving-object pipeline architecture that increase utility of SST data for NEO discovery and improve sensitivity to fast-moving objects. Ruprecht et al. (2014) made predictions for SST NEO search productivity as a function of population model. This paper assesses the NEO search performance of SST in the first 1.5 years of operation and compares results to model predictions. This work is sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under Air Force Contract #FA8721-05-C-0002. The views, opinions, and/or findings contained in this article/presentation are those of the authors / presenters and should not be interpreted as representing the official views or policies of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government. Distribution Statement A: Approved for public release, distribution unlimited.

Literature survey for suppression of scattered light in large space telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tifft, W. G.; Fannin, B. B.

1973-01-01

A literature survey is presented of articles dealing with all aspects of predicting, measuring, and controlling unwanted scattered (stray) light. The survey is divided into four broad classifications: (1) existing baffle/telescope designs; (2) computer programs for the analysis/design of light suppression systems; (3) the mechanism, measurement, and control of light scattering; and (4) the advantages and problems introduced by the space environment for the operation of diffraction-limited optical systems.

Neutral Buoyancy Test - Hubble Space Telescope Scientific Instruments (SI)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1979-01-01

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a cooperative program of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) to operate a long-lived space-based observatory. It was the first and flagship mission of NASA's Great Observatories program. The HST program began as an astronomical dream in the 1940s. During the 1970s and 1980s, the HST was finally designed and built becoming operational in the 1990s. The HST was deployed into a low-Earth orbit on April 25, 1990 from the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-31). The design of the HST took into consideration its length of service and the necessity of repairs and equipment replacement by making the body modular. In doing so, subsequent shuttle missions could recover the HST, replace faulty or obsolete parts and be re-released. Pictured is MSFC's Neutral Buoyancy Simulator that served as the test center for shuttle astronauts training for Hubble related missions. Shown is an astronaut training on a mock-up of a modular section of the HST in the removal and replacement of scientific instruments.

Shell Separation for Mirror Replication

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

NASA's Space Optics Manufacturing Center has been working to expand our view of the universe via sophisticated new telescopes. The Optics Center's goal is to develop low-cost, advanced space optics technologies for the NASA program in the 21st century - including the long-term goal of imaging Earth-like planets in distant solar systems. To reduce the cost of mirror fabrication, Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has developed replication techniques, the machinery, and materials to replicate electro-formed nickel mirrors. Optics replication uses reusable forms, called mandrels, to make telescope mirrors ready for final finishing. MSFC optical physicist Bill Jones monitors a device used to chill a mandrel, causing it to shrink and separate from the telescope mirror without deforming the mirror's precisely curved surface.

On the verge of an astronomy CubeSat revolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shkolnik, Evgenya L.

2018-05-01

CubeSats are small satellites built in standard sizes and form factors, which have been growing in popularity but have thus far been largely ignored within the field of astronomy. When deployed as space-based telescopes, 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 such as the Hubble Space Telescope, 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, far-infrared and low-frequency radio. Science cases for CubeSats 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 miniaturization of propulsion systems. CubeSats may also pair with the large space- and ground-based telescopes to provide complementary data to better explain the physical processes observed.

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-03-08

After five days of service and upgrade work on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), the STS-109 crew photographed the giant telescope in the shuttle's cargo bay. The telescope was captured and secured on a work stand in Columbia's payload bay using Columbia's robotic arm, where 4 of the 7-member crew performed 5 space walks completing system upgrades to the HST. Included in those upgrades were: The replacement of the solar array panels; replacement of the power control unit (PCU); replacement of the Faint Object Camera (FOC) with a new advanced camera for Surveys (ACS); and installation of the experimental cooling system for the Hubble's Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-object Spectrometer (NICMOS), which had been dormant since January 1999 when its original coolant ran out. The Marshall Space Flight Center had the responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the the HST, which is the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made, to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit. Launched March 1, 2002, the STS-109 HST servicing mission lasted 10 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes. It was the 108th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

Being "Secondary" is Important for a Webb Telescope Mirror

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

NASA release July 19, 2011 Click here to learn about the James Webb Space Telescope The secondary mirror (shown here) was polished at the L3 Integrated Optical Systems - Tinsley in Richmond, Calif. to accuracies of less than one millionth of an inch. That accuracy is important for forming the sharpest images when the mirrors cool to -400°F (-240°C) in the cold of space. The Webb's secondary mirror was recently completed, following polishing and gold-coating. "Secondary" may not sound as important as "primary" but when it comes to the next-generation James Webb Space Telescope a secondary mirror plays a critical role in ensuring the telescope gathers information from the cosmos. The Webb's secondary mirror was recently completed, following polishing and gold-coating. There are four different types of mirrors that will fly on the James Webb Space Telescope, and all are made of a light metal called beryllium. It is very strong for its weight and holds its shape across a range of temperatures. There are primary mirror segments (18 total that combined make the large primary mirror providing a collecting area of 25 meters squared/269.1 square feet), the secondary mirror, tertiary mirror and the fine steering mirror. Unlike the primary mirror, which is molded into the shape of a hexagon, the secondary mirror is perfectly rounded. The mirror is also convex, so the reflective surface bulges toward a light source. It looks much like a curved mirror that you'll see on the wall near the exit of a parking garage that lets motorists see around a corner. This mirror is coated with a microscopic layer of gold to enable it to efficiently reflect infrared light (which is what the Webb telescope's cameras see). The quality of the secondary mirror surface is so good that the final convex surface at cold temperatures does not deviate from the design by more than a few millionths of a millimeter - or about one ten thousandth the diameter of a human hair. "As the only convex mirror on the Webb telescope, the secondary mirror has always been recognized to be the hardest of all of the mirrors to polish and test, so we are delighted that its performance meets all specifications," said Lee Feinberg, Webb Optical Telescope manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Convex mirrors are particularly hard to test because light that strikes them diverges away from the mirror. Feinberg noted, "The Webb telescope convex secondary mirror is approximately the size of the Spitzer Space Telescope's primary mirror and is by far the largest convex cryogenic mirror ever built for a NASA program." It was data from the Spitzer's mirrors that helped make the decision to use beryllium for the Webb telescope mirrors. Spitzer's mirrors were also made of beryllium. So why is this mirror so critical? Because the secondary mirror captures light from the 18 primary mirror segments and relays those distant images of the cosmos to the telescope's science cameras. The secondary mirror is mounted on folding "arms" that position it in front of the 18 primary mirror segments. The secondary mirror will soon come to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. where it will be installed on the telescope structure. Then, as a complete unit, the telescope structure and mirrors will undergo acoustic and vibration testing. The secondary mirror was developed at Ball Aerospace & Technology Corp. of Boulder, Colo. and the mirror recently completed polishing at the L3–IOS-Tinsley facility in Richmond, Calif. Northrop Grumman space Systems is the prime contractor on the Webb telescope program. The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s next-generation space observatory and successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. The most powerful space telescope ever built, Webb will observe the most distant objects in the universe, provide images of the very first galaxies ever formed and see unexplored planets around distant stars. The Webb Telescope is a joint project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. Credit:NASA/Ball Aerospace/Tinsley NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Effect of damping on excitability of high-order normal modes. [for a large space telescope spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Merchant, D. H.; Gates, R. M.; Straayer, J. W.

1975-01-01

The effect of localized structural damping on the excitability of higher-order large space telescope spacecraft modes is investigated. A preprocessor computer program is developed to incorporate Voigt structural joint damping models in a finite-element dynamic model. A postprocessor computer program is developed to select critical modes for low-frequency attitude control problems and for higher-frequency fine-stabilization problems. The selection is accomplished by ranking the flexible modes based on coefficients for rate gyro, position gyro, and optical sensor, and on image-plane motions due to sinusoidal or random PSD force and torque inputs.

Hubble Space Telescope Discovery of a Probable Caustic-Crossing Event in the MACS1149 Galaxy Cluster Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelly, Patrick L.; Rodney, Steven; Diego, Jose Maria; Zitrin, Adi; Broadhurst, Tom; Selsing, Jonatan; Balestra, Italo; Benito, Alberto Molino; Bradac, Marusa; Bradley, Larry; Brammer, Gabriel; Cenko, Brad; Christensen, Lise; Coe, Dan; Filippenko, Alexei V.; Foley, Ryan; Frye, Brenda; Graham, Melissa; Graur, Or; Grillo, Claudio; Hjorth, Jens; Howell, Andy; Jauzac, Mathilde; Jha, Saurabh; Kaiser, Nick; Kawamata, Ryota; Kneib, Jean-Paul; Lotz, Jennifer; Matheson, Thomas; McCully, Curtis; Merten, Julian; Nonino, Mario; Oguri, Masamune; Richard, Johan; Riess, Adam; Rosati, Piero; Schmidt, Kasper Borello; Sharon, Keren; Smith, Nathan; Strolger, Lou; Treu, Tommaso; Wang, Xin; Weiner, Ben; Williams, Liliya; Zheng, Weikang

2016-05-01

While monitoring the MACS1149 (z = 0.54) galaxy cluster as part of the RefsdalRedux program (PID 14199; PI Kelly) with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) WFC3 IR camera, we have detected a rising transient that appears to be coincident ( Target-of-opportunity optical follow-up imaging in several ACS and WFC3 bands with the FrontierSN program (PID 14208; PI Rodney) has revealed that its rest-frame ultraviolet through optical spectrum may be reasonably well fit with that of a B star at z=1.49 exhibiting a strong Balmer break.

Space Science

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-01-01

Pictured is the chosen artist's rendering of NASA's next generation space telescope, a successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, was named the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in honor of NASA's second administrator, James E. Webb. To further our understanding of the way our present universe formed following the the big bang, NASA is developing the JWST to observe the first stars and galaxies in the universe. This grand effort will help to answer the following fundamental questions: How galaxies form and evolve, how stars and planetary systems form and interact, how the universe builds up its present elemental/chemical composition, and what dark matter is. To see into the depths of space, the JWST is currently plarning to carry instruments that are sensitive to the infrared wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum. The new telescope will carry a near-infrared camera, a multi-object spectrometer, and a mid-infrared camera/spectrometer. The JWST is scheduled for launch in 2010 aboard an expendable launch vehicle. It will take about 3 months for the spacecraft to reach its destination, an orbit of 940,000 miles in space. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is supporting Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in developing the JWST by creating an ultra-lightweight mirror for the telescope at MSFC's Space Optics Manufacturing Technology Center. GSFC, Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the JWST, and TRW will design and fabricate the observatory's primary mirror and spacecraft. The program has a number of industry, academic, and government partners, as well as the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. (Image: Courtesy of TRW)

Telescope Networks in Education: Where We Are Now and Where We Are Headed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freed, R.

2017-12-01

Remote telescopes have become more common and accessible over the past 20 years as technology has evolved, and there has been a corresponding interest in bringing telescopes and astronomy into the educational arena. Numerous telescope networks (i.e. Las Cumbres Observatory, the Faulkes Telescopes, Skynet, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics MicroObservatory, the SPIRIT Telescopes, iTelescope, telescope.org and others) as well as curriculum development groups and national and international programs have been developed during this time to connect students and the public with the technology and the science. While some programs and networks have come and gone, we are now at a time where sustainable communities of practice around astronomical research, ground-based telescope networks, and education can take hold and grow. The global connectivity that today's technology affords makes possible many more types of astronomical studies than in previous decades as we now have the capacity for continual sky coverage in both hemispheres by larger numbers of people and larger telescopes. Astronomy is one of few scientific fields that captures the imagination of the masses and as an undergraduate general science course it is often the last exposure to formal science that students will have and as such can play a critical role in STEM education. As the advances in computer and space exploration technologies continue, and the amount of data coming from remote observatories and space exploration missions increases astronomically, integrating remote telescope networks into educational settings, in tandem with teaching students and the general public about the nature and processes of scientific inquiry is vital not only for the field of astronomy but in helping to develop a generation of critical thinkers and informed citizens.

ATM photoheliograph. [at a solar observatory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prout, R. A.

1975-01-01

The design and fabrication are presented of a 65 cm photoheliograph functional verification unit (FVU) installed in a major solar observatory. The telescope is used in a daily program of solar observation while serving as a test bed for the development of instrumentation to be included in early space shuttle launched solar telescopes. The 65 cm FVU was designed to be mechanically compatible with the ATM spar/canister and would be adaptable to a second ATM flight utilizing the existing spar/canister configuration. An image motion compensation breadboard and a space-hardened, remotely tuned H alpha filter, as well as solar telescopes of different optical configurations or increased aperture are discussed.

Near-infrared Detection of WD 0806-661 B with the Hubble Space Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luhman, K. L.; Morley, C. V.; Burgasser, A. J.; Esplin, T. L.; Bochanski, J. J.

2014-10-01

WD 0806-661 B is one of the coldest known brown dwarfs (T eff = 300-345 K) based on previous mid-infrared photometry from the Spitzer Space Telescope. In addition, it is a benchmark for testing theoretical models of brown dwarfs because its age and distance are well constrained via its primary star (2 ± 0.5 Gyr, 19.2 ± 0.6 pc). We present the first near-infrared detection of this object, which has been achieved through F110W imaging (~Y + J) with the Wide Field Camera 3 on board the Hubble Space Telescope. We measure a Vega magnitude of m 110 = 25.70 ± 0.08, which implies J ~ 25.0. When combined with the Spitzer photometry, our estimate of J helps to better define the empirical sequence of the coldest brown dwarfs in M 4.5 versus J - [4.5]. The positions of WD 0806-661 B and other Y dwarfs in that diagram are best matched by the cloudy models of Burrows et al. and the cloudless models of Saumon et al., both of which employ chemical equilibrium. The calculations by Morley et al. for 50% cloud coverage differ only modestly from the data. Spectroscopy would enable a more stringent test of the models, but based on our F110W measurement, such observations are currently possible only with Hubble, and would require at least ~10 orbits to reach a signal-to-noise ratio of ~5. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope through program 12815, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555, and observations with the ESO Telescopes at Paranal Observatory under programs ID 089.C-0428 and ID 089.C-0597.

Twelve Years of Education and Public Outreach with the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cominsky, Lynn R.; McLin, K. M.; Simonnet, A.; Fermi E/PO Team

2013-04-01

During the past twelve years, NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has supported a wide range of Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) activities, targeting K-14 students and the general public. The purpose of the Fermi E/PO program is to increase student and public understanding of the science of the high-energy Universe, through inspiring, engaging and educational activities linked to the mission’s science objectives. The E/PO program has additional more general goals, including increasing the diversity of students in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) pipeline, and increasing public awareness and understanding of Fermi science and technology. Fermi's multi-faceted E/PO program includes elements in each major outcome category: ● Higher Education: Fermi E/PO promotes STEM careers through the use of NASA data including research experiences for students and teachers (Global Telescope Network), education through STEM curriculum development projects (Cosmology curriculum) and through enrichment activities (Large Area Telescope simulator). ● Elementary and Secondary education: Fermi E/PO links the science objectives of the Fermi mission to well-tested, customer-focused and NASA-approved standards-aligned classroom materials (Black Hole Resources, Active Galaxy Education Unit and Pop-up book, TOPS guides, Supernova Education Unit). These materials have been distributed through (Educator Ambassador and on-line) teacher training workshops and through programs involving under-represented students (after-school clubs and Astro 4 Girls). ● Informal education and public outreach: Fermi E/PO engages the public in sharing the experience of exploration and discovery through high-leverage multi-media experiences (Black Holes planetarium and PBS NOVA shows), through popular websites (Gamma-ray Burst Skymap, Epo's Chronicles), social media (Facebook, MySpace), interactive web-based activities (Space Mysteries, Einstein@Home) and activities by amateur astronomers nation-wide (Supernova! Toolkit). This poster highlights various facets of the Fermi E/PO program.

From Bonaventure to Goddard: How I Got to NASA and What I Am Doing There

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Kevin H.

2014-01-01

The presentation, accompanied by slides when appropriate, will describe how a young physics major travelled from the classrooms of Saint Bonaventure, to the graduate research laboratories of the University of Florida in Gainesville, and finally to the government laboratories of NASA at the Goddard Space Flight Center just north of Washington, D.C. The main portion of the presentation concerns NASA missions of interest to the general public and supported in part by research work he does. Such, for example, is the current flagship mission of NASA, the James Webb Space Telescope that is destined to replace very soon the Hubble Space Telescope. In addition to these NASA telescope missions, a mission to an asteroid, coined the OSIRIS REX program, is in process and will be described.

Recommendations for Technology Development and Validation Activities in Support of the Origins Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Capps, Richard W. (Editor)

1996-01-01

The Office of Space Science (OSS) has initiated mission concept studies and associated technology roadmapping activities for future large space optical systems. The scientific motivation for these systems is the study of the origins of galaxies, stars, planetary systems and, ultimately, life. Collectively, these studies are part of the 'Astronomical Search for Origins and Planetary Systems Program' or 'Origins Program'. A series of at least three science missions and associated technology validation flights is currently envisioned in the time frame between the year 1999 and approximately 2020. These would be the Space Interferometry Mission (SIM), a 10-meter baseline Michelson stellar interferometer; the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST), a space-based infrared optimized telescope with aperture diameter larger than four meters; and the Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF), an 80-meter baseline-nulling Michelson interferometer described in the Exploration of Neighboring Planetary Systems (ExNPS) Study. While all of these missions include significant technological challenges, preliminary studies indicate that the technological requirements are achievable. However, immediate and aggressive technology development is needed. The Office of Space Access and Technology (OSAT) is the primary sponsor of NASA-unique technology for missions such as the Origins series. For some time, the OSAT Space Technology Program has been developing technologies for large space optical systems, including both interferometers and large-aperture telescopes. In addition, technology investments have been made by other NASA programs, including OSS; other government agencies, particularly the Department of Defense; and by the aerospace industrial community. This basis of prior technology investment provides much of the rationale for confidence in the feasibility of the advanced Origins missions. In response to the enhanced interest of both the user community and senior NASA management in large space optics, OSAT is moving to improve the focus of its sensor, spacecraft, and interferometer/telescope technology programs on the specific additional needs of the OSS Origins Program. To better define Origins mission technology and facilitate its development, OSAT and OSS called for a series of workshops with broad participation from industry, academia and the national laboratory community to address these issues. Responsibility for workshop implementation was assigned jointly to the two NASA field centers with primary Origins mission responsibility, the Goddard Space Flight Center and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The Origins Technology Workshop, held at Dana Point, California between June 4 and 6, 1996 was the first in the series of comprehensive workshops aimed at addressing the broad technological needs of the Origins Program. It was attended by 64 individuals selected to provide technical expertise relevant to the technology challenges of the Origins missions. This report summarizes the results of that meeting. A higher level executive summary was considered inappropriate because of the potential loss of important context for the recommendations. Subsequent to the Origins Technology Workshop and prior to publication of this report, NASA Headquarters reorganized the activities of the Of fice of Space Access and Technology. It appears likely that responsibility for the technology programs recommended in this document will move to the Office of Space Science.

Augmenting the Funding Sources for Space Science and the ASTRO-1 Space Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morse, Jon

2015-08-01

The BoldlyGo Institute was formed in 2013 to augment the planned space science portfolio through philanthropically funded robotic space missions, similar to how some U.S. medical institutes and ground-based telescopes are funded. I introduce BoldlyGo's two current projects: the SCIM mission to Mars and the ASTRO-1 space telescope. In particular, ASTRO-1 is a 1.8-meter off-axis (unobscured) ultraviolet-visible space observatory to be located in a Lagrange point or heliocentric orbit with a wide-field panchromatic camera, medium- and high-resolution spectrograph, and high-contrast imaging coronagraph and/or an accompanying starshade/occulter. It is intended for the post-Hubble Space Telescope era in the 2020s, enabling unique measurements of a broad range of celestial targets, while providing vital complementary capabilities to other ground- and space-based facilities such as the JWST, ALMA, WFIRST-AFTA, LSST, TESS, Euclid, and PLATO. The ASTRO-1 architecture simultaneously wields great scientific power while being technically viable and affordable. A wide variety of scientific programs can be accomplished, addressing topics across space astronomy, astrophysics, fundamental physics, and solar system science, as well as being technologically informative to future large-aperture programs. ASTRO-1 is intended to be a new-generation research facility serving a broad national and international community, as well as a vessel for impactful public engagement. Traditional institutional partnerships and consortia, such as are common with private ground-based observatories, may play a role in the support and governance of ASTRO-1; we are currently engaging interested international organizations. In addition to our planned open guest observer program and accessible data archive, we intend to provide a mechanism whereby individual scientists can buy in to a fraction of the gauranteed observing time. Our next step in ASTRO-1 development is to form the ASTRO-1 Requirements Team (ART), to which international scientists are invited to apply. The ART will be tasked with anchoring the science case, optimizing the observatory design, and constructing a design reference mission during late-2015 and 2016.

Evaluation philosophy for shuttle launched payloads

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heuser, R. E.

1975-01-01

Potential benefits of factory-to-pad testing constitute major cost savings and increase test effectiveness. Overall flight performance will be improved. The factory-to-pad approach is compatible with space shuttle processing and the large space telescope program.

Astronomy and astrophysics for the 1980's, volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1982-01-01

The programs recommended address the most significant questions that confront contemporary astronomy and fall into three general categories: prerequisites for research initiatives, including instrumentation and detectors, theory and data analysis, computational facilities, laboratory astrophysics, and technical support at ground-based observatories; programs including an Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility, a Very-Long Baseline Array, a Technology Telescope and a Large Deployable Reflector; and programs for study and development, including X-ray observatories in space, instruments for the detection of gravitational waves from astronomical objects, and long duration spaceflights of infrared telescopes. Estimated costs of these programs are provided.

Astronomy and astrophysics for the 1980's, volume 1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

The programs recommended address the most significant questions that confront contemporary astronomy and fall into three general categories: prerequisites for research initiatives, including instrumentation and detectors, theory and data analysis, computational facilities, laboratory astrophysics, and technical support at ground-based observatories; programs including an Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility, a Very-Long Baseline Array, a Technology Telescope and a Large Deployable Reflector; and programs for study and development, including X-ray observatories in space, instruments for the detection of gravitational waves from astronomical objects, and long duration spaceflights of infrared telescopes. Estimated costs of these programs are provided.

The Hubble Space Telescope: UV, Visible, and Near-Infrared Pursuits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wiseman, Jennifer

2010-01-01

The Hubble Space Telescope continues to push the limits on world-class astrophysics. Cameras including the Advanced Camera for Surveys and the new panchromatic Wide Field Camera 3 which was installed nu last year's successful servicing mission S2N4,o{fer imaging from near-infrared through ultraviolet wavelengths. Spectroscopic studies of sources from black holes to exoplanet atmospheres are making great advances through the versatile use of STIS, the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph. The new Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, also installed last year, is the most sensitive UV spectrograph to fly io space and is uniquely suited to address particular scientific questions on galaxy halos, the intergalactic medium, and the cosmic web. With these outstanding capabilities on HST come complex needs for laboratory astrophysics support including atomic and line identification data. I will provide an overview of Hubble's current capabilities and the scientific programs and goals that particularly benefit from the studies of laboratory astrophysics.

Infrared astronomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gillett, Frederick; Houck, James; Bally, John; Becklin, Eric; Brown, Robert Hamilton; Draine, Bruce; Frogel, Jay; Gatley, Ian; Gehrz, Robert; Hildebrand, Roger

1991-01-01

The decade of 1990's presents an opportunity to address fundamental astrophysical issues through observations at IR wavelengths made possible by technological and scientific advances during the last decade. The major elements of recommended program are: the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) and the IR Optimized 8-m Telescope (IRO), a detector and instrumentation program, the SubMilliMeter Mission (SMMM), the 2 Microns All Sky Survey (2MASS), a sound infrastructure, and technology development programs. Also presented are: perspective, science opportunities, technical overview, project recommendations, future directions, and infrastructure.

The JEM-EUSO Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ricci, Marco; JEM-EUSO Collaboration

2016-05-01

The Extreme Universe Space Observatory on-board the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM-EUSO) of the International Space Station (ISS), is a space mission that aims to unveiling the nature and the origin of the Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs) and to address basic problems of fundamental physics at extreme energies. The instrument is designed to measure the arrival direction, the energy and, possibly, the nature of these particles. Basically, it consists of a wide Field of View (FoV) telescope, based on Fresnel lenses, that looks down from the ISS during night-time to detect UV photons (fluorescence and Cherenkov photons) emitted from air showers. An infrared camera and an atmosphere monitoring system improve the performance of the instrument. The program is proceeding in different steps. While the JEM-EUSO mission is being improved to allow the use of the new carrier Space-X Dragon, the project K-EUSO, a mirror-based telescope to be placed on the Russian module of the ISS, conceived as an improvement of the KLYPVE experiment already approved by the Russian Space Agency Roscosmos, modified with EUSO technology, is in the stage of final definition. Meanwhile, a program of test experiments, pathfinders of the main mission, has been developed: the first, EUSO-Balloon, successfully flew on board a stratospheric balloon in Canada to measure the fluorescence background from the top of the Atmosphere; a second, EUSO-TA on ground, is in operation at the Telescope Array site in Utah. Next steps include: a) Mini-EUSO, approved by Roscosmos and the Italian Space Agency ASI, a small, compact UV telescope to be installed inside the Russian Module of the ISS to measure the UV background from Earth and b) a long duration Super Pressure Balloon Flight (EUSO-SPB) to be flown from New Zealand to observe EAS (Extensive Air Showers) from stratospheric atmosphere altitudes. Scientific, technical and programmatic aspects of all these EUSO-like projects are described.

Improving Image Drizzling in the HST Archive: Advanced Camera for Surveys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoffmann, Samantha L.; Avila, Roberto J.

2017-06-01

The Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST) pipeline performs geometric distortion corrections, associated image combinations, and cosmic ray rejections with AstroDrizzle on Hubble Space Telescope (HST) data. The MDRIZTAB reference table contains a list of relevant parameters that controls this program. This document details our photometric analysis of Advanced Camera for Surveys Wide Field Channel (ACS/WFC) data processed by AstroDrizzle. Based on this analysis, we update the MDRIZTAB table to improve the quality of the drizzled products delivered by MAST.

Variability in the vacuum-ultraviolet transmittance of magnesium fluoride windows. [for Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Herzig, Howard; Fleetwood, Charles M., Jr.; Toft, Albert R.

1992-01-01

Sample window materials tested during the development of a domed magnesium fluoride detector window for the Hubble Space Telescope's Imaging Spectrograph are noted to exhibit wide variability in VUV transmittance; a test program was accordingly instituted to maximize a prototype domed window's transmittance. It is found that VUV transmittance can be maximized if the boule from which the window is fashioned is sufficiently large to allow such a component to be cut from the purest available portion of the boule.

Space telescopes planetary monitoring (PM) and Zvezdny (eng. star) patrol (ZP) for planetary science and exoplanets exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tavrov, Alexander; Frolov, Pavel; Korablev, Oleg; Vedenkin, Nikolai; Barabanov, Sergey

2017-11-01

Solar System planetology requires a wide use of observing spectroscopy for surface geology to atmosphere climatology. A high-contrast imaging is required to study and to characterize extra-solar planetary systems among other faint astronomical targets observed in the vicinity of bright objects. Two middle class space telescopes projects aimed to observe Solar system planets by a long term monitoring via spectroscopy and polarimetry. Extra solar planets (exoplanets) engineering and scientific explorations are included in science program.

The Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission 3A Contamination Control Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hansen, Patricia A.

2000-01-01

After nearly 10 years on-orbit, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) external thermal control materials and paint have degraded due to exposure to the low Earth orbit environment. This presented a potentially large on-orbit contamination source (particles and/or debris). Contamination mitigation techniques were developed to augment existing on-orbit servicing contamination controls. They encompassed mission management, crew training, and crew aids and tools. These techniques were successfully employed during the HST Servicing Mission 3A, December 1999.

A survey of spacecraft thermal design solutions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Humphries, R.; Wegrich, R.; Pierce, E.; Patterson, W.

1991-01-01

A review of activities at the NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center in the heat transfer and thermodynamics disciplines as well as attendant fluid mechanics, transport phenomena, and computer science applications is presented. Attention is focused on recent activities including the Hubble Space Telescope, and large space instruments, particularly telescope thermal control systems such as those flown aboard Spacelab 2 and the Astro missions. Emphasis is placed on defining the thermal control features, unique design schemes, and performance of selected programs. Results obtained both by ground testing and analytical means, as well as flight and postflight data are presented.

A TREETOPS simulation of the Hubble Space Telescope-High Gain Antenna interaction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sharkey, John P.

1987-01-01

Virtually any project dealing with the control of a Large Space Structure (LSS) will involve some level of verification by digital computer simulation. While the Hubble Space Telescope might not normally be included in a discussion of LSS, it is presented to highlight a recently developed simulation and analysis program named TREETOPS. TREETOPS provides digital simulation, linearization, and control system interaction of flexible, multibody spacecraft which admit to a point-connected tree topology. The HST application of TREETOPS is intended to familiarize the LSS community with TREETOPS by presenting a user perspective of its key features.

n/a

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-03-09

After five days of service and upgrade work on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), the STS-109 crew photographed the giant telescope returning to its normal routine. The telescope was captured and secured on a work stand in Columbia's payload bay using Columbia's robotic arm, where 4 of the 7-member crew performed 5 space walks completing system upgrades to the HST. Included in those upgrades were: The replacement of the solar array panels; replacement of the power control unit (PCU); replacement of the Faint Object Camera (FOC) with a new advanced camera for Surveys (ACS); and installation of the experimental cooling system for the Hubble's Near- Infrared Camera and Multi-object Spectrometer (NICMOS), which had been dormant since January 1999 when its original coolant ran out. The Marshall Space Flight Center had the responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the the HST, which is the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made, to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit. Launched March 1, 2002, the STS-109 HST servicing mission lasted 10 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes. It was the 108th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

LARGE SCALE REFRIGERATION PLANT FOR GROUND TESTING THE JAMES WEBB TELESCOPE AT NASA JOHNSON SPACE CENTER

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

P. Arnold, Lutz Decker, D. Howe, J. Urbin, Jonathan Homan, Carl Reis, J. Creel, V. Ganni, P. Knudsen, A. Sidi-Yekhlef

The James Webb Telescope is the successor to the Hubble Telescope and will be placed in an orbit of 1.5 million km from earth. Before launch in 2014, the telescope will be tested in NASA Johnson Space Center's (JSC) space simulation chamber, Chamber A. The tests will be conducted at deep space conditions. Chamber A's helium cryo-panels are currently cooled down to 20 K by two Linde 3.5 kW helium refrigerators. The new 12.5 kW, 20-K helium coldbox described in this paper is part of the upgrade to the chamber systems for this large test program. The Linde coldbox willmore » provide refrigeration in several operating modes where the temperature of the chamber is being controlled with a high accuracy due to the demanding NASA test requirements. The implementation of two parallel expansion turbine strings and the Ganni cycle—Floating Pressure process results in a highly efficient and flexible process that minimizes the electrical input power. This paper will describe the collaboration and execution of the coldbox project.« less

The Evolution of Spacelab Ultraviolet Astronomy Missions from OSS-3 through -7 to Astro-1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gull, Theodore

2018-01-01

In the 1960s and 1970s, NASA was building towards a robust program in space astronomy. An evolutionary step from ground-based astronomy to space astronomy was human operation of space telescopes as astronomy in general evolved from astronomers directly at the telescope to application of computers and long distance communications to control to operate remote telescopes. Today ground-based telescopes and space observatories from cubesats to the Hubble Space Telescope and soon the James Webb Space Telescope are routinely operated remotely.In response to the Spacelab Announcement of Opportunity in the early 1980s, three ultraviolet experiments – the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope, the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope and the Wisconsin Ultraviolet PhotoPolarimetry Experiment -- all instruments derived from multiple sounding rocket flights--were selected to fly as an integrated payload attached to a space shuttle. The justification for professional astronomers, both as Mission Specialists from the astronaut cadre and Payload Specialists from the instrument teams, was built to ensure key technical skills both of the science and the instruments. Bundled together as OSS-3 through -7 flights focused on Comet Halley, the experiments went through many changes and delays as a pathfinder for an anticipated series of attached astronomy payloads.By 1986, the five-flight mission had evolved into two missions, Astro-1 dedicated primarily to observe Halley’s Comet in early March 1986 and Astro-2 to fly about one year later. Due to the Challenger disaster 35 days before scheduled launch of Astro-1, the mission went through an initial cancellation and then re-scheduling once the instrument complement of Astro-1 was expanded to include Broad Band X-ray Telescope with emphasis on studying SN1987A. Ultimately Astro-1 flew in December 1990 partnered with an X-ray experiment focused on SN1987A.The nine-day mission was mostly successful despite multiple technical issues overcome by the NASA and instrument teams. Dozens of refereed papers results and five years later, Astro-2, with the three ultraviolet instruments accomplished a seventeen-day mission.

Interstellar Molecules in K-12 Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuiper, T. B. H.; Hofstadter, M. D.; Levin, S. M.; MacLaren, D.

2006-12-01

The Lewis Center for Educational Research (LCER) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) collaborate in a K-12 educational project in which students conduct observations for several research programs led by radio astronomers. The Goldstone-Apple Valley Radio Telescope (GAVRT) program provides participating teachers with curriculum elements, based on the students' observing experiences, which support national and state academic standards. The current program is based on 2.2-GHz and 8.4-GHz radiometric observations of variable sources. The research programs monitor Jupiter, Uranus, and a selected set of quasars. The telescope is a decommissioned NASA Deep Space Network antenna at Goldstone, California. In the next three years, a second telescope will be added. This telescope will at least operate at the above frequencies as well as 6 GHz and 12 GHz. Possibly, it will operate in a continuous band from 1.2 GHz to 14 GHz. In either case, the telescope will be able to observe at least the 6.6-GHz and 12.2-GHz methanol maser lines. The success of the GAVRT program depends critically on the participation of scientists committed to the research who have the ability and enthusiasm for interacting with K-12 students, typically through teleconferences. The scientists will initially work with the LCER staff to create curriculum elements around their observing program.

Development of a clean optical telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, R. A.

1983-01-01

Particulate contamination on astronomical mirrors degrades performance in two ways: by information loss by extinction of light; and background and noise from scattering, especially forward or Fraunhofer scattering. These effects were not generally understood, and an ambitious pilot program was outlined to measure particulate effects on telescope optical performance; develop prophylactic and cleaning procedures suitable for groundbased observatories; investigate by computational modelling the effects on telescopes in space; and communicate the results and concerns within the astronomical community.

Detection of Neutral Phosphorus in the Near-ultraviolet Spectra of Late-type Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roederer, Ian U.; Jacobson, Heather R.; Thanathibodee, Thanawuth; Frebel, Anna; Toller, Elizabeth

2014-12-01

We report the detection of several absorption lines of neutral phosphorus (P, Z = 15) in archival near-ultraviolet spectra obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope. We derive phosphorus abundances or interesting upper limits in 14 late-type stars with metallicities spanning -3.8 < [Fe/H] <-0.1. Previously, phosphorus had only been studied in Galactic stars with -1.0 < [Fe/H] <+0.3. Iron lines reveal abundance offsets between the optical and ultraviolet regions, and we discuss and apply a correction factor to account for this offset. In stars with [Fe/H] >-1.0, the [P/Fe] ratio decreases toward the solar value with increasing metallicity, in agreement with previous observational studies. In stars with [Fe/H] <-1.0, lang[P/Fe]rang = +0.04 ± 0.10, which overlaps with the [P/Fe] ratios found in several high-redshift damped Lyman-α systems. This behavior hints at a primary origin in massive stars. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. This work is supported through program AR-13246 and is based on observations associated with programs GO-7348, GO-7433, GO-8197, GO-9048, GO-9049, GO-9455, GO-9804, GO-12268, GO-12554, and GO-12976. Portions of this work are based on data obtained from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Science Archive Facility. These data are associated with Programs 065.L-0507(A), 067.D-0439(A), 072.B-0179(A), 074.C-0364(A), 076.B-0055(A), and 266.D-5655(A). Portions of this research have also made use of the Keck Observatory Archive (KOA), which is operated by the W.M. Keck Observatory and the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI), under contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. These data are associated with Programs H2aH (P.I: Boesgaard), H5aH (P.I: Stephens), and H47aH (P.I: Boesgaard). Other portions of this work are based on data gathered with the 6.5 m Magellan Telescopes located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile, and the McDonald Observatory of The University of Texas at Austin.

The detection of planetary systems from Space Station - A star observation strategy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mascy, Alfred C.; Nishioka, Ken; Jorgensen, Helen; Swenson, Byron L.

1987-01-01

A 10-20-yr star-observation program for the Space Station Astrometric Telescope Facility (ATF) is proposed and evaluated by means of computer simulations. The primary aim of the program is to detect stars with planetary systems by precise determination of their motion relative to reference stars. The designs proposed for the ATF are described and illustrated; the basic parameters of the 127 stars selected for the program are listed in a table; spacecraft and science constraints, telescope slewing rates, and the possibility of limiting the program sample to stars near the Galactic equator are discussed; and the effects of these constraints are investigated by simulating 1 yr of ATF operation. Viewing all sky regions, the ATF would have 81-percent active viewing time, observing each star about 200 times (56 h) per yr; only small decrements in this performance would result from limiting the viewing field.

SpaceView (Viral Space Situational Awareness) One Year Update

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gleckler, A.; Butterfield, M.; Copenhaver, R.; Wade, A.; Apponi, A.

2013-09-01

Viral SSA takes advantage of the amateur astronomy community to provide an extremely low-cost and geographically-diverse network of optical SSA sites. In the spirit of programs such as DARPA's Grand Challenge and the National Weather Service's program of providing amateur meteorologists with weather stations linked to a central professional meteorological facility, we form a cooperative bond with a willing community of technicallyminded individuals. We term this program "viral" because we will qualify an initial set of astronomers for SSA operation and then use word of mouth in the astronomy community, as well as an outreach program, to pull in new observers. The use of modern remote controlled telescopes allows the incorporation of certified amateur, university, and commercial telescope systems. The availability of the local Viral SSA member for troubleshooting eliminates most significant costs of operating a large network. In this talk, we discuss the project's first year and the roadmap for the next two years.

Goddard's Astrophysics Science Divsion Annual Report 2014

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weaver, Kimberly (Editor); Reddy, Francis (Editor); Tyler, Pat (Editor)

2015-01-01

The Astrophysics Science Division (ASD, Code 660) is one of the world's largest and most diverse astronomical organizations. Space flight missions are conceived, built and launched to observe the entire range of the electromagnetic spectrum, from gamma rays to centimeter waves. In addition, experiments are flown to gather data on high-energy cosmic rays, and plans are being made to detect gravitational radiation from space-borne missions. To enable these missions, we have vigorous programs of instrument and detector development. Division scientists also carry out preparatory theoretical work and subsequent data analysis and modeling. In addition to space flight missions, we have a vibrant suborbital program with numerous sounding rocket and balloon payloads in development or operation. The ASD is organized into five labs: the Astroparticle Physics Lab, the X-ray Astrophysics Lab, the Gravitational Astrophysics Lab, the Observational Cosmology Lab, and the Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics Lab. The High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC) is an Office at the Division level. Approximately 400 scientists and engineers work in ASD. Of these, 80 are civil servant scientists, while the rest are resident university-based scientists, contractors, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and administrative staff. We currently operate the Swift Explorer mission and the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. In addition, we provide data archiving and operational support for the XMM mission (jointly with ESA) and the Suzaku mission (with JAXA). We are also a partner with Caltech on the NuSTAR mission. The Hubble Space Telescope Project is headquartered at Goddard, and ASD provides Project Scientists to oversee operations at the Space Telescope Science Institute. Projects in development include the Neutron Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) mission, an X-ray timing experiment for the International Space Station; the Transiting Exoplanet Sky Survey (TESS) Explorer mission, in collaboration with MIT (Ricker, PI); the Soft X-ray Spectrometer (SXS) for the Astro-H mission in collaboration with JAXA, and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), the highest ranked mission in the 2010 decadal survey, is in a pre-phase A study, and we are supplying study scientists for that mission.

NASA funding opportunities for optical fabrication and testing technology development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stahl, H. Philip

2013-09-01

NASA requires technologies to fabricate and test optical components to accomplish its highest priority science missions. The NRC ASTRO2010 Decadal Survey states that an advanced large-aperture UVOIR telescope is required to enable the next generation of compelling astrophysics and exo-planet science; and, that present technology is not mature enough to affordably build and launch any potential UVOIR mission concept. The NRC 2012 NASA Space Technology Roadmaps and Priorities Report states that the highest priority technology in which NASA should invest to `Expand our understanding of Earth and the universe' is next generation X-ray and UVOIR telescopes. Each of the Astrophysics division Program Office Annual Technology Reports (PATR) identifies specific technology needs. NASA has a variety of programs to fund enabling technology development: SBIR (Small Business Innovative Research); the ROSES APRA and SAT programs (Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Science; Astrophysics Research and Analysis program; Strategic Astrophysics Technology program); and several Office of the Chief Technologist (OCT) programs.

NASA Funding Opportunities for Optical Fabrication and Testing Technology Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stahl, H. Philip

2013-01-01

NASA requires technologies to fabricate and test optical components to accomplish its highest priority science missions. The NRC ASTRO2010 Decadal Survey states that an advanced large-aperture UVOIR telescope is required to enable the next generation of compelling astrophysics and exo-planet science; and, that present technology is not mature enough to affordably build and launch any potential UVOIR mission concept. The NRC 2012 NASA Space Technology Roadmaps and Priorities Report states that the highest priority technology in which NASA should invest to 'Expand our understanding of Earth and the universe' is next generation X-ray and UVOIR telescopes. Each of the Astrophysics division Program Office Annual Technology Reports (PATR) identifies specific technology needs. NASA has a variety of programs to fund enabling technology development: SBIR (Small Business Innovative Research); the ROSES APRA and SAT programs (Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Science; Astrophysics Research and Analysis program; Strategic Astrophysics Technology program); and several Office of the Chief Technologist (OCT) programs

NASA Funding Opportunities for Optical Fabrication and Testing Technology Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stahl, H. Philip

2013-01-01

Technologies to fabricate and test optical components are required for NASA to accomplish its highest priority science missions. For example, the NRC ASTRO2010 Decadal Survey states that an advanced large-aperture UVOIR telescope is required to enable the next generation of compelling astrophysics and exo-planet science; and that present technology is not mature enough to affordably build and launch any potential UVOIR mission concept. The NRC 2012 NASA Space Technology Roadmaps and Priorities report states that the highest priority technology in which NASA should invest to 'Expand our understanding of Earth and the universe' is a new generation of astronomical telescopes. And, each of the Astrophysics division Program Office Annual Technology Reports (PATR), identifies specific technology needs. NASA has a variety of programs to fund enabling technology development: SBIR (Small Business Innovative Research); the ROSES APRA and SAT programs (Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Science; Astrophysics Research and Analysis program; Strategic Astrophysics Technology program); and several Office of the Chief Technologist (OCT) technology development programs.

Infrared Astronomy Professional Development for K-12 Educators: WISE Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borders, Kareen; Mendez, B. M.

2010-01-01

K-12 educators need effective and relevant astronomy professional development. WISE Telescope (Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer) and Spitzer Space Telescope Education programs provided an immersive teacher professional development workshop at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico during the summer of 2009. As many common misconceptions involve scale and distance, teachers worked with Moon/Earth scale, solar system scale, and distance of objects in the universe. Teachers built and used basic telescopes, learned about the history of telescopes, explored ground and satellite based telescopes, and explored and worked on models of WISE Telescope. An in-depth explanation of WISE and Spitzer telescopes gave participants background knowledge for infrared astronomy observations. We taught the electromagnetic spectrum through interactive stations. The stations included an overview via lecture and power point, the use of ultraviolet beads to determine ultraviolet exposure, the study of WISE lenticulars and diagramming of infrared data, listening to light by using speakers hooked up to photoreceptor cells, looking at visible light through diffraction glasses and diagramming the data, protocols for using astronomy based research in the classroom, and infrared thermometers to compare environmental conditions around the observatory. An overview of LIDAR physics was followed up by a simulated LIDAR mapping of the topography of Mars. We will outline specific steps for K-12 infrared astronomy professional development, provide data demonstrating the impact of the above professional development on educator understanding and classroom use, and detail future plans for additional K-12 professional development. Funding was provided by WISE Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, Starbucks, Arecibo Observatory, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the Washington Space Grant Consortium.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Abundances of late-type stars (Roederer+, 2014)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roederer, I. U.; Jacobson, H. R.; Thanathibodee, T.; Frebel, A.; Toller, E.

2017-01-01

We obtained observations covering the NUV spectral range from the Barbara A. Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST). These observations were taken using the medium- or high-resolution echelle gratings in the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS; Kimble et al. 1998ApJ...492L..83K; Woodgate et al. 1998PASP..110.1183W) on board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Spectra downloaded from the MAST have been reduced by the calstis pipeline and combined by Ayres (2010, Cat. J/ApJS/187/149). Spectra obtained previously by our own observing programs were reduced by the calstis pipeline and processed as described in Roederer et al. (2012ApJS..203...27R, 2014ApJ...791...32R) and Placco et al. (2014ApJ...790...34P). (4 data files).

The Hubble Space Telescope Scientific Instruments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, J. V.

1986-01-01

The paper describes the status of the five Scientific Instruments (SI's) to be flown on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) which is planned to be launched by the Space Transportation System in the last half of 1986. Concentration is on the testing experience for each of the instruments both at the instrument level and in conjunction with the other instruments and subsystems of the HST. Since the Acceptance/Flight Qualification Program of the HST is currently underway a description of the test and verification plans to be accomplished prior to shipment to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and pre-launch tests plans prior to launch are provided. The paper concludes with a brief description of anticipated orbital performance.

Policy opportunities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccray, Richard; Ostriker, Jeremiah P.; Acton, Loren W.; Bahcall, Neta A.; Bless, Robert C.; Brown, Robert A.; Burbidge, Geoffrey; Burke, Bernard F.; Clark, George W.; Cordova, France A.

1991-01-01

Recommendations are given regarding National Science Foundation (NSF) astronomy programs and the NASA Space Astrophysics program. The role of ground based astronomy is reviewed. The role of National Optical Astronomy Observatories (NOAO) in ground-based night-time astronomical research is discussed. An enhanced Explored Program, costs and management of small and moderate space programs, the role of astrophysics within NASA's space exploration initiative, suborbital and airborne astronomical research, the problems of the Hubble Space Telescope, and astronomy education are discussed. Also covered are policy issues related to the role of science advisory committees, international cooperation and competition, archiving and distribution of astronomical data, and multi-wavelength observations of variable sources.

NASA Astrophysics E/PO: The Impact of the Space Telescope Science Institute Office of Public Outreach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Denise A.; Jirdeh, Hussein; Eisenhamer, Bonnie; Villard, Ray

2015-01-01

As the science operations center for Hubble and Webb, the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) is uniquely positioned to captivate the imagination and inspire learners of all ages in humanity's quest to understand fundamental questions about our universe and our place in it. With the 25th anniversary of Hubble's launch and deployment approaching in April 2015, this presentation will provide an overview of the impact of the STScI's Office of Public Outreach's programs to engage students, educators, and the public in exploring the universe through audience-based news, education, and outreach programs. At the heart of our programs lies a tight coupling of scientific, education, and communications expertise. By partnering scientists and educators, we assure current, accurate science content and education products and programs that are classroom-ready and held to the highest pedagogical standards. Likewise, news and outreach programs accurately convey cutting-edge science and technology in a way that is attuned to audience needs. The combination of Hubble's scientific capabilities and majestic imagery, together with a deep commitment to creating effective programs to share Hubble science with the education community and the public, has enabled the STScI Office of Public Outreach programs to engage 6 million students and ½ million educators per year, and 24 million online viewers per year. Hubble press releases generate approximately 5,000 online news articles per year with an average circulation of 125 million potential readers per press release news story. We will also share how best practices and lessons learned from this long-lived program are already being applied to engage a new generation of explorers in the science and technology of the James Webb Space Telescope.

A Korean Space Situational Awareness Program : OWL Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, J.; Choi, Y.; Jo, J.; Moon, H.; Im, H.; Park, J.

2012-09-01

We are going to present a brief introduction to the OWL (Optical Wide-field patroL) network, one of Korean space situational awareness facilities. Primary objectives of the OWL network are 1) to obtain orbital information of Korean domestic LEOs using optical method, 2) to monitor GEO-belt over territory of Korea, and 3) to alleviate collisional risks posed to Korean satellites from space debris. For these purposes, we are planning to build a global network of telescopes which consists of five small wide-field telescopes and one 2m class telescope. The network of small telescopes will be dedicated mainly to the observation of domestic LEOs, but many slots will be open to other scientific programs such as GRB follow-up observations. Main targets of 2m telescope not only include artificial objects such as GEO debris and LEO debris with low inclination and high eccentricity, but also natural objects such as near Earth asteroids. We expect to monitor space objects down to 10cm in size in GEO using the 2m telescope system. Main research topics include size distribution and evolution of space debris. We also expect to utilize this facility for physical characterization and population study of near Earth asteroids. The aperture size of the small telescope system is 0.5m with Rechey-Cretian configuration and its field of view is 1.75 deg x 1.75 deg. It is equipped with 4K CCD with 9um pixel size, and its plate scale is 1.3 arcsec/pixel. A chopper wheel is employed to maximize astrometric solutions in a single CCD frame, and a de-rotator is used to compensate field rotation of the alt-az type mount. We have designed a compact end unit in which three rotating parts (chopper wheel, filter wheel, de-rotator) and a CCD camera are integrated, and dedicated telescope/site control boards for the OWL network. The design of 2m class telescope is still under discussion yet is expected to be fixed in the first half of 2013 at the latest. The OWL network will be operated in a fully autonomous mode based on scheduled observation. We have designed a compact and robust system for fully robotic operation. The network operating system located in the headquarter issues command files for observation which are transferred to each local site. After that, the site operating system interprets command files and controls each telescope system. In this way, we obtain and update orbital information of domestic satellites based on purely optical method. A prototype of the network telescope system will be installed at a test bed in Korea in commissioning phase. After the test operation, the design of the network telescope system will be finalized in the end of 2012. The installation of the telescope systems in 3 local sites will be completed in 2013, and the so-called "OWL basic network"" will start normal operations. In the first two years of the second stage of the OWL Project (2014-2015), we plan to place two small wide-field telescopes, and we build the 2m telescope system to complete the OWL network in the 2016.

Developmental Cryogenic Active Telescope Testbed, a Wavefront Sensing and Control Testbed for the Next Generation Space Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leboeuf, Claudia M.; Davila, Pamela S.; Redding, David C.; Morell, Armando; Lowman, Andrew E.; Wilson, Mark E.; Young, Eric W.; Pacini, Linda K.; Coulter, Dan R.

1998-01-01

As part of the technology validation strategy of the next generation space telescope (NGST), a system testbed is being developed at GSFC, in partnership with JPL and Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), which will include all of the component functions envisioned in an NGST active optical system. The system will include an actively controlled, segmented primary mirror, actively controlled secondary, deformable, and fast steering mirrors, wavefront sensing optics, wavefront control algorithms, a telescope simulator module, and an interferometric wavefront sensor for use in comparing final obtained wavefronts from different tests. The developmental. cryogenic active telescope testbed (DCATT) will be implemented in three phases. Phase 1 will focus on operating the testbed at ambient temperature. During Phase 2, a cryocapable segmented telescope will be developed and cooled to cryogenic temperature to investigate the impact on the ability to correct the wavefront and stabilize the image. In Phase 3, it is planned to incorporate industry developed flight-like components, such as figure controlled mirror segments, cryogenic, low hold power actuators, or different wavefront sensing and control hardware or software. A very important element of the program is the development and subsequent validation of the integrated multidisciplinary models. The Phase 1 testbed objectives, plans, configuration, and design will be discussed.

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-03-07

Inside the Space Shuttle Columbia's cabin, astronaut Nancy J. Currie, mission specialist, controlled the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) on the crew cabin's aft flight deck to assist fellow astronauts during the STS-109 mission Extra Vehicular Activities (EVA). The RMS was used to capture the telescope and secure it into Columbia's cargo bay. The Space Shuttle Columbia STS-109 mission lifted off March 1, 2002 with goals of repairing and upgrading the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama had the responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the HST, which is the most powerful and sophisticated telescope ever built. STS-109 upgrades to the HST included: replacement of the solar array panels; replacement of the power control unit (PCU); replacement of the Faint Object Camera (FOC) with a new advanced camera for Surveys (ACS); and installation of the experimental cooling system for the Hubble's Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-object Spectrometer (NICMOS), which had been dormant since January 1999 when its original coolant ran out. Lasting 10 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes, the STS-109 mission was the 108th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-03-11

On the Space Shuttle Columbia's mid deck, the STS-109 crew of seven pose for the traditional in-flight portrait. From the left (front row), are astronauts Nancy J. Currie, mission specialist; Scott D. Altman, mission commander; and Duane G. Carey, pilot. Pictured on the back row from left to right are astronauts John M. Grunsfield, payload commander; and Richard M. Lirneham, James H. Newman, and Michael J. Massimino, all mission specialists. The 108th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle Program, the STS-109 mission launched March 1, 2002, and lasted 10 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes. The goal of the mission was the maintenance and upgrade of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Using Columbia's robotic arm, the telescope was captured and secured on a work stand in Columbia's payload bay where four members of the crew performed five space walks to complete system upgrades to the HST. The Marshall Space Flight Center had the responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the HST, which is the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made, to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit.

NASA advanced cryocooler technology development program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coulter, Daniel R.; Ross, Ronald G., Jr.; Boyle, Robert F.; Key, R. W.

2003-03-01

Mechanical cryocoolers represent a significant enabling technology for NASA's Earth and Space Science Enterprises. Over the years, NASA has developed new cryocooler technologies for a wide variety of space missions. Recent achievements include the NCS, AIRS, TES and HIRDLS cryocoolers, and miniature pulse tube coolers at TRW and Lockheed Martin. The largest technology push within NASA right now is in the temperature range of 4 to 10 K. Missions such as the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) and Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) plan to use infrared detectors operating between 6-8 K, typically arsenic-doped silicon arrays, with IR telescopes from 3 to 6 meters in diameter. Similarly, Constellation-X plans to use X-ray microcalorimeters operating at 50 mK and will require ~6 K cooling to precool its multistage 50 mK magnetic refrigerator. To address cryocooler development for these next-generation missions, NASA has initiated a program referred to as the Advanced Cryocooler Technology Development Program (ACTDP). This paper presents an overview of the ACTDP program including programmatic objectives and timelines, and conceptual details of the cooler concepts under development.

Efficient computer algorithms for infrared astronomy data processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pelzmann, R. F., Jr.

1976-01-01

Data processing techniques to be studied for use in infrared astronomy data analysis systems are outlined. Only data from space based telescope systems operating as survey instruments are considered. Resulting algorithms, and in some cases specific software, will be applicable for use with the infrared astronomy satellite (IRAS) and the shuttle infrared telescope facility (SIRTF). Operational tests made during the investigation use data from the celestial mapping program (CMP). The overall task differs from that involved in ground-based infrared telescope data reduction.

Cryo-Vacuum Testing of the Integrated Science Instrument Module for the James Webb Space Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kimble, Randy A.; Davila, P. S.; Drury, M. P.; Glazer, S. D.; Krom, J. R.; Lundquist, R. A.; Mann, S. D.; McGuffey, D. B.; Perry, R. L.; Ramey, D. D.

2011-01-01

With delivery of the science instruments for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) expected in 2012, current plans call for the first cryo-vacuum test of the Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM) to be carried out at GSFC in early 2013. Plans are well underway for conducting this ambitious test, which will perform critical verifications of a number of optical, thermal, and operational requirements of the IS 1M hardware, at its deep cryogenic operating temperature. We describe here the facilities, goals, methods, and timeline for this important Integration & Test milestone in the JWST program.

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-03-07

STS-109 Astronaut Michael J. Massimino, mission specialist, perched on the Shuttle's robotic arm, is preparing to install the Electronic Support Module (ESM) in the aft shroud of the Hubble Space telescope (HST), with the assistance of astronaut James H. Newman (out of frame). The module will support a new experimental cooling system to be installed during the next day's fifth and final space walk of the mission. That cooling system is designed to bring the telescope's Near-Infrared Camera and Multi Spectrometer (NICMOS) back to life the which had been dormant since January 1999 when its original coolant ran out. The Space Shuttle Columbia STS-109 mission lifted off March 1, 2002 with goals of repairing and upgrading the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama had the responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the HST, which is the most powerful and sophisticated telescope ever built. In addition to the installation of the experimental cooling system for the Hubble's Near-Infrared Camera and NICMOS, STS-109 upgrades to the HST included replacement of the solar array panels, replacement of the power control unit (PCU), and replacement of the Faint Object Camera (FOC) with a new advanced camera for Surveys (ACS). Lasting 10 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes, the STS-109 mission was the 108th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

Germanium, Arsenic, and Selenium Abundances in Metal-poor Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roederer, Ian U.

2012-09-01

The elements germanium (Ge, Z = 32), arsenic (As, Z = 33), and selenium (Se, Z = 34) span the transition from charged-particle or explosive synthesis of the iron-group elements to neutron-capture synthesis of heavier elements. Among these three elements, only the chemical evolution of germanium has been studied previously. Here we use archive observations made with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope and observations from several ground-based facilities to study the chemical enrichment histories of seven stars with metallicities -2.6 <= [Fe/H] <= -0.4. We perform a standard abundance analysis of germanium, arsenic, selenium, and several other elements produced by neutron-capture reactions. When combined with previous derivations of germanium abundances in metal-poor stars, our sample reveals an increase in the [Ge/Fe] ratios at higher metallicities. This could mark the onset of the weak s-process contribution to germanium. In contrast, the [As/Fe] and [Se/Fe] ratios remain roughly constant. These data do not directly indicate the origin of germanium, arsenic, and selenium at low metallicity, but they suggest that the weak and main components of the s-process are not likely sources. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained from the data archive at the Space Telescope Science Institute. STScI is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. This research made use of StarCAT, hosted by the Mikulski Archive at the Space Telescope Science Institute (MAST). These data are associated with Programs GO-7348, GO-7433, GO-8197, GO-9048, GO-9455, and GO-9804.Based on data obtained from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Science Archive Facility. These data are associated with Programs 67.D-0439(A), 074.C-0364(A), 076.B-0055(A), and 080.D-0347(A).This research has made use of the Keck Observatory Archive (KOA), which is operated by the W.M. Keck Observatory and the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI), under contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. These data are associated with Programs H2aH, H6aH, and H39aH (PI: Boesgaard), N01H (PI: Latham), and U11H (PI: Prochaska).This paper includes data taken at The McDonald Observatory of The University of Texas at Austin.

77 FR 6949 - Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) Rates for Non-U.S. Government Customers

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-10

... Space Telescope. A principal advantage of TDRSS is providing communications services, which previously... instead be placed on the Space Communications and Navigation Program (SCaN) Web site and updated... satellites and ground stations used by NASA for space communications near the Earth. The system was designed...

Research and technology 1989

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

The Marshall Space Flight Center annual report summarizes their advanced studies, research programs, and technological developments. Areas covered include: transportation systems; space systems such as Gravity Probe-B and Gamma Ray Imaging Telescope; data systems; microgravity science; astronomy and astrophysics; solar, magnetospheric, and atomic physics; aeronomy; propulsion; materials and processes; structures and dynamics; automated systems; space systems; and avionics.

Manufacturing and Integration Status of the JWST OSIM Optical Simulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sullivan, Joe; Eichhorn, William; vonHandorf, Rob; Sabatke, Derek; Barr, Nick; Nyquist, Rich; Pederson, Bob; Bennett, Rick; Volmer, Paul; Happs, Dave;

A computer controlled power tool for the servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Richards, Paul W.; Konkel, Carl; Smith, Chris; Brown, Lee; Wagner, Ken

1996-01-01

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Pistol Grip Tool (PGT) is a self-contained, microprocessor controlled, battery-powered, 3/8-inch-drive hand-held tool. The PGT is also a non-powered ratchet wrench. This tool will be used by astronauts during Extravehicular Activity (EVA) to apply torque to the HST and HST Servicing Support Equipment mechanical interfaces and fasteners. Numerous torque, speed, and turn or angle limits are programmed into the PGT for use during various missions. Batteries are replaceable during ground operations, Intravehicular Activities, and EVA's.

Lunar Observatories: Why, Where, and When?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lowman, D. Paul, Jr.; Durst, Steve; Chen, Peter C.

1999-01-01

The value of Moon-based astronomical instruments has been repeatedly supported by several major studies and conferences, such as the "Astrophysics from the Moon" meeting held in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1990 (Mumma and Smith, 1990). A comprehensive review of the advantages of lunar observatories was published in the same year by Burns et al. (1990). However, the decade since then has seen a number of major developments bearing on the topic of lunar observatories, including the following. Two space astronomy programs have been outstandingly successful since 1990: the Cosmic Background Explorer ((COBE) and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). These instruments have shown for the first time the structure of the universe in the first stages of its creation, i.e., the "Big Bang." One result of these discoveries has been to focus new space astronomy programs on fundamental problems such as shape of the universe, evolution of galaxies, and the nature of "dark" matter. Since these questions involve the very earliest stages of the history of the universe, to study them requires observation of extremely distant objects. Because of the expansion of the universe, all radiation from such objects is greatly redshifted, into the infrared region of the spectrum. For this reason, the Next Generation Space Telescope, the successor to HST, will be an infrared telescope.

Modular Orbital Demonstration of an Evolvable Space Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baldauf, Brian

2016-06-01

The key driver for a telescope's sensitivityis directly related to the size of t he mirror area that collects light from the objects being observed.The "Search for Life" via imaging of exoplanets is a mission that requires extremely stable telescopes with apertures in the 10 m to 20 m range. The HDST envisioned for this mission would have an aperture >10 m, which is a larger payload than can be delivered to space using a single launch vehicle. Building and assembling the mirror segments enabling large telescopes will likely require multiple launches and assembly in space. The Optical Telescope Assembly for HDST is a primary mission cost driver. Enabling affordable solutions for this next generation of large aperture space-based telescope are needed.This reports on the concept for the MODEST, which demonstrates on-orbit robotic and/or astronaut assembly of a precision optical telescope in space. It will facilitate demonstration of active correction of phase and mirror shape. MODEST is proposed to be delivered to the ISS using standard Express Logistics Carriers and can mounted to one of a variety of ISS pallets. Post-assembly value includes space, ground, and environmental studies, a testbed for new instruments, and a tool for student's exploration of space. This demonstration program for next generation mirror technology provides significant risk reduction and demonstrates the technology in a six-mirror phased telescope. Key features of the demonstration include the use of an active primary optical surface with wavefront feedback control that allows on-orbit optimization and demonstration of precise surface control to meet optical system wavefront and stability requirements.MODEST will also be used to evaluate advances in lightweight mirror and metering structure materials such as SiC or Ceramic Matrix Composite that have excellent mechanical and thermal properties, e.g. high stiffness, high thermal conductivity, and low thermal expansion. It has been demonstrated that mirrors built from these materials can be rapidly replicated in a highly cost effective manner, making these materials excellent candidates for a low cost, high performance OTA.

Space Shuttle utilization characteristics with special emphasis on payload design, economy of operation and effective space exploitation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turner, D. N.

1981-01-01

The reusable manned Space Shuttle has made new and innovative payload planning a reality and opened the door to a variety of payload concepts formerly unavailable in routine space operations. In order to define the payload characteristics and program strategies, current Shuttle-oriented programs are presented: NASA's Space Telescope, the Long Duration Exposure Facility, the West German Shuttle Pallet Satellite, and the Goddard Space Flight Center's Multimission Modular Spacecraft. Commonality of spacecraft design and adaptation for specific mission roles minimizes payload program development and STS integration costs. Commonality of airborne support equipment assures the possibility of multiple program space operations with the Shuttle. On-orbit maintenance and repair was suggested for the module and system levels. Program savings from 13 to over 50% were found obtainable by the Shuttle over expendable launch systems, and savings from 17 to 45% were achievable by introducing reuse into the Shuttle-oriented programs.

Characterizing K2 Exoplanets with NIR Transit Photometry from the 3.5m WIYN Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colon, Knicole D.; Barclay, Thomas; Thompson, Susan E.; Coughlin, Jeffrey; Barentsen, Geert; Quintana, Elisa V.

2017-01-01

The NASA K2 mission has discovered over 400 transiting exoplanets as of October 2016 and continues to produce new discoveries on a regular basis. Expected to launch in late 2017, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) will continue the era of exoplanet discovery by performing an all-sky search for transiting exoplanets. Given the ever increasing number of known exoplanets, it is critical that we optimize follow-up observations now in order to characterize the many interesting systems discovered by these missions. For example, K2 is finding (and TESS will find even more) small, super-Earth-size planets around cool, nearby stars. I will present results from our program for near-infrared (NIR) transit photometry of K2 exoplanet candidates conducted using the 3.5m WIYN telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. NIR transit photometry with the high spatial resolution WHIRC imager installed on the WIYN telescope allows us to confirm the transit host, to verify that the transit is achromatic, and to constrain the planet radius by minimizing effects of stellar limb darkening. Furthermore, the high-precision and high-cadence photometry from WIYN+WHIRC allows us to track and constrain the transit ephemeris, which is crucial for future follow-up efforts with other facilities like the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Ultimately, this program will vet K2 exoplanet candidates and identify prime targets for detailed characterization with JWST. This program complements K2 follow-up being done with the Spitzer Space Telescope and demonstrates the capabilities of a ground-based facility that can be used to characterize small planets from K2 and TESS for years to come.This work was supported by the NASA-NSF Exoplanet Observational Research (NN-EXPLORE) program.

Summary of the COS Cycle 20 Calibration Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roman-Duval, Julia; Aloisi, Alessandra; Bostroem, K. Azalee; Ely, Justin; Holland, Stephen; Lockwood, Sean; Oliveira, Cristina; Penton, Steven; Proffitt, Charles; Sahnow, David; Sonnentrucker, Paule; Welty, Alan D.; Wheeler, Thomas

2015-06-01

We summarize the Cycle 20 calibration program for the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) on the Hubble Space Telescope, covering the time period from November 2012 through October 2013. We give an overview of the Calibration plan and status summaries for each of the individual proposals comprising the C20 Calibration program.

Summary of the COS Cycle 21 Calibration Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sana, Hugues; Fox, Andrew; Roman-Duval, Julia; Ely, Justin; Bostroem, K. Azalee; Lockwood, Sean; Oliveira, Cristina; Penton, Steve; Proffitt, Charles; Sahnow, David; Sonnentrucker, Paule; Welty, Alan D.; Wheeler, Thomas

2015-09-01

We summarize the Cycle 21 calibration program for the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) on the Hubble Space Telescope, covering the time period from November 2013 through October 2014. We give an overview of the Calibration plan and status summaries for each of the individual proposals comprising the C21 Calibration program.

Scientific involvement in Skylab by the Space Sciences Laboratory of the Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Winkler, C. E. (Editor)

1973-01-01

The involvement of the Marshall Space Flight Center's Space Sciences Laboratory in the Skylab program from the early feasibility studies through the analysis and publication of flight scientific and technical results is described. This includes mission operations support, the Apollo telescope mount, materials science/manufacturing in space, optical contamination, environmental and thermal criteria, and several corollary measurements and experiments.

Alignment and qualification of the Gaia telescope using a Shack-Hartmann sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dovillaire, G.; Pierot, D.

2017-09-01

Since almost 20 years, Imagine Optic develops, manufactures and offers to its worldwide customers reliable and accurate wavefront sensors and adaptive optics solutions. Long term collaboration between Imagine Optic and Airbus Defence and Space has been initiated on the Herschel program. More recently, a similar technology has been used to align and qualify the GAIA telescope.

Infra-red lamp panel study and assessment application to thermal vacuum testing of sigma telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mauduyt, Jacques; Merlet, Joseph; Poux, Christiane

1986-01-01

A research and development program of the Infra-Red Test has been conducted by the French Space Agency (CNES). A choice, after characterization, among several possibilities has been made on the type of methods and facilities for the I.R. test. An application to the Thermal Vacuum Test of the SIGMA Telescope is described.

Optical Communications Study for the Next Generation Space Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ceniceros, Juan M.

2000-01-01

The Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST), part of NASA's Origins program, is a follow on to the Hubble Space Telescope expected to provide timely new science along with answering fundamental questions. NGST is a large diameter, infrared optimized telescope with imaging and spectrographic detectors which will be used to help study the origin of galaxies. Due to the large data NGST will collect, Goddard Space Flight Center has considered the use of optical communications for data downlink. The Optical Communications Group at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory has performed a study on optical communications systems for NGST. The objective of the study was to evaluate the benefits gained through the use of optical communication technologies. Studies were performed for each of four proposed NGST orbits. The orbits considered were an elliptical orbit about the semi stable second Lagrangian point, a 1 by 3 AU elliptic orbit around the sun, a 1 AU drift orbit, and a 1 AU drift orbit at a 15 degree incline to the ecliptic plane. An appropriate optical communications system was determined for each orbit. Systems were evaluated in terms of mass, power consumption, size, and cost for each of the four proposed orbits.

A Universal Transition in Atmospheric Diffusion for Hot Subdwarfs Near 18,000 K

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, T. M.; Taylor, J. M.; Cassisi, S.; Sweigart, A. V.; Bellini, A.; Bedin, L. R.; Salaris, M.; Renzini, A.; Dalessandro, E.

2017-12-01

In the color–magnitude diagrams of globular clusters, when the locus of stars on the horizontal branch extends to hot temperatures, discontinuities are observed at colors corresponding to ∼12,000 and ∼18,000 K. The former is the “Grundahl jump” that is associated with the onset of radiative levitation in the atmospheres of hot subdwarfs. The latter is the “Momany jump” that has remained unexplained. Using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope, we have obtained ultraviolet and blue spectroscopy of six hot subdwarfs straddling the Momany jump in the massive globular cluster ω Cen. By comparison to model atmospheres and synthetic spectra, we find that the feature is due primarily to a decrease in atmospheric Fe for stars hotter than the feature, amplified by the temperature dependence of the Fe absorption at these effective temperatures. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with program GO-14759.

The NRC Research Associateship Program has Greatly Enhanced the Solar Research at Marshall Space Flight Center During the Last Quarter Century

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gary, G. A.

2003-01-01

Under the educational Resident Research Associateships (RRA) program, NASA Headquarters funds post-doctoral research scientists through a contract with the National Research Council (NRC). This short article reviews the important influence that the RRAs have had on solar research at NASA s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Through the RRA program the National Research Council under the National Academy of Sciences has provided the Marshall Space Flight Center s Solar Physics Group with 29 post-doctorial research associateships since 1975. This starting date corresponds with the increased research activity in solar physics at MSFC. A number of MSFC scientists had been working on and supporting NASA s Skylab Mission in operation from May 1973 until February 1974. This scientific effort included the development MSFC s X-ray telescope SO56 and the development of the United States first full-vector magnetograph. Numerous engineers and scientists at MSFC supported the development and operation of the cluster of solar telescopes on the Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM), a principal part of the Skylab orbiting workshop. With the enormous volume of new and exciting solar data of the solar corona, MSFC dedicated a group of scientists to analyze these data and develop new solar instruments and programs. With this new initiative, came the world- renowned solar prominence expert, Dr. Einar Tandberg-Hanssen, from the High Altitude Observatory in Boulder, Colorado and the support of the first two RRAs in support of solar physics research.

Scientist-Educator Partnerships: the Cornerstone of Astrophysics E/PO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meinke, Bonnie K.; Smith, Denise A.; Lawton, Brandon; Eisenhamer, Bonnie; Jirdeh, Hussein

2015-11-01

For nearly two decades, NASA has partnered scientists and educators by embedding Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) programs and funding in its science missions and research activities. This enables scientist and educators to work side-by-side in translating cutting-edge NASA science and technology for classrooms, museums, and public venues.The Office of Public Outreach at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) is uniquely poised to foster collaboration between scientists with content expertise and educators with pedagogy expertise. As home to both Hubble Space Telescope and the future James Webb Space Telescope, STScI leverages the expertise of its scientists to create partnerships with its collocated Education Team to translate cutting-edge NASA science into new and effective learning tools. In addition, STScI is home of the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Astrophysics Science E/PO Forum, which facilitates connections both within the SMD E/PO community and beyond to scientists and educators across all NASA Astrophysics missions. These collaborations strengthen partnerships, build best practices, and enhance coherence for NASA SMD-funded E/PO missions and programs.We will present examples of astronomers’ engagement in our E/PO efforts, such as NASA Science4Girls.

KSC-02pd0629

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-04-30

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the 2002 Space Congress, Cape Canaveral, Fla., Frank Ceppolina, project manager, Hubble Space Telescope Development Project, gives a presentation on "Hubble Discoveries." The Space Congress is held annually to highlight military and space initiatives, new technologies, and Florida's role in programs and research. This year's theme is Beginning a New Era - Initiatives in Space. NASA presented several paper sessions, including Advancements in Technology. Space Congress is sponsored by the Canaveral Council of Technical Societies

Active Refrigeration for Space Astrophysics Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wade, L.

1994-01-01

The use of cryogen dewars limits mission lifetime, increases sensor mass, and increases program engineering and launch costs on spacebased low-background, precision-pointing instruments, telescopes and interferometers.

Mothers of Invention: Hubble Engineers Push Robotic 'Evolution' to Save Telescope, Enable New Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morring, Frank, Jr.

2004-01-01

Robotic technology being developed out of necessity to keep the Hubble Space Telescope operating could also lead to new levels of man-machine team-work in deep-space exploration down the road-if it survives the near-term scramble for funding. Engineers here who have devoted their NASA careers to the concept of humans servicing the telescope in orbit are planning modifications to International Space Station (ISS) robots that would leave the humans on the ground. The work. forced by post-Columbia flight rules that killed a planned shuttle-servicing mission to Hubble, marks another step in the evolution of robot-partners for human space explorers. "Hubble has always been a pathfider for this agency," says Mike Weiss. Hubble deputy program manager technical. "When the space station was flown and assembled, Hubble was the pathfinder. not just for modularity, but for operations, for assembly techniques. Exploration is the next step. Things we're going to do on Hubble are going to be applied to exploration. It's not just putting a robot in space. It's operating a robot in space. It's adapting that robot to what needs to be done the next time you're up there."

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-03-01

The STS-109 crew of seven waved to onlookers as they emerged from the Operations and Checkout Buildings at Kennedy Space Flight Center eager to get to the launch pad to embark upon the Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia's 27th flight into space. Crew members included, from front to back, Duane G. Carey (left) and Scott D. Altman (right); Nancy J. Currie, mission specialist; John M. Grunsfield (left), payload commander, and Richard M. Linneham (right); James H. Newman (left) and Michael J. Massimino (right), all mission specialists. Launched March 1, 2002, the goal of the mission was the maintenance and upgrade of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The Marshall Space Flight Center had the responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the HST, which is the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made, to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit. By using Columbia's robotic arm, the telescope was captured and secured on a work stand in Columbia's payload bay where four members of the crew performed five spacewalks to complete system upgrades to the HST. Lasting 10 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes, the STS-109 mission was the 108th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

The Perkins Telescope in the 21st Century: An NSF PREST Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janes, K. A.; Buie, M. W.; Bosh, A. S.; Clemens, D. P.; Jackson, J. M.

2005-12-01

With the help of a grant under the NSF "Program for Research and Education with Small Telescopes (PREST)," Boston University and Lowell Observatory are engaged in a project to improve the performance of the 1.83-meter Perkins Telescope on Anderson Mesa near Flagstaff, Arizona. Our goal is to bring the Perkins Telescope into the 21st century, to create effective resources in support of the scientific and educational missions of our two institutions and the larger community. Over the past several years we have re-instrumented the telescope; two facility-class instruments, Mimir, a wide-field infrared imager, polarimeter and spectrometer and PRISM, an optical counterpart, are now in operation at the Perkins Telescope. The new instrumentation at the Perkins will give our partnership and visiting observers access to an important niche in "observation space" not readily available elsewhere. Wide-field polarimetry and imaging and multi-object low-resolution spectroscopy are now possible across the spectrum from the near uv to the thermal IR. We are well-placed for surveys and synoptic studies, ranging from monitoring polarization variations in blazars to mapping the galactic magnetic field to tracking Kuiper-belt objects. Our PREST project includes four components: Thermal management to improve the seeing at the telescope, upgrades to the instrumentation, productivity enhancements to the facility, and integration of the Boston University access to the telescope into our graduate and undergraduate educational programs. In the first year of the PREST grant we have set up a visitor program (see www.lowell.edu/VisitingObservers/), established a graduate-student-in-residence program, installed fans and ductwork around the telescope and dome to improve seeing, and completed a student-led project to construct an innovative grism for optical spectroscopy based on a volume-phase holographic grating.

NRAO Scientists on Team Receiving International Astronautics Award

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2005-10-01

The International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) is presenting an award to a pioneering team of scientists and engineers who combined an orbiting radio-astronomy satellite with ground-based radio telescopes around the world to produce a "virtual telescope" nearly three times the size of the Earth. The team, which includes two scientists from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), will receive the award in a ceremony Sunday, October 16, in Fukuoka, Japan. VSOP Satellite and Ground Telescopes Artist's conception of HALCA satellite and ground observatories together making "virtual telescope" (blue) about three times the size of Earth. CREDIT: ISAS, JAXA (Click on image for larger version) The IAA chose the VLBI Space Observatory Program (VSOP), an international collaboration, to receive its 2005 Laurels for Team Achievement Award, which recognizes "extraordinary performance and achievement by a team of scientists, engineers and managers in the field of Astronautics to foster its peaceful and international use." VSOP team members named in the IAA award include NRAO astronomers Edward Fomalont, of Charlottesville, Virginia, and Jonathan Romney, of Socorro, New Mexico. "This is a well-deserved award for an international team whose hard work produced a scientific milestone that yielded impressive results and provides a foundation for more advances in the future," said Dr. Fred K.Y Lo, NRAO Director. The VSOP program used a Japanese satellite, HALCA (Highly Advanced Laboratory for Communications and Astronomy), that included an 8-meter (26-foot) radio telescope. HALCA was launched in 1997 and made astronomical observations in conjunction with ground-based radio telescopes from 14 countries. Five tracking stations, including one at NRAO's Green Bank, West Virginia, facility, received data from HALCA which later was combined with data from the ground-based telescopes to produce images more detailed than those that could have been made by ground-based systems alone. The NRAO's Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), a continent-wide system of radio telescopes ranging from Hawaii to the Caribbean, was one of the principal ground-based networks working with HALCA. The VLBA's powerful special-purpose computer, called a correlator, was a prime workhorse for processing the data from VSOP astronomical observations. Very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) is a technique used by radio astronomers to electronically link widely separated radio telescopes together so they work as if they were a single instrument with extraordinarily sharp "vision," or resolving power. The wider the distance, or "baselines" between telescopes, the greater the resolving power. The IAA award citation notes that the VSOP team "realized the long-held dream of radio astronomers to extend those baselines into space, by observing celestial radio sources with the HALCA satellite, supported by a dedicated network of tracking stations, and arrays of ground radio telescopes from around the world." The VSOP team was able to approximately triple the resolving power available with only ground-based telescopes. The first experiment in such space-ground observation was made in 1986, using a NASA Tracking and Data Relay Satellite. The VSOP project grew as an international effort after that experiment, and provided observing time to astronomers from around the world. During the VSOP observational program, the combined space-ground system made more than 780 individual astronomical observations and also made an all-sky survey of the cores of active galaxies. The VLBA The VLBA CREDIT: NRAO/AUI/NSF In addition to providing large amounts of observing time on the VLBA and building and operating the Green Bank tracking station, NRAO staff also modified existing hardware and software and aided astronomers from around the world in analyzing VSOP data. On behalf of the entire VSOP Team, the IAA highlighted "the astronomers and engineers who made key contributions to realizing, and operating, a radio telescope bigger than the Earth." In addition to Fomalont and Romney, they are: Hisashi Hirabayashi, of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (ISAS/JAXA), Haruto Hirosawa (ISAS/JAXA), Peter Dewdney of Canada's Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory, Leonid Gurvits of the Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE, The Netherlands), Makoto Inoue of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), David Jauncey of the Australia Telescope National Facility, Noriyuki Kawaguchi (NAOJ), Hideyuki Kobayashi (NAOJ), Kazuo Miyoshi (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Japan), Yasuhiro Murata (ISAS/JAXA), Takeshi Orii (NEC, Japan) Robert Preston of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and Joel Smith (JPL). The International Academy of Astronautics was founded in August 1960 in Stockholm, Sweden, during the 11th International Astronautical Congress. The Academy aims to foster the development of astronautics for peaceful purposes; recognize individuals who have distinguished themselves in a related branch of science or technology; provide a program through which members may contribute to international endeavours; cooperation in the advancement of aerospace science. Previous recipients of the Laurels for Team Achievement Award are the Russian Mir Space Station Team (2001), the U.S. Space Shuttle Team (2002), the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) Team (2003), and the Hubble Space Telescope Team (2004). The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation, operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

2001-08-01

This is the insignia of the STS-109 Space Shuttle mission. Carrying a crew of seven, the Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia was launched with goals of maintenance and upgrades to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The Marshall Space Flight Center had the responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the HST, which is the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made, to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit. The HST detects objects 25 times fainter than the dimmest objects seen from Earth and provides astronomers with an observable universe 250 times larger than is visible from ground-based telescopes, perhaps as far away as 14 billion light-years. The HST views galaxies, stars, planets, comets, possibly other solar systems, and even unusual phenomena such as quasars, with 10 times the clarity of ground-based telescopes. During the STS-109 mission, the telescope was captured and secured on a work stand in Columbia's payload bay using Columbia's robotic arm where four members of the crew performed five spacewalks completing system upgrades to the HST. Included in those upgrades were: The replacement of the solar array panels; replacement of the power control unit (PCU); replacement of the Faint Object Camera (FOC) with a new advanced camera for Surveys (ACS); and installation of the experimental cooling system for the Hubble's Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-object Spectrometer (NICMOS), which had been dormant since January 1999 when it original coolant ran out. Lasting 10 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes, the STS-109 mission was the 27th flight of the Orbiter Columbia and the 108th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-03-05

Astronaut James H. Newman, mission specialist, floats about in the Space Shuttle Columbia's cargo bay while working in tandem with astronaut Michael J. Massimino (out of frame),mission specialist, during the STS-109 mission's second day of extravehicular activity (EVA). Inside Columbia's cabin, astronaut Nancy J. Currie, mission specialist, controlled the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) to assist the two in their work on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The RMS was used to capture the telescope and secure it into Columbia's cargo bay.Part of the giant telescope's base, latched down in the payload bay, can be seen behind Newman. The Space Shuttle Columbia STS-109 mission lifted off March 1, 2002 with goals of repairing and upgrading the HST. The Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama had responsibility for the design, development, and contruction of the HST, which is the most powerful and sophisticated telescope ever built. STS-109 upgrades to the HST included: replacement of the solar array panels; replacement of the power control unit (PCU); replacement of the Faint Object Camera (FOC) with a new advanced camera for Surveys (ACS); and installation of the experimental cooling system for the Hubble's Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-object Spectrometer (NICMOS), which had been dormant since January 1999 when its original coolant ran out. Lasting 10 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes, the STS-109 mission was the 108th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

Scientific and Technical Development of the Next Generation Space Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burg, Richard

2003-01-01

The Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) is part of the Origins program and is the key mission to discover the origins of galaxies in the Universe. It is essential that scientific requirements be translated into technical specifications at the beginning of the program and that there is technical participation by astronomers in the design and modeling of the observatory. During the active time period of this grant, the PI participated in the NGST program at GSFC by participating in the development of the Design Reference Mission, the development of the full end-to-end model of the observatory, the design trade-off based on the modeling, the Science Instrument Module definition and modeling, the study of proto-mission and test-bed development, and by participating in meetings including quarterly reviews and support of the NGST SWG. This work was documented in a series of NGST Monographs that are available on the NGST web site.

Last results of technological developments for ultra-lightweight, large aperture, deployable mirror for space telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gambicorti, Lisa; D'Amato, Francesco; Vettore, Christian; Duò, Fabrizio; Guercia, Alessio; Patauner, Christian; Biasi, Roberto; Lisi, Franco; Riccardi, Armando; Gallieni, Daniele; Lazzarini, Paolo; Tintori, Matteo; Zuccaro Marchi, Alessandro; Pereira do Carmo, Joao

2017-11-01

The aim of this work is to describe the latest results of new technological concepts for Large Aperture Telescopes Technology (LATT) using thin deployable lightweight active mirrors. This technology is developed under the European Space Agency (ESA) Technology Research Program and can be exploited in all the applications based on the use of primary mirrors of space telescopes with large aperture, segmented lightweight telescopes with wide Field of View (FOV) and low f/#, and LIDAR telescopes. The reference mission application is a potential future ESA mission, related to a space borne DIAL (Differential Absorption Lidar) instrument operating around 935.5 nm with the goal to measure water vapor profiles in atmosphere. An Optical BreadBoard (OBB) for LATT has been designed for investigating and testing two critical aspects of the technology: 1) control accuracy in the mirror surface shaping. 2) mirror survivability to launch. The aim is to evaluate the effective performances of the long stroke smart-actuators used for the mirror control and to demonstrate the effectiveness and the reliability of the electrostatic locking (EL) system to restraint the thin shell on the mirror backup structure during launch. The paper presents a comprehensive vision of the breadboard focusing on how the requirements have driven the design of the whole system and of the various subsystems. The manufacturing process of the thin shell is also presented.

System of Programmed Modules for Measuring Photographs with a Gamma-Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Averin, S. A.; Veselova, G. V.; Navasardyan, G. V.

1978-01-01

Physical experiments using tracking cameras resulted in hundreds of thousands of stereo photographs of events being received. To process such a large volume of information, automatic and semiautomatic measuring systems are required. At the Institute of Space Research of the Academy of Science of the USSR, a system for processing film information from the spark gamma-telescope was developed. The system is based on a BPS-75 projector in line with the minicomputer Elektronika 1001. The report describes this system. The various computer programs available to the operators are discussed.

Space optics; Proceedings of the Seminar, Huntsville, Ala., May 22-24, 1979

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wyman, C. L.

1979-01-01

The seminar focused on infrared systems, the space telescope, new design for space astronomy, future earth resources systems, and planetary systems. Papers were presented on infrared astronomy satellite, infrared telescope on Spacelab 2, design alternatives for the Shuttle Infrared Telescope Facility, Spacelab 2 infrared telescope cryogenic system, geometrical theory of diffraction and telescope stray-light analysis, Space Telescope scientific instruments, faint-object spectrograph for the Space Telescope, light scattering from multilayer optics, bidirectional reflectance distribution function measurements of stray light suppression coatings for the Space Telescope, optical fabrication of a 60-in. mirror, interferogram analysis for space optics, nuclear-pumped lasers for space application, geophysical fluid flow experiment, coherent rays for optical astronomy in space, optical system with fiber-optical elements, and Pioneer-Venus solar flux radiometer.

Hubble Space Telescope

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

The Hubble Space Telescope in a picture snapped by a Servicing Mission 4 crewmember just after the Space Shuttle Atlantis captured Hubble with its robotic arm on May 13, 2009, beginning the mission to upgrade and repair the telescope. The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute conducts Hubble science operations. Goddard is responsible for HST project management, including mission and science operations, servicing missions, and all associated development activities. To learn more about the Hubble Space Telescope go here: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/main/index.html

Development of the focal plane PNCCD camera system for the X-ray space telescope eROSITA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meidinger, Norbert; Andritschke, Robert; Ebermayer, Stefanie; Elbs, Johannes; Hälker, Olaf; Hartmann, Robert; Herrmann, Sven; Kimmel, Nils; Schächner, Gabriele; Schopper, Florian; Soltau, Heike; Strüder, Lothar; Weidenspointner, Georg

2010-12-01

A so-called PNCCD, a special type of CCD, was developed twenty years ago as focal plane detector for the XMM-Newton X-ray astronomy mission of the European Space Agency ESA. Based on this detector concept and taking into account the experience of almost ten years of operation in space, a new X-ray CCD type was designed by the ‘MPI semiconductor laboratory’ for an upcoming X-ray space telescope, called eROSITA (extended Roentgen survey with an imaging telescope array). This space telescope will be equipped with seven X-ray mirror systems of Wolter-I type and seven CCD cameras, placed in their foci. The instrumentation permits the exploration of the X-ray universe in the energy band from 0.3 up to 10 keV by spectroscopic measurements with a time resolution of 50 ms for a full image comprising 384×384 pixels. Main scientific goals are an all-sky survey and investigation of the mysterious ‘Dark Energy’. The eROSITA space telescope, which is developed under the responsibility of the ‘Max-Planck-Institute for extraterrestrial physics’, is a scientific payload on the new Russian satellite ‘Spectrum-Roentgen-Gamma’ (SRG). The mission is already approved by the responsible Russian and German space agencies. After launch in 2012 the destination of the satellite is Lagrange point L2. The planned observational program takes about seven years. We describe the design of the eROSITA camera system and present important test results achieved recently with the eROSITA prototype PNCCD detector. This includes a comparison of the eROSITA detector with the XMM-Newton detector.

Assembly of NASA's Most Powerful X-Ray Telescope Completed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1998-03-01

Assembly of the world's most powerful X-ray telescope, NASA's Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility, was completed last week with the installation of its power-generating twin solar panels. The observatory is scheduled for launch aboard Space Shuttle mission STS-93, in December 1998. The last major components of the observatory were bolted and pinned into place March 4 at TRW Space & Electronics Group in Redondo Beach, Calif., and pre-launch testing of the fully assembled observatory began March 7. "Completion of the observatory's assembly process is a big step forward toward launch scheduled for the end of this year," said Fred Wojtalik, manager of the Observatory Projects Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. "With all the major components in place, we are now concentrating on a thorough pre-launch checkout of the observatory." "We're delighted to reach this major milestone for the program," said Craig Staresinich, TRW's Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility program manager. "The entire observatory team has worked hard to get to this point and will continue an exhaustive test program to ensure mission success. We're looking forward to delivering a truly magnificent new space capability to NASA later this summer." The first pre-launch test of the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility was an acoustic test, which simulated the sound pressure environment inside the Space Shuttle cargo bay during launch. A thorough electrical checkout before and after the acoustic test verifies that the observatory and its science instruments can withstand the extreme sound levels and vibrations that accompany launch. "With 10 times the resolution and 50-100 times the sensitivity of any previous X-ray telescope, this observatory will provide us with a new perspective of our universe," said the project's chief scientist, Dr. Martin Weisskopf of Marshall Center. "We'll be able to study sources of X-rays throughout the universe, like colliding galaxies and black holes, many of which are invisible to us now. We may even see the processes that create the elements found here on Earth." Assembly of the observatory began in 1997 with the arrival of the high resolution mirror assembly at TRW Space and Electronics Group. In August 1997, the telescope's optical bench was mated with the mirrors, followed by integration of the telescope with the spacecraft in October. In February 1998, the observatory's science instrument module was mated to the top of the telescope. The complete observatory is 45 feet long, has a solar array wing span 64 feet wide, and weighs more than 5 tons. Using glass purchased from Schott Glaswerke, Mainz, Germany, the telescope's mirrors were built by Raytheon Optical Systems Inc., Danbury, Conn. The mirrors were coated by Optical Coating Laboratory Inc., Santa Rosa, Calif.; and assembled by Eastman-Kodak Co., Rochester, N.Y. The observatory's charged coupled device imaging spectrometer was developed by Pennsylvania State University at University Park, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), at Cambridge. One diffraction grating was developed by MIT, the other by the Space Research Organization Netherlands, Utrecht, in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute, Garching, Germany. The high resolution camera instrument was built by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation of Boulder, Colo., developed the science instrument module. The Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility program is managed by the Marshall Center for the Office of Space Science, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Mass., will operate the observatory for NASA. NOTE TO EDITORS: A photo of the integrated telescope is available via the World Wide Web at URL: http://chandra.harvard.edu/press/images.html Prepared by John Bryk

Simulating Scenes In Outer Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Callahan, John D.

1989-01-01

Multimission Interactive Picture Planner, MIP, computer program for scientifically accurate and fast, three-dimensional animation of scenes in deep space. Versatile, reasonably comprehensive, and portable, and runs on microcomputers. New techniques developed to perform rapidly calculations and transformations necessary to animate scenes in scientifically accurate three-dimensional space. Written in FORTRAN 77 code. Primarily designed to handle Voyager, Galileo, and Space Telescope. Adapted to handle other missions.

A Search for Optically Faint GEO Debris

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-01

M. Lederer NASA Orbital Debris Program Office, Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX Edwin S. Barker LZ Technology, Inc., Houston, TX Heather...fainter optical limits requires use of larger telescopes. Detectors on all small GEO survey instruments are usually CCDs, with peak quantum...CCDs. There are small gaps between the individual CCDs in the detector mosaic. The telescope can track at non-sidereal rates, allowing tracking

Program maintenance manual for nickel cadmium battery expert system, version 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1986-01-01

The Nickel-Cadmium Battery Expert System (NICBES) is an expert system for fault diagnosis and advice of the nickel-cadmium batteries found in the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The system application and security, equipment environment, and the program maintenance procedures are examined.

Origins Space Telescope: Science Case and Design Reference Mission for Concept 1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meixner, Margaret; Cooray, Asantha; Pope, Alexandra; Armus, Lee; Vieira, Joaquin Daniel; Milam, Stefanie N.; Melnick, Gary; Leisawitz, David; Staguhn, Johannes G.; Bergin, Edwin; Origins Space Telescope Science and Technology Definition Team

2018-01-01

The Origins Space Telescope (OST) is the mission concept for the Far-Infrared Surveyor, one of the four science and technology definition studies of NASA Headquarters for the 2020 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal survey. The science case for OST covers four themes: Tracing the Signature of Life and the Ingredients of Habitable Worlds; Charting the Rise of Metals, Dust and the First Galaxies, Unraveling the Co-evolution of Black Holes and Galaxies and Understanding Our Solar System in the Context of Planetary System Formation. Using a set of proposed observing programs from the community, we estimate a design reference mission for OST mission concept 1. The mission will complete significant programs in these four themes and have time for other programs from the community. Origins will enable flagship-quality general observing programs led by the astronomical community in the 2030s. We welcome you to contact the Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) with your science needs and ideas by emailing us at ost_info@lists.ipac.caltech.edu.

HST Peer Review, Where We've Been, Where We Are Now and Possibly Where the Future Lies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blacker, Brett S.; Macchetto, Duccio; Meylan, Georges; Stanghellini, Letizia; van der Marel, Roeland P.

2002-12-01

In some eyes, the Phase I proposal selection process is the most important activity handled by the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI). Proposing for HST and other missions consists of requesting observing time and/or archival research funding. This step is called Phase I, where the scientific merit of a proposal is considered by a community based peer-review process. Accepted proposals then proceed thru Phase II, where the observations are specified in sufficient detail to enable scheduling on the telescope. Each cycle the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Telescope Allocation Committee (TAC) reviews proposals and awards observing time that is valued at $0.5B, when the total expenditures for HST over its lifetime are figured on an annual basis. This is in fact a very important endeavor that we continue to fine-tune and tweak. This process is open to the science community and we constantly receive comments and praise for this process. Several cycles ago we instituted several significant changes to the process to address concerns such as: Fewer, broader panels, with redundancy to avoid conflicts of interest; Redefinition of the TAC role, to focus on Larger programs; and incentives for the panels to award time to medium sized proposals. In the last cycle, we offered new initiatives to try to enhance the scientific output of the telescope. Some of these initiatives were: Hubble Treasury Program; AR Legacy Program; and the AR Theory Program. This paper will outline the current HST Peer review process. We will discuss why we made changes and how we made changes from our original system. We will also discuss some ideas as to where we may go in the future to generate a stronger science program for HST and to reduce the burden on the science community. This paper is an update of the status of the HST Peer Review Process that was described in the published paper "Evolution of the HST Proposal Selection Process".

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1970-01-01

This 1970 photograph shows the Skylab's Ultraviolet (UV) Spectrograph, an Apollo Telescope Mount instrument. Its telescope, with camera and TV capability, photographed the Sun in selected ultraviolet wavelengths. The spectrograph was used to record the spectrum of UV emissions, such as flares or filaments, from a small individual feature on the solar disc. Real-time TV was used by the crew to monitor the performance of the telescope, transmit to the ground, and record. The exposed films were retrieved by astronaut extravehicular activities. The Marshall Space Flight Center had program management responsibility for the development of the Skylab hardware and experiments.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1973-01-01

This 1973 chart details Skylab's Ultraviolet (UV) Spectrograph, an Apollo Telescope Mount instrument. Its telescope, with camera and TV capability, photographed the Sun in selected ultraviolet wavelengths. The spectrograph was used to record the spectrum of UV emissions, such as flares or filaments, from a small individual feature on the solar disc. Real-time TV was used by the crew to monitor performance of the telescope, transmit to the ground and record. The exposed films were retrieved by astronaut extravehicular activities. The Marshall Space Flight Center had program management responsibility for the development of the Skylab hardware and experiments.

Manufacturing and control of the aspherical mirrors for the telescope of the satellite Pleiades

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ducollet, Hélène; du Jeu, Christian; Fermé, Jean-Jacques

2017-11-01

For the Pleiades space program, SESO has been awarded the contract (fully completed), for the manufacturing of the whole set of telescope mirrors (4 mirrors, 2 flight models). These works did also include the mechanical design, manufacturing and mounting of the attachment flexures between the mirrors and the telescope main structure. This presentation is focused on the different steps of lightweighting, polishing, integration and control of these mirrors as well as a presentation of the existing SESO facilities and capabilities to produce such kind of aspherical components/sub-assemblies.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1970-09-01

This 1970 photograph shows Skylab's Dual X-Ray Telescopes, an Apollo Telescope Mount facility. It was designed to gather solar radiation data in the x-ray region of the solar spectrum and provide information on physical processes within the solar atmosphere. In support of the two primary telescopes, auxiliary instruments provided a continuous record of the total x-ray flux in two bands. A flare detector was also provided at the control console as an aid to astronauts for monitoring solar activity. The Marshall Space Flight Center had program management responsibility for the development of Skylab hardware and experiments.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1973-01-01

This chart details Skylab's Dual X-Ray Telescopes, one of eight Apollo Telescope Mount facilities. It was designed to gather solar radiation data in the x-ray region of the solar spectrum and provide information on physical processes within the solar atmosphere. In support of the two primary telescopes, auxiliary instruments provided a continuous record of the total x-ray flux in two bands. A flare detector was also provided at the control console as an aid to astronauts for monitoring solar activity. The Marshall Space Flight Center had program management responsibility for the development of Skylab hardware and experiments.

Contamination Control Considerations for the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wooldridge, Eve M.

1998-01-01

The NASA Space Science Program, in its ongoing mission to study the universe, has begun planning for a telescope that will carry on the Hubble Space Telescope's exploration. This telescope, the 'Next Generation Space Telescope' (NGST), will be 6-8 meters in diameter, will be radiatively cooled to 30-60 Kelvin in order to enable extremely deep exposures at near infrared wavelengths, and will operate for a lifetime of 5-10 years. The requirement will be to measure wavelengths from 1-5 microns, with a goal to measure wavelengths from 0.6-30 microns. As such, NGST will present a new contamination control challenge. The Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) performed one of three preliminary feasibility studies for the NGST, presenting a telescope with an 8 meter, deployable primary mirror and a deployable secondary mirror. The telescope would be radiatively cooled, with the optical telescope assembly (OTA) and the science instrument module (SIM) isolated from the warmer spacecraft support module (SSM). The OTA and the SIM would also be shielded from sunlight with an enormous, inflatable sun-shield. The GSFC telescope was designed for launch on an Atlas HAS, which would require launching the telescope in a stowed configuration, with the SSM, antennae, sun-shield, primary mirror 'petals', and secondary mirror deployed once on-orbit. The launch configuration and deployment scenario of an exposed telescope measuring near infrared and cooled to 30-60 K are the factors presenting contamination hazards to the NGST mission. Preliminary science requirements established are: less than 20% reflectance decrease on optical surfaces over the wavelength range, and less than 0.3% obscuration of optical surfaces. In order to meet these requirements, NGST must be built and launched with careful attention to contamination control. Initial contamination control design options include strict selecting of materials and baking out of hardware down to the component level, minimizing or eliminating exposure of the OTA to sunlight or earth albedo during deployment and early on-orbit operations, cleaning of the primary and secondary mirrors at the launch site, cleaning of the launch vehicle fairing, locating thrusters and vents on the warm side of the sun shield only, and the possibility of including a deployable cover if that is shown to be necessary.

KSC-02pd0626

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-04-30

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the 2002 Space Congress, Cape Canaveral, Fla., attendees listen to a presentation on "Hubble Discoveries" by Frank Ceppolina, project manager, Hubble Space Telescope Development Project. The Space Congress is held annually to highlight military and space initiatives, new technologies, and Florida's role in programs and research. This year's theme is Beginning a New Era - Initiatives in Space. NASA presented several paper sessions, including Advancements in Technology. Space Congress is sponsored by the Canaveral Council of Technical Societies

Diffraction-limited imaging with very large telescopes; Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute, Cargese, France, Sept. 13-23, 1988

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alloin, D. M.; Mariotti, J.-M.

Recent advances in optics and observation techniques for very large astronomical telescopes are discussed in reviews and reports. Topics addressed include Fourier optics and coherence, optical propagation and image formation through a turbulent atmosphere, radio telescopes, continuously deformable telescopes for optical interferometry (I), amplitude estimation from speckle I, noise calibration of speckle imagery, and amplitude estimation from diluted-array I. Consideration is given to first-order imaging methods, speckle imaging with the PAPA detector and the Knox-Thompson algorithm, phase-closure imaging, real-time wavefront sensing and adaptive optics, differential I, astrophysical programs for high-angular-resolution optical I, cophasing telescope arrays, aperture synthesis for space observatories, and lunar occultations for marcsec resolution.

Space Shuttle Strategic Planning Status

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Henderson, Edward M.; Norbraten, Gordon L.

2006-01-01

The Space Shuttle Program is aggressively planning the Space Shuttle manifest for assembling the International Space Station and servicing the Hubble Space Telescope. Implementing this flight manifest while concurrently transitioning to the Exploration architecture creates formidable challenges; the most notable of which is retaining critical skills within the Shuttle Program workforce. The Program must define a strategy that will allow safe and efficient fly-out of the Shuttle, while smoothly transitioning Shuttle assets (both human and facility) to support early flight demonstrations required in the development of NASA s Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) and Crew and Cargo Launch Vehicles (CLV). The Program must accomplish all of this while maintaining the current level of resources. Therefore, it will be necessary to initiate major changes in operations and contracting. Overcoming these challenges will be essential for NASA to fly the Shuttle safely, accomplish the President s "Vision for Space Exploration," and ultimately meet the national goal of maintaining a robust space program. This paper will address the Space Shuttle Program s strategy and its current status in meeting these challenges.

Space Shuttle Strategic Planning Status

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Norbraten, Gordon L.; Henderson, Edward M.

2007-01-01

The Space Shuttle Program is aggressively flying the Space Shuttle manifest for assembling the International Space Station and servicing the Hubble Space Telescope. Completing this flight manifest while concurrently transitioning to the Exploration architecture creates formidable challenges; the most notable of which is retaining critical skills within the Shuttle Program workforce. The Program must define a strategy that will allow safe and efficient fly-out of the Shuttle, while smoothly transitioning Shuttle assets (both human and facility) to support early flight demonstrations required in the development of NASA's Crew Exploration Vehicle (Orion) and Crew and Cargo Launch Vehicles (Ares I). The Program must accomplish all of this while maintaining the current level of resources. Therefore, it will be necessary to initiate major changes in operations and contracting. Overcoming these challenges will be essential for NASA to fly the Shuttle safely, accomplish the Vision for Space Exploration, and ultimately meet the national goal of maintaining a robust space program. This paper will address the Space Shuttle Program s strategy and its current status in meeting these challenges.

Cryogenic mirror analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nagy, S.

1988-01-01

Due to extraordinary distances scanned by modern telescopes, optical surfaces in such telescopes must be manufactured to unimaginable standards of perfection of a few thousandths of a centimeter. The detection of imperfections of less than 1/20 of a wavelength of light, for application in the building of the mirror for the Space Infrared Telescope Facility, was undertaken. Because the mirror must be kept very cold while in space, another factor comes into effect: cryogenics. The process to test a specific morror under cryogenic conditions is described; including the follow-up analysis accomplished through computer work. To better illustrate the process and analysis, a Pyrex Hex-Core mirror is followed through the process from the laser interferometry in the lab, to computer analysis via a computer program called FRINGE. This analysis via FRINGE is detailed.

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-03-03

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST), with its normal routine temporarily interrupted, is about to be captured by the Space Shuttle Columbia prior to a week of servicing and upgrading by the STS-109 crew. The telescope was captured by the shuttle's Remote Manipulator System (RMS) robotic arm and secured on a work stand in Columbia's payload bay where 4 of the 7-member crew performed 5 space walks completing system upgrades to the HST. Included in those upgrades were: The replacement of the solar array panels; replacement of the power control unit (PCU); replacement of the Faint Object Camera (FOC) with a new advanced camera for Surveys (ACS); and installation of the experimental cooling system for the Hubble's Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-object Spectrometer (NICMOS), which had been dormant since January 1999 when its original coolant ran out. The Marshall Space Flight Center had the responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the the HST, which is the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made, to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit. Launched March 1, 2002, the STS-109 HST servicing mission lasted 10 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes. It was the 108th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-03-05

STS-109 Astronauts Michael J. Massimino and James H. Newman were making their second extravehicular activity (EVA) of their mission when astronaut Massimino, mission specialist, peered into Columbia's crew cabin during a brief break from work on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The HST is latched down just a few feet behind him in Columbia's cargo bay. The Space Shuttle Columbia STS-109 mission lifted off March 1, 2002 with goals of repairing and upgrading the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). STS-109 upgrades to the HST included: replacement of the solar array panels; replacement of the power control unit (PCU); replacement of the Faint Object Camera (FOC) with a new advanced camera for Surveys (ACS); and installation of the experimental cooling system for the Hubble's Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-object Spectrometer (NICMOS), which had been dormant since January 1999 when its original coolant ran out. The Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama had the responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the HST, which is the most powerful and sophisticated telescope ever built. Lasting 10 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes, the STS-109 mission was the 108th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

Modernization of NASA's Johnson Space Center Chamber: A Liquid Nitrogen System to Support Cryogenic Vacuum Optical Testing of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garcia, Sammy; Homan, Jonathan; Montz, Michael

2016-01-01

NASA is the mission lead for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the next of the “Great Observatories”, scheduled for launch in 2018. It is directly responsible for the integration and test (I&T) program that will culminate in an end-to-end cryo vacuum optical test of the flight telescope and instrument module in Chamber A at NASA Johnson Space Center. Historic Chamber A is the largest thermal vacuum chamber at Johnson Space Center and one of the largest space simulation chambers in the world. Chamber A has undergone a major modernization effort to support the deep cryogenic, vacuum and cleanliness requirements for testing the JWST. This paper describes the steps performed in efforts to convert the existing the 60’s era Liquid Nitrogen System from a forced flow (pumped) process to a natural circulation (thermo-siphon) process. In addition, the paper will describe the dramatic conservation of liquid nitrogen to support the long duration thermal vacuum testing. Lastly, describe the simplistic and effective control system which results in zero to minimal human inputs during steady state conditions.

Cosmic Origins (COR) Technology Development Program Overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Werneth, Russell; Pham, B.; Clampin, M.

2014-01-01

The Cosmic Origins (COR) Program Office was established in FY11 and resides at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). The office serves as the implementation arm for the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters for COR Program related matters. We present an overview of the Program’s technology management activities and the Program’s technology development portfolio. We discuss the process for addressing community-provided technology needs and the Technology Management Board (TMB)-vetted prioritization and investment recommendations. This process improves the transparency and relevance of technology investments, provides the community a voice in the process, and leverages the technology investments of external organizations by defining a need and a customer. Goals for the COR Program envisioned by the National Research Council’s (NRC) “New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics” (NWNH) Decadal Survey report includes a 4m-class UV/optical telescope that would conduct imaging and spectroscopy as a post-Hubble observatory with significantly improved sensitivity and capability, a near-term investigation of NASA participation in the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency/Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (JAXA/ISAS) Space Infrared Telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics (SPICA) mission, and future Explorers.

HST PanCET Program: A Cloudy Atmosphere for the Promising JWST Target WASP-101b

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wakeford, H. R.; Mandell, A.; Stevenson, K. B.

We present results from the first observations of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Panchromatic Comparative Exoplanet Treasury program for WASP-101b, a highly inflated hot Jupiter and one of the community targets proposed for the James Webb Space Telescope ( JWST ) Early Release Science (ERS) program. From a single HST Wide Field Camera 3 observation, we find that the near-infrared transmission spectrum of WASP-101b contains no significant H{sub 2}O absorption features and we rule out a clear atmosphere at 13 σ . Therefore, WASP-101b is not an optimum target for a JWST ERS program aimed at observing strong molecular transmissionmore » features. We compare WASP-101b to the well-studied and nearly identical hot Jupiter WASP-31b. These twin planets show similar temperature–pressure profiles and atmospheric features in the near-infrared. We suggest exoplanets in the same parameter space as WASP-101b and WASP-31b will also exhibit cloudy transmission spectral features. For future HST exoplanet studies, our analysis also suggests that a lower count limit needs to be exceeded per pixel on the detector in order to avoid unwanted instrumental systematics.« less

Detection of Optically Faint GEO Debris

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seitzer, P.; Lederer, S.; Barker, E.; Cowardin, H.; Abercromby, K.; Silha, J.; Burkhardt, A.

2014-01-01

There have been extensive optical surveys for debris at geosynchronous orbit (GEO) conducted with meter-class telescopes, such as those conducted with MODEST (the Michigan Orbital DEbris Survey Telescope, a 0.6-m telescope located at Cerro Tololo in Chile), and the European Space Agency's 1.0-m space debris telescope (SDT) in the Canary Islands. These surveys have detection limits in the range of 18th or 19th magnitude, which corresponds to sizes larger than 10 cm assuming an albedo of 0.175. All of these surveys reveal a substantial population of objects fainter than R = 15th magnitude that are not in the public U.S. Satellite Catalog. To detect objects fainter than 20th magnitude (and presumably smaller than 10 cm) in the visible requires a larger telescope and excellent imaging conditions. This combination is available in Chile. NASA's Orbital Debris Program Office has begun collecting orbital debris observations with the 6.5-m (21.3-ft diameter) "Walter Baade" Magellan telescope at Las Campanas Observatory. The goal is to detect objects as faint as possible from a ground-based observatory and begin to understand the brightness distribution of GEO debris fainter than R = 20th magnitude.

Observatory Improvements for SOFIA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peralta, Robert A.; Jensen, Stephen C.

2012-01-01

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a joint project between NASA and Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), the German Space Agency. SOFIA is based in a Boeing 747 SP and flown in the stratosphere to observe infrared wavelengths unobservable from the ground. In 2007 Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) inherited and began work on improving the plane and its telescope. The improvements continue today with upgrading the plane and improving the telescope. The Observatory Verification and Validation (V&V) process is to ensure that the observatory is where the program says it is. The Telescope Status Display (TSD) will provide any information from the on board network to monitors that will display the requested information. In order to assess risks to the program, one must work through the various threats associate with that risk. Once all the risks are closed the program can work towards improving the observatory.

The Image of the Month

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salgado, J. F.; Bernstein, G.

1999-09-01

The Image of the Month program (IOTM) is intended to help secondary school educators enhance their curricula by offering eye-catching pictures from the forefront of astronomical research, along with explanations aimed at those students. The pictures on the monthly bulletins are usually taken by University of Michigan (UM) astronomers, using telescopes from all over the world, from Dexter, Michigan to the Chilean Andes---or orbiting telescopes, such as the Hubble Space Telescope. We try to convey not only the scientific interest of each image, but also a sense of what it is like to be a practicing scientist. The program was created by the faculty of the Department of Astronomy at UM after consultation with secondary school science educators. This year over 700 teachers subscribed to the program, which continues to be funded by the National Science Foundation so that it is free of charge to teachers and schools.

Origins Space Telescope: Telescope Design and Instrument Specifications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meixner, Margaret; Carter, Ruth; Leisawitz, David; Dipirro, Mike; Flores, Anel; Staguhn, Johannes; Kellog, James; Roellig, Thomas L.; Melnick, Gary J.; Bradford, Charles; Wright, Edward L.; Zmuidzinas, Jonas; Origins Space Telescope Study Team

2017-01-01

The Origins Space Telescope (OST) is the mission concept for the Far-Infrared Surveyor, one of the four science and technology definition studies of NASA Headquarters for the 2020 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal survey. The renaming of the mission reflects Origins science goals that will discover and characterize the most distant galaxies, nearby galaxies and the Milky Way, exoplanets, and the outer reaches of our Solar system. This poster will show the preliminary telescope design that will be a large aperture (>8 m in diameter), cryogenically cooled telescope. We will also present the specifications for the spectrographs and imagers over a potential wavelength range of ~10 microns to 1 millimeter. We look forward to community input into this mission definition over the coming year as we work on the concept design for the mission. Origins will enable flagship-quality general observing programs led by the astronomical community in the 2030s. We welcome you to contact the Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) with your science needs and ideas by emailing us at firsurveyor_info@lists.ipac.caltech.edu.

Proceedings of the Second Infrared Detector Technology Workshop

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccreight, C. R. (Compiler)

1986-01-01

The workshop focused on infrared detector, detector array, and cryogenic electronic technologies relevant to low-background space astronomy. Papers are organized into the following categories: discrete infrared detectors and readout electronics; advanced bolometers; intrinsic integrated infrared arrays; and extrinsic integrated infrared arrays. Status reports on the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) and Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) programs are also included.

Cooling Technology for Large Space Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DiPirro, Michael; Cleveland, Paul; Durand, Dale; Klavins, Andy; Muheim, Daniella; Paine, Christopher; Petach, Mike; Tenerelli, Domenick; Tolomeo, Jason; Walyus, Keith

2007-01-01

NASA's New Millennium Program funded an effort to develop a system cooling technology, which is applicable to all future infrared, sub-millimeter and millimeter cryogenic space telescopes. In particular, this technology is necessary for the proposed large space telescope Single Aperture Far-Infrared Telescope (SAFIR) mission. This technology will also enhance the performance and lower the risk and cost for other cryogenic missions. The new paradigm for cooling to low temperatures will involve passive cooling using lightweight deployable membranes that serve both as sunshields and V-groove radiators, in combination with active cooling using mechanical coolers operating down to 4 K. The Cooling Technology for Large Space Telescopes (LST) mission planned to develop and demonstrate a multi-layered sunshield, which is actively cooled by a multi-stage mechanical cryocooler, and further the models and analyses critical to scaling to future missions. The outer four layers of the sunshield cool passively by radiation, while the innermost layer is actively cooled to enable the sunshield to decrease the incident solar irradiance by a factor of more than one million. The cryocooler cools the inner layer of the sunshield to 20 K, and provides cooling to 6 K at a telescope mounting plate. The technology readiness level (TRL) of 7 will be achieved by the active cooling technology following the technology validation flight in Low Earth Orbit. In accordance with the New Millennium charter, tests and modeling are tightly integrated to advance the technology and the flight design for "ST-class" missions. Commercial off-the-shelf engineering analysis products are used to develop validated modeling capabilities to allow the techniques and results from LST to apply to a wide variety of future missions. The LST mission plans to "rewrite the book" on cryo-thermal testing and modeling techniques, and validate modeling techniques to scale to future space telescopes such as SAFIR.

International mission planning for space Very Long Baseline Interferometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ulvestad, James S.

1994-01-01

Two spacecraft dedicated to Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) will be launched in 1996 and 1997 to make observations using baselines between the space telescopes and many of the world's ground radio telescopes. The Japanese Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) will launch VSOP (VLBI Space Observatory Program) in September 1996, while the Russian Astro Space Center (ASC) is scheduled to launch RadioAstron in 1997. Both spacecraft will observe radio sources at frequencies near 1.7, 4.8, and 22 GHz; RadioAstron will also observe at 0.33 GHz. The baselines between space and ground telescopes will provide 3-10 times the resolution available for ground VLBI at the same observing frequencies. Ground tracking stations on four continents will supply the required precise frequency reference to each spacecraft measure the two-way residual phase and Doppler on the ground-space link, and record 128 Megabit/s of VLBI data downlinked from the spacecraft. The spacecraft data are meaningless without cross-correlation against the data from Earth-bound telescopes, which must take place at special-purpose VLBI correlation facilities. Therefore, participation by most of the world's radio observatories is needed to achieve substantial science return from VSOP and RadioAstron. The collaboration of several major space agencies and the ground observatories, which generally follow very different models for allocation of observing time and for routine operations, leads to great complexity in mission planning and in day-to-day operations. This paper describes some of those complications and the strategies being developed to assure productive scientific missions.

Active telescope systems; Proceedings of the Meeting, Orlando, FL, Mar. 28-31, 1989

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roddier, Francois J.

1989-09-01

The present conference discusses topics in the fundamental limitations of adaptive optics in astronomical telescopy, integrated telescope systems designs, novel components for adaptive telescopes, active interferometry, flexible-mirror and segmented-mirror telescopes, and various aspects of the NASA Precision Segmented Reflectors Program. Attention is given to near-ground atmospheric turbulence effects, a near-IR astronomical adaptive optics system, a simplified wavefront sensor for adaptive mirror control, excimer laser guide star techniques for adaptive astronomical imaging, active systems in long-baseline interferometry, mirror figure control primitives for a 10-m primary mirror, and closed-loop active optics for large flexible mirrors subject to wind buffet deformations. Also discussed are active pupil geometry control for a phased-array telescope, extremely lightweight space telescope mirrors, segmented-mirror manufacturing tolerances, and composite deformable mirror design.

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-03-03

This is a photo of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST),in its origianl configuration, berthed in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle Columbia during the STS-109 mission silhouetted against the airglow of the Earth's horizon. The telescope was captured and secured on a work stand in Columbia's payload bay using Columbia's robotic arm, where 4 of the 7-member crew performed 5 spacewalks completing system upgrades to the HST. Included in those upgrades were: replacement of the solar array panels; replacement of the power control unit (PCU); replacement of the Faint Object Camera (FOC) with a new advanced camera for Surveys (ACS); and installation of the experimental cooling system for the Hubble's Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-object Spectrometer (NICMOS), which had been dormant since January 1999 when its original coolant ran out. The Marshall Space Flight Center had the responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the the HST, which is the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made, to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit. The HST detects objects 25 times fainter than the dimmest objects seen from Earth and provides astronomers with an observable universe 250 times larger than is visible from ground-based telescopes, perhaps as far away as 14 billion light-years. The HST views galaxies, stars, planets, comets, possibly other solar systems, and even unusual phenomena such as quasars, with 10 times the clarity of ground-based telescopes. Launched March 1, 2002 the STS-109 HST servicing mission lasted 10 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes. It was the 108th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1978-07-21

Once the United States' space program had progressed from Earth's orbit into outerspace, the prospect of building and maintaining a permanent presence in space was realized. To accomplish this feat, NASA launched a temporary workstation, Skylab, to discover the effects of low gravity and weightlessness on the human body, and also to develop tools and equipment that would be needed in the future to build and maintain a more permanent space station. The structures, techniques, and work schedules had to be carefully designed to fit this unique construction site. The components had to be lightweight for transport into orbit, yet durable. The station also had to be made with removable parts for easy servicing and repairs by astronauts. All of the tools necessary for service and repairs had to be designed for easy manipulation by a suited astronaut. And construction methods had to be efficient due to limited time the astronauts could remain outside their controlled environment. In lieu of all the specific needs for this project, an environment on Earth had to be developed that could simulate a low gravity atmosphere. A Neutral Buoyancy Simulator (NBS) was constructed by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in 1968. Since then, NASA scientists have used this facility to understand how humans work best in low gravity and also provide information about the different kinds of structures that can be built. Included in the plans for the space station was a space telescope. This telescope would be attached to the space station and directed towards outerspace. Astronomers hoped that the space telescope would provide a look at space that is impossible to see from Earth because of Earth's atmosphere and other man made influences. Pictured is a large structure that is being used as the antenna base for the space telescope.

Members of House Committee on Science and Astronautics Visited MSFC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1962-01-01

The members of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics visited the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) on March 9, 1962 to gather firsthand information of the nation's space exploration program. The congressional group was composed of members of the Subcommittee on Manned Space Flight. The subcommittee was briefed on MSFC's manned space efforts earlier in the day and then inspected mockups of the Saturn I Workshop and the Apollo Telescope Mount, two projects developed by MSFC for the post-Apollo program. In this photograph, MSFC Director, Dr. Wernher von Braun and Joe Waggoner, Democratic representative of Louisiana, discuss Apollo models.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1962-03-08

The members of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics visited the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) on March 9, 1962 to gather firsthand information of the nation’s space exploration program. The congressional group was composed of members of the Subcommittee on Manned Space Flight. The subcommittee was briefed on MSFC’s manned space efforts earlier in the day and then inspected mockups of the Saturn I Workshop and the Apollo Telescope Mount, two projects developed by MSFC for the post-Apollo program. In this photograph, MSFC Director, Dr. Wernher von Braun and Joe Waggoner, Democratic representative of Louisiana, discuss Apollo models.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1962-03-08

The members of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics visited the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) on March 9, 1962 to gather firsthand information of the nation’s space exploration program. The congressional group was composed of members of the Subcommittee on Manned Space Flight. The subcommittee was briefed on MSFC’s manned space efforts earlier in the day and then inspected mockups of the Saturn I Workshop and the Apollo Telescope Mount, two projects developed by MSFC for the post-Apollo program. In this photograph, MSFC Director, Dr. Wernher von Braun, bids farewell to Texas Democratic Representative Olin E. Teague before departure at the Redstone Arsenal Airstrip.

Conversations with Rep. Ken Calvert. Interview by Frank Sietzen Jr.

PubMed

Calvert, Ken

2005-07-01

Rep. Calvert, chair of the House aeronautics and space subcommittee of the Science Committee, answers questions related to priorities for space in the current congressional session: the Vision for Space Exploration, development of the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) and other heavy-lift launch vehicles, entrepreneurial alliances in the space transportation industry, the U.S. aerospace industry, space tourism, entrepreneurs and NASA, U.S. aeronautics research, a service mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, and priority military space programs.

The HST Frontier Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lotz, Jennifer; Mountain, M.; Grogin, N. A.; Koekemoer, A. M.; Capak, P. L.; Mack, J.; Coe, D. A.; Barker, E. A.; Adler, D. S.; Avila, R. J.; Anderson, J.; Casertano, S.; Christian, C. A.; Gonzaga, S.; Ferguson, H. C.; Fruchter, A. S.; Jenkner, H.; Jordan, I. J.; Hammer, D.; Hilbert, B.; Lawton, B. L.; Lee, J. C.; Lucas, R. A.; MacKenty, J. W.; Mutchler, M. J.; Ogaz, S.; Reid, I. N.; Royle, P.; Robberto, M.; Sembach, K.; Smith, L. J.; Sokol, J.; Surace, J. A.; Taylor, D.; Tumlinson, J.; Viana, A.; Williams, R. E.; Workman, W.

2014-01-01

Using Director's Discretionary observing time, HST is undertaking a revolutionary deep field observing program to peer deeper into the Universe than ever before. The Frontier Fields will combine the power of HST with the natural gravitational telescopes of high-magnification clusters of galaxies to produce the deepest observations of clusters and their lensed galaxies and the second-deepest observations of blank fields ever obtained. Up to six strong-lensing clusters (Abell 2744, MACSJ0416.1-2403, MACSJ0717.5+3745, MACSJ1149.5+2223, AbellS1063, and Abell 370) will be targeted with coordinated parallels of adjacent blank fields with ACS/WFC and WFC3/IR cameras to ~29th ABmag depths in seven bandpasses over the next three years. These observations will reveal distant galaxy populations ~10-100 times fainter than any previously observed, and improve our statistical understanding of galaxies during the epoch of reionization. Here we present Hubble Space Telescope observations of the first set of the Frontier Fields, Abell 2744, and describe the HST Frontier Fields observing strategy and schedule. All data for this observing program is nonproprietary and available immediately upon entry into the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes.

Structure design of the telescope for Small-JASMINE program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Utsunomiya, Shin; Yasuda, Susumu; Yano, Taihei; Niwa, Yoshito; Kobayashi, Yukiyasu; Kashima, Shingo; Goda, Naoteru; Yamada, Yoshiyuki

2014-08-01

Small-JASMINE program (Japan Astrometry Satellite Mission for INfrared Exploration) is one of applicants for JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) space science missions launched by Epsilon Launch Vehicles, and now being reviewed in the Science Committee of ISAS (Institute of Space and Astronautical Science), JAXA. Telescope of 300 mm aperture diameter will focus to the central region of the Milky Way Galactic. The target of Small-JASMINE is to obtain reliable measurements of extremely small stellar motions with the highest accuracy of 10 μ arcseconds and to provide precise distances and velocities of multitudes of stars up to 30,000 light years. Preliminary Structure design of Small- JASMINE has been done and indicates to satisfy all of requirements from the mission requirement, the system requirement, Epsilon Launch conditions and interfaces of the small science satellite standard bus. High margin of weight for the mission allows using all super invar structure that may reduce unforeseen thermal distortion risk especially caused by connection of different materials. Thermal stability of the telescope is a key issue and should be verified in a real model at early stage of the development.

Look to the Stars - The APUS Observatory: An Innovative Robotic Telescope for Online Astronomical Education and Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albin, Edward

2018-01-01

We report on the American Public University System’s new robotic telescope, located in Charles Town, WV -- an innovative observatory deployed in an online institution of higher education. The instrument is operated by the Department of Space Studies and is situated atop the university’s new Information Technology building. At the heart of the observatory is a Planewave CDK24 telescope, equipped with a SBIG STX-16803 CCD camera. The telescope is a key technological component in the Department's new undergraduate / graduate astronomy concentration. Since the university is a dedicated online educational institution, the acquisition of a fully remote controlled telescope ties closely into the program's philosophy of quality online instruction. Our robotic observatory is intimately integrated into our astronomy curriculum, with the telescope being utilized for original astronomical education and research purposes. For instance, not only is imagery used in the classroom and for laboratory instruction, graduate students in our MS degree program have an opportunity to collect original telescopic data for research / thesis projects. Examples of ongoing investigations with the telescope include observations of exoplanet transits and variable star photometry. When not in use for specific observing projects, the telescope is scripted to conduct autonomous supernova searches by patrolling dozens of galaxies throughout the night. Our goal is to have the instrument scheduled for continuous observing of the heavens throughout the year on all clear evenings.

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-03-01

This is an onboard photo of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) power control unit (PCU), the heart of the HST's power system. STS-109 payload commander John M. Grunsfeld, joined by Astronaut Richard M. Lirnehan, turned off the telescope in order to replace its PCU while participating in the third of five spacewalks dedicated to servicing and upgrading the HST. Other upgrades performed were: replacement of the solar array panels; replacement of the Faint Object Camera (FOC) with a new advanced camera for Surveys (ACS); and installation of the experimental cooling system for the Hubble's Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS), which had been dormant since January 1999 when its original coolant ran out. The telescope was captured and secured on a work stand in Columbia's payload bay using Columbia's robotic arm, where crew members completed the system upgrades. The Marshall Space Flight Center had the responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the HST, which is the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made, to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit. The HST detects objects 25 times fainter than the dimmest objects seen from Earth and provides astronomers with an observable universe 250 times larger than is visible from ground-based telescopes, perhaps as far away as 14 billion light-years. Launched March 1, 2002 the STS-109 HST servicing mission lasted 10 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes. It was the 108th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

Synchrotron Radiation from Outer Space and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weisskopf, M. C.

2006-01-01

The universe provides numerous extremely interesting astrophysical sources of synchrotron X radiation. The Chandra X-ray Observatory and other X-ray missions provide powerful probes of these and other cosmic X-ray sources. Chandra is the X-ray component of NASA's Great Observatory Program which also includes the Hubble Space telescope, the Spitzer Infrared Telescope Facility, and the now defunct Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory. The Chandra X-Ray Observatory provides the best angular resolution (sub-arcsecond) of any previous, current, or planned (for the foreseeable near future) space-based X-ray instrumentation. We present here a brief overview of the technical capability of this X-Ray observatory and some of the remarkable discoveries involving cosmic synchrotron sources.

Photometry from space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nelson, M. J.; Bless, R. C.; Percival, J. W.; White, R. L.

1992-01-01

A brief description of the High Speed Photometer (HSP) of the Hubble Space Telescope is given, in particular the HSP light path, detectors, entrance apertures, and filters. The status of HSP testing to date is reported, and problems encountered with the bright earth and the telescope pointing system are described. The calibration effort for the HSP is well under way. Results of internal (instrument coordinate) aperture locations good to 0.05 arcsec and external (telescope coordinate) locations good to 0.02 arcsec are shown. The effects of spacecraft pointing and jitter on HSP photometry are detailed, and a preliminary measurement of spacecraft jitter with HSP is shown. The aperture calibration effort is verified by accurate pointing of a star to different HSP 1.0 arcsec entrance apertures, and photometric performance of the instrument is shown to be accurate to the 2 percent photon noise of the observations. Future science verification and guaranteed observing time programs are listed. Suggestions are made for future space-based photometers.

The Hubble Space Telescope's Student ERO Pilot Project: Implementing Formal and Informal Collaborative Projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eisenhamer, Bonnie; Ryer, H.; McCallister, D.; Taylor, J.; Bishop, M.

2010-05-01

The Hubble Space Telescope's Early Release Observations (EROs) were revealed to the public on September 9, 2009, and K-12 students and educators in six states across the country are joining in the celebration. Students and educators in Maryland, Ohio, New York, California, New Mexico, and Delaware have been invited to participate in the Hubble Space Telescope's Student ERO Pilot Project. This is an interdisciplinary project created by STScI's Office of Public Outreach in which students research the four ERO objects and create various types of projects. In recognition of their participation, the projects are displayed at host institutions in each state (museum, science center, school, planetarium or library) during a special public event for participating students, their families, and teachers. As part of its evaluation program, STScI's Office of Public Outreach has been conducting an evaluation of the project to determine the viability and potential of conducting large-scale, formal/informal collaborative projects in the future. This poster will highlight preliminary findings and share lessons learned.

Study of application of space telescope science operations software for SIRTF use

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dignam, F.; Stetson, E.; Allendoerfer, W.

1985-01-01

The design and development of the Space Telescope Science Operations Ground System (ST SOGS) was evaluated to compile a history of lessons learned that would benefit NASA's Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF). Forty-nine specific recommendations resulted and were categorized as follows: (1) requirements: a discussion of the content, timeliness and proper allocation of the system and segment requirements and the resulting impact on SOGS development; (2) science instruments: a consideration of the impact of the Science Instrument design and data streams on SOGS software; and (3) contract phasing: an analysis of the impact of beginning the various ST program segments at different times. Approximately half of the software design and source code might be useable for SIRTF. Transportability of this software requires, at minimum, a compatible DEC VAX-based architecture and VMS operating system, system support software similar to that developed for SOGS, and continued evolution of the SIRTF operations concept and requirements such that they remain compatible with ST SOGS operation.

Design, fabrication, and test of a Graphite/Epoxy Metering Shell (GEMS). [for the large space telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

A program to design, fabricate and test a dimensionally stable metering structure in support of the large space telescope (LST) program is discussed. Graphite/epoxy was the material selected as the only viable candidate material which can meet the stringent thermal expansion criteria of the LST. A metering shell was designed and fabricated, with emphasis on dimensional stability in conjunction with low cost. Thermal expansion test coupons extracted from the layups of the skin panels indicated the attainment of a coefficient of thermal expansion of 0.0666 micrometers/m K. Subsequent thermal vacuum chamber tests on the complete metering shell demonstrated an expansion of the 2.95-meter overall length of 0.27 micrometers/K. Static and dynamics tests, which demonstrated adequacy with respect to limit loads and stiffness, were also accomplished.

Superfluid helium on orbit transfer (SHOOT)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dipirro, Michael J.

1987-01-01

A number of space flight experiments and entire facilities require superfluid helium as a coolant. Among these are the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), the Large Deployable Reflector (LDR), the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), the Particle Astrophysics Magnet Facility (PAMF or Astromag), and perhaps even a future Hubble Space Telescope (HST) instrument. Because these systems are required to have long operational lifetimes, a means to replenish the liquid helium, which is exhausted in the cooling process, is required. The most efficient method of replenishment is to refill the helium dewars on orbit with superfluid helium (liquid helium below 2.17 Kelvin). To develop and prove the technology required for this liquid helium refill, a program of ground and flight testing was begun. The flight demonstration is baselined as a two flight program. The first, described in this paper, will prove the concepts involved at both the component and system level. The second flight will demonstrate active astronaut involvement and semi-automated operation. The current target date for the first launch is early 1991.

Solar System Studies in the Infrared with the Spitzer Space Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cruikshank, D. P.; Stansberry, J. A.; Cleve, J. Van; Burgdorf, M. J.; Fernandez, Y. R.; Meadows, V. S.; Reach, W. T.

2004-01-01

The Spitzer Space Telescope, formerly known as SIRTF, is a cryogenic telescope (85 cm diameter) operating in a heliocentric orbit trailing the Earth. Its three instruments provide capabilities for spectroscopy, wide-field and small-field imaging at many wavelengths in the range 3.5-160 microns. Observations to be executed in the first two years in programs defined by the Guaranteed Time Observer (GTO) group (the authors of this presentation) consist of photometry, spectroscopy, and radiometry of many Solar System objects, including Titan and other satellites of the outer planets, Pluto, Centaurs, trans-Neptunian objects, comers, asteroids, Uranus, and Neptune. At the time of the preparation of this abstract, some preliminary observations have been made, but the final calibration and reduction of the data are still in progress. The latest results of the Solar System investigations will be presented here.

Extended Red Emission and the evolution of carbonaceous nanograins in NGC 7023

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berné, O.; Joblin, C.; Rapacioli, M.; Thomas, J.; Cuillandre, J.-C.; Deville, Y.

2008-03-01

Context: Extended Red Emission (ERE) was recently attributed to the photo-luminescence of either doubly ionized Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH++), or charged PAH dimers ([PAH{2}] ^+). Aims: We analysed the visible and mid-infrared (mid-IR) dust emission in the North-West and South photo-dissociation regions of the reflection nebula NGC 7023. Methods: Using a blind signal separation method, we extracted the map of ERE from images obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope, and at the Canada France Hawaii Telescope. We compared the extracted ERE image to the distribution maps of the mid-IR emission of Very Small Grains (VSGs), neutral and ionized PAHs (PAH0 and PAH^+) obtained with the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Infrared Space Observatory. Results: ERE is dominant in transition regions where VSGs are being photo-evaporated to form free PAH molecules, and is not observed in regions dominated by PAH^+. Its carrier makes a minor contribution to the mid-IR emission spectrum. Conclusions: These results suggest that the ERE carrier is a transition species formed during the destruction of VSGs. [PAH{2}] + appear as good candidates but PAH++ molecules seem to be excluded. This work is based on observations made with the Spitzer Space Telescope, which is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology under a contract with NASA. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained from the Data Archive at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with program 9471. Based on observations obtained at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) which is operated by the National Research Council of Canada, the Institut National des Sciences de l'Univers of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique of France, and the University of Hawaii. Based on observations with ISO, an ESA project with instruments funded by ESA Member States (especially the PI countries: France, Germany, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom) and with the participation of ISAS and NASA.

STS-109 Astronaut Michael J. Massimino Peers Into Window of Shuttle During EVA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

STS-109 Astronauts Michael J. Massimino and James H. Newman were making their second extravehicular activity (EVA) of their mission when astronaut Massimino, mission specialist, peered into Columbia's crew cabin during a brief break from work on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The HST is latched down just a few feet behind him in Columbia's cargo bay. The Space Shuttle Columbia STS-109 mission lifted off March 1, 2002 with goals of repairing and upgrading the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). STS-109 upgrades to the HST included: replacement of the solar array panels; replacement of the power control unit (PCU); replacement of the Faint Object Camera (FOC) with a new advanced camera for Surveys (ACS); and installation of the experimental cooling system for the Hubble's Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-object Spectrometer (NICMOS), which had been dormant since January 1999 when its original coolant ran out. The Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama had the responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the HST, which is the most powerful and sophisticated telescope ever built. Lasting 10 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes, the STS-109 mission was the 108th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

KSC-2013-2938

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-06-27

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, a display inside the "Space Shuttle Atlantis" facility features a 43-feet-tall full-scale replica of the Hubble telescope hung through an opening in the second floor. The new $100 million facility will include interactive exhibits that tell the story of the 30-year Space Shuttle Program and highlight the future of space exploration. The "Space Shuttle Atlantis" exhibit is scheduled to open June 29, 2013.Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann

Potential Large Decadal Missions Enabled by Nasas Space Launch System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stahl, H. Philip; Hopkins, Randall C.; Schnell, Andrew; Smith, David Alan; Jackman, Angela; Warfield, Keith R.

2016-01-01

Large space telescope missions have always been limited by their launch vehicle's mass and volume capacities. The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) was specifically designed to fit inside the Space Shuttle and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is specifically designed to fit inside an Ariane 5. Astrophysicists desire even larger space telescopes. NASA's "Enduring Quests Daring Visions" report calls for an 8- to 16-m Large UV-Optical-IR (LUVOIR) Surveyor mission to enable ultra-high-contrast spectroscopy and coronagraphy. AURA's "From Cosmic Birth to Living Earth" report calls for a 12-m class High-Definition Space Telescope to pursue transformational scientific discoveries. NASA's "Planning for the 2020 Decadal Survey" calls for a Habitable Exoplanet Imaging (HabEx) and a LUVOIR as well as Far-IR and an X-Ray Surveyor missions. Packaging larger space telescopes into existing launch vehicles is a significant engineering complexity challenge that drives cost and risk. NASA's planned Space Launch System (SLS), with its 8 or 10-m diameter fairings and ability to deliver 35 to 45-mt of payload to Sun-Earth-Lagrange-2, mitigates this challenge by fundamentally changing the design paradigm for large space telescopes. This paper reviews the mass and volume capacities of the planned SLS, discusses potential implications of these capacities for designing large space telescope missions, and gives three specific mission concept implementation examples: a 4-m monolithic off-axis telescope, an 8-m monolithic on-axis telescope and a 12-m segmented on-axis telescope.

Designing astrophysics missions for NASA's Space Launch System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stahl, H. Philip; Hopkins, Randall C.; Schnell, Andrew; Smith, David Alan; Jackman, Angela; Warfield, Keith R.

2016-10-01

Large space telescope missions have always been limited by their launch vehicle's mass and volume capacities. The Hubble Space Telescope was specifically designed to fit inside the Space Shuttle and the James Webb Space Telescope was specifically designed to fit inside an Ariane 5. Astrophysicists desire even larger space telescopes. NASA's "Enduring Quests Daring Visions" report calls for an 8- to 16-m Large UV-Optical-IR (LUVOIR) Surveyor mission to enable ultrahigh-contrast spectroscopy and coronagraphy. Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy's "From Cosmic Birth to Living Earth" report calls for a 12-m class High-Definition Space Telescope to pursue transformational scientific discoveries. NASA's "Planning for the 2020 Decadal Survey" calls for a Habitable Exoplanet Imaging (HabEx) and an LUVOIR as well as Far-IR and an X-ray Surveyor missions. Packaging larger space telescopes into existing launch vehicles is a significant engineering complexity challenge that drives cost and risk. NASA's planned Space Launch System (SLS), with its 8- or 10-m diameter fairings and ability to deliver 35 to 45 mt of payload to Sun-Earth-Lagrange-2, mitigates this challenge by fundamentally changing the design paradigm for large space telescopes. This paper introduces the mass and volume capacities of the planned SLS, provides a simple mass allocation recipe for designing large space telescope missions to this capacity, and gives three specific mission concept implementation examples: a 4-m monolithic off-axis telescope, an 8-m monolithic on-axis telescope, and a 12-m segmented on-axis telescope.

Potential large missions enabled by NASA's space launch system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stahl, H. Philip; Hopkins, Randall C.; Schnell, Andrew; Smith, David A.; Jackman, Angela; Warfield, Keith R.

2016-07-01

Large space telescope missions have always been limited by their launch vehicle's mass and volume capacities. The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) was specifically designed to fit inside the Space Shuttle and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is specifically designed to fit inside an Ariane 5. Astrophysicists desire even larger space telescopes. NASA's "Enduring Quests Daring Visions" report calls for an 8- to 16-m Large UV-Optical-IR (LUVOIR) Surveyor mission to enable ultra-high-contrast spectroscopy and coronagraphy. AURA's "From Cosmic Birth to Living Earth" report calls for a 12-m class High-Definition Space Telescope to pursue transformational scientific discoveries. NASA's "Planning for the 2020 Decadal Survey" calls for a Habitable Exoplanet Imaging (HabEx) and a LUVOIR as well as Far-IR and an X-Ray Surveyor missions. Packaging larger space telescopes into existing launch vehicles is a significant engineering complexity challenge that drives cost and risk. NASA's planned Space Launch System (SLS), with its 8 or 10-m diameter fairings and ability to deliver 35 to 45-mt of payload to Sun-Earth-Lagrange-2, mitigates this challenge by fundamentally changing the design paradigm for large space telescopes. This paper reviews the mass and volume capacities of the planned SLS, discusses potential implications of these capacities for designing large space telescope missions, and gives three specific mission concept implementation examples: a 4-m monolithic off-axis telescope, an 8-m monolithic on-axis telescope and a 12-m segmented on-axis telescope.

Ultralightweight optics for space applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayo, James W.; DeHainaut, Linda L.; Bell, Kevin D.; Smith, Winfred S.; Killpatrick, Don H.; Dyer, Richard W.

2000-07-01

Lightweight, deployable space optics has been identified as a key technology for future cost-effective, space-based systems. The United States Department of Defense has partnered with the National Aeronautical Space Administration to implement a space mirror technology development activity known as the Advanced Mirror System Demonstrator (AMSD). The AMSD objectives are to advance technology in the production of low-mass primary mirror systems, reduce mirror system cost and shorten mirror- manufacturing time. The AMSD program will offer substantial weight, cost and production rate improvements over Hubble Space Telescope mirror technology. A brief history of optical component development and a review of optical component state-of-the-art technology will be given, and the AMSD program will be reviewed.

Space astronomical telescopes and instruments; Proceedings of the Meeting, Orlando, FL, Apr. 1-4, 1991

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bely, Pierre Y.; Breckinridge, James B.

The present volume on space astronomical telescopes and instruments discusses lessons from the HST, telescopes on the moon, future space missions, and mirror fabrication and active control. Attention is given to the in-flight performance of the Goddard high-resolution spectrograph of the HST, the initial performance of the high-speed photometer, results from HST fine-guidance sensors, and reconstruction of the HST mirror figure from out-of-focus stellar images. Topics addressed include system concepts for a large UV/optical/IR telescope on the moon, optical design considerations for next-generation space and lunar telescopes, the implications of lunar dust for astronomical observatories, and lunar liquid-mirror telescopes. Also discussed are space design considerations for the Space Infrared Telescope Facility, the Hubble extrasolar planet interferometer, Si:Ga focal-plane arrays for satellite and ground-based telescopes, microchannel-plate detectors for space-based astronomy, and a method for making ultralight primary mirrors.

Science operations with Space Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Giacconi, R.

1982-01-01

The operation, instrumentation, and expected contributions of the Space Telescope are discussed. Space Telescope capabilities are described. The organization and nature of the Space Telescope Science Institute are outlined, including the allocation of observing time and the data rights and data access policies of the institute.

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-03-06

This is an onboard photo of Astronaut John M. Grunsfield, STS-109 payload commander, participating in the third of five spacewalks to perform work on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). On this particular walk, Grunsfield, joined by Astronaut Richard M. Lirnehan, turned off the telescope in order to replace its power control unit (PCU), the heart of the HST's power system. The telescope was captured and secured on a work stand in Columbia's payload bay using Columbia's robotic arm, where crew members completed system upgrades to the HST. Included in those upgrades were: replacement of the solar array panels; replacement of the power control unit (PCU); replacement of the Faint Object Camera (FOC) with a new advanced camera for Surveys (ACS); and installation of the experimental cooling system for the Hubble's Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-object Spectrometer (NICMOS), which had been dormant since January 1999 when its original coolant ran out. The Marshall Space Flight Center had the responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the HST, which is the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made, to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit. The HST detects objects 25 times fainter than the dimmest objects seen from Earth and provides astronomers with an observable universe 250 times larger than is visible from ground-based telescopes, perhaps as far away as 14 billion light-years. The HST views galaxies, stars, planets, comets, possibly other solar systems, and even unusual phenomena such as quasars, with 10 times the clarity of ground-based telescopes. Launched March 1, 2002 the STS-109 HST servicing mission lasted 10 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes. It was the 108th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

The Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS) Spitzer Legacy Science Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dickinson, M.; GOODS Team

2004-12-01

The Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS) is an anthology of observing programs that are creating a rich, public, multiwavelength data set for studying galaxy formation and evolution. GOODS is observing two fields, one in each hemisphere, with extremely deep imaging and spectroscopy using the most powerful telescopes in space and on the ground. The GOODS Spitzer Legacy Science Program completes the trio of observations from NASA's Great Observatories, joining already-completed GOODS data from Chandra and Hubble. Barring unforeseen difficulties, the GOODS Spitzer observing program will have been completed by the end of 2004, and the first data products will have been released to the astronomical community. In this Special Oral Session, and in an accompanying poster session, the GOODS team presents early scientific results from this Spitzer Legacy program, as well as new research based on other GOODS data sets. I will introduce the session with a brief description of the Legacy observations and data set. Support for this work, part of the Spitzer Space Telescope Legacy Science Program, was provided by NASA through Contract Number 1224666 issued by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology under NASA contract 1407.

WFC3: In-Flight Performance Highlights

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kimble, Randy A.; MacKenty, J. W.; O'Connell, R. W.; Townsend, J. A.; WFC3 Team

2010-01-01

Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3), a powerful new imager for the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), was successfully installed in the telescope in May 2009 during the first dramatic spacewalk of space shuttle flight STS-125, also known as HST Servicing Mission 4. This new camera offers unique observing capabilities in two channels spanning a broad wavelength range from the near ultraviolet to the near infrared (200-1000nm in the UV/Visible [UVIS] channel; 850-1700nm in the IR channel). After an initial outgassing period, WFC3 was cooled to its observing configuration in June. In the following months, a highly successful Servicing Mission Observatory Verification (SMOV4) program was executed, which has confirmed the exciting scientific potential of the instrument. Detailed performance results from the SMOV4 program are presented in a number of papers in this session. In this paper, we highlight some top-level performance assessments (throughput, limiting magnitudes, survey speeds) for WFC3, which is now actively engaged in the execution of forefront astronomical observing programs.

The Radio JOVE Project - An Inexpensive Introduction to Radio Astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thieman, J. R.; Higgins, C.

2004-12-01

The Radio JOVE project began over six years ago as an education-centered program to inspire secondary school students' interest in space science through hands-on radio astronomy. The project was begun on small grants from the Goddard Space Flight Center Director's Discretionary Fund, the Initiative to Develop Education through Astronomy and Space Science (IDEAS) program, and the American Astronomical Society. Students build a radio receiver and antenna kit capable of receiving Jovian, solar, and galactic emissions at a frequency of 20.1 MHz. More than 600 of these kits have been distributed to students and interested observers (ages 10 through adult) in over 30 countries. For those who are not comfortable building their own kit, the Radio JOVE project has made it possible to monitor real-time data and streaming audio online from professional radio telescopes in Florida (http://jupiter.kochi-ct.jp) and Hawaii http://jupiter.wcc.hawaii.edu/newradiojove/main.html). Freely downloadable software called Radio-Skypipe (http://radiosky.com) emulates a chart recorder to monitor ones own radio telescope or the telescopes of other observers worldwide who send out their data over the Internet. Inexpensive spectrographs have been developed for the professional telescopes in Hawaii and Florida and freely downloadable spectrograph display software is available to receive this research-quality data. We believe the amateur network data to be of value to the research community and would like to have students more directly connected to ongoing research projects to enhance their interest in participating. Results of the project and plans for the future will be highlighted.

Space Telescope Systems Description Handbook

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carter, R. E.

1985-01-01

The objective of the Space Telescope Project is to orbit a high quality optical 2.4-meter telescope system by the Space Shuttle for use by the astronomical community in conjunction with NASA. The scientific objectives of the Space Telescope are to determine the constitution, physical characteristics, and dynamics of celestial bodies; the nature of processes which occur in the extreme physical conditions existing in stellar objects; the history and evolution of the universe; and whether the laws of nature are universal in the space-time continuum. Like ground-based telescopes, the Space Telescope was designed as a general-purpose instrument, capable of utilizing a wide variety of scientific instruments at its focal plane. This multi-purpose characteristic will allow the Space Telescope to be effectively used as a national facility, capable of supporting the astronomical needs for an international user community and hence making contributions to man's needs. By using the Space Shuttle to provide scientific instrument upgrading and subsystems maintenance, the useful and effective operational lifetime of the Space Telescope will be extended to a decade or more.

UV/Visible Telescope with Hubble Disposal

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Benford, Dominic J.

2013-01-01

Submission Overview: Our primary objective is to convey a sense of the significant advances possible in astrophysics investigations for major Cosmic Origins COR program goals with a 2.4m telescope asset outfitted with one or more advanced UV visible instruments. Several compelling science objectives were identified based on community meetings these science objectives drove the conceptual design of instruments studied by the COR Program Office during July September 2012. This RFI submission encapsulates the results of that study, and suggests that a more detailed look into the instrument suite should be conducted to prove viability and affordability to support the demonstrated scientific value. This study was conducted in the context of a larger effort to consider the options available for a mission to dispose safely of Hubble hence, the overall architecture considered for the mission we studied for the 2.4m telescope asset included resource sharing. This mitigates combined cost and risk and provides naturally for a continued US leadership role in astrophysics with an advanced, general-purpose UV visible space telescope.

Three-reflections telescope proposal as flat-field anastigmat for wide field observations at Dome C

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrari, M.; Lemaître, G.; Viotti, R.; La Padula, C.; Comte, G.; Blanc, M.; Boer, M.

It is now evident that the exceptional seeing at Dome C will allow, in the next years, to pursue astronomical programs with conditions better than at any other observatory in the world, and very close to space experiments. Considering a new type of wide-field telescope, particular astronomical programs could be well optimized for observations at Dome C such as surveys for the discovery and follow up of near-Earth asteroids, search for extra-solar planets using transit or micro-lensing events, and stellar luminosity variations. We propose to build a 1.5 2m class three-reflections telescope, with 1 1.5degree FOV, four times shorter than an equivalent Schmidt telescope, and providing a flat field without requiring a triplet- or quadruplet-lens corrector since its design is anastigmatic. We present the preliminary optical tests of such designs: MINITRUST1 and 2 are two 45cm identical prototypes based in France and Italy, and manufactured using active optics techniques.

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-03-01

Carrying a crew of seven, the Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia soared through some pre-dawn clouds into the sky as it began its 27th flight, STS-109. Launched March 1, 2002, the goal of the mission was the maintenance and upgrade of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The Marshall Space Flight Center had the responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the HST, which is the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made, to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit. The HST detects objects 25 times fainter than the dimmest objects seen from Earth and provides astronomers with an observable universe 250 times larger than is visible from ground-based telescopes, perhaps as far away as 14 billion light-years. The HST views galaxies, stars, planets, comets, possibly other solar systems, and even unusual phenomena such as quasars, with 10 times the clarity of ground-based telescopes. During the STS-109 mission, the telescope was captured and secured on a work stand in Columbia's payload bay using Columbia's robotic arm. Here four members of the crew performed five spacewalks completing system upgrades to the HST. Included in those upgrades were: replacement of the solar array panels; replacement of the power control unit (PCU); replacement of the Faint Object Camera (FOC) with a new advanced camera for Surveys (ACS); and installation of the experimental cooling system for the Hubble's Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-object Spectrometer (NICMOS), which had been dormant since January 1999 when it original coolant ran out. Lasting 10 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes, the STS-109 mission was the 108th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

UV-optical from space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Illingworth, Garth; Savage, Blair; Angel, J. Roger; Blandford, Roger D.; Boggess, Albert; Bowyer, C. Stuart; Carruthers, George R.; Cowie, Lennox L.; Doschek, George A.; Dupree, Andrea K.

1991-01-01

The following subject areas are covered: (1) the science program (star formation and origins of planetary systems; structure and evolution of the interstellar medium; stellar population; the galactic and extragalactic distance scale; nature of galaxy nuclei, AGNs, and QSOs; formation and evolution of galaxies at high redshifts; and cosmology); (2) implementation of the science program; (3) the observatory-class missions (HST; LST - the 6m successor to HST; and next-generation 16m telescope); (4) moderate and small missions (Delta-class Explorers; imaging astrometric interferometer; small Explorers; optics development and demonstrations; and supporting ground-based capabilities); (5) prerequisites - the current science program (Lyman-FUSE; HTS optimization; the near-term science program; data analysis, modeling, and theory funding; and archives); (6) technologies for the next century; and (7) lunar-based telescopes and instruments.

Extravehicular Activity Probabilistic Risk Assessment Overview for Thermal Protection System Repair on the Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bigler, Mark; Canga, Michael A.; Duncan, Gary

2010-01-01

The Shuttle Program initiated an Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) to assess the risks associated with performing a Shuttle Thermal Protection System (TPS) repair during the Space Transportation System (STS)-125 Hubble repair mission as part of risk trades between TPS repair and crew rescue.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: New FeI level energies from stellar spectra. II. (Peterson+, 2017)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peterson, R. C.; Kurucz, R. L.; Ayres, T. R.

2017-06-01

All of the new space-based UV spectra were obtained at a two-pixel resolution of 110000 with the E230H echelle grating of the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) on HST, under program GO-14161 (R. Peterson, PI). See section 2 for further explanations. (2 data files).

Members of House Committee on Science and Astronautics Visited MSFC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1962-01-01

The members of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics visited the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) on March 9, 1962 to gather firsthand information of the nation's space exploration program. The congressional group was composed of members of the Subcommittee on Manned Space Flight. The subcommittee was briefed on MSFC's manned space efforts earlier in the day and then inspected mockups of the Saturn I Workshop and the Apollo Telescope Mount, two projects developed by MSFC for the post-Apollo program. In this photograph, MSFC Director, Dr. Wernher von Braun, bids farewell to Texas Democratic Representative Olin E. Teague before departure at the Redstone Arsenal Airstrip.

Members of House Committee on Science and Astronautics Visited MSFC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1962-01-01

The members of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics visited the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) on March 9, 1962 to gather firsthand information of the nation's space exploration program. The congressional group was composed of members of the Subcommittee on Manned Space Flight. The subcommittee was briefed on MSFC's manned space efforts earlier in the day and then inspected mockups of the Saturn I Workshop and the Apollo Telescope Mount, two projects developed by MSFC for the post-Apollo program. In this photograph, MSFC Director, Dr. Wernher von Braun and Richard L. Roudebush, Republican representative of Indiana, discuss Apollo models.

n/a

NASA Image and Video Library

1962-03-08

The members of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics visited the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) on March 9, 1962 to gather firsthand information of the nation's space exploration program. The congressional group was composed of members of the Subcommittee on Manned Space Flight. They were briefed on MSFC's manned space efforts earlier in the day and then inspected mockups of the Saturn I Workshop and the Apollo Telescope Mount, two projects developed by MSFC for the post-Apollo program. Pictured left-to-right are Dieter Grau, MSFC; Konrad Dannenberg, MSFC; James G. Fulton, Republican representative for Pennsylvania; Joe Waggoner, Democratic representative for Louisiana; and Dr. Wernher von Braun, Director of MSFC.

The Carnegie–Chicago Hubble Program. III. The Distance to NGC 1365 via the Tip of the Red Giant Branch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jang, In Sung; Hatt, Dylan; Beaton, Rachael L.; Lee, Myung Gyoon; Freedman, Wendy L.; Madore, Barry F.; Hoyt, Taylor J.; Monson, Andrew J.; Rich, Jeffrey A.; Scowcroft, Victoria; Seibert, Mark

2018-01-01

The Carnegie–Chicago Hubble Program (CCHP) seeks to anchor the distance scale of Type Ia supernovae via the Tip of the Red Giant Branch (TRGB) method. Based on deep Hubble Space Telescope ACS/WFC imaging, we present an analysis of the TRGB for the metal-poor halo of NGC 1365, a giant spiral galaxy in the Fornax cluster that was host to the Type Ia supernova SN 2012fr. We have measured the extinction-corrected TRGB magnitude of NGC 1365 to be F814W = 27.34 ± 0.03stat ± 0.04sys mag. In advance of future direct calibration by Gaia, we adopt a provisional I-band TRGB luminosity set at the Large Magellanic Cloud and find a true distance modulus μ 0 = 31.29 ± 0.04stat ± 0.06sys mag or D = 18.1 ± 0.3stat ± 0.5sys Mpc. This measurement is in excellent agreement with recent Cepheid-based distances to NGC 1365 and reveals no significant difference in the distances derived from stars of Populations I and II for this galaxy. We revisit the error budget for the CCHP path to the Hubble constant based on the analysis presented here, i.e., that for one of the most distant Type Ia supernova hosts within our Program, and find that a 2.5% measurement is feasible with the current sample of galaxies and TRGB absolute calibration. Based in part on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with program #13691.

Evolution of a Teacher Professional Development Program that Promotes Teacher and Student Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pompea, S. M.; Croft, S. K.; Garmany, C. D.; Walker, C. E.

2005-12-01

The Research Based Science Education (RBSE) and Teacher Leaders in Research Based Science (TLRBSE) programs at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory have been evolving for nearly ten years. Our current program is actually a team of programs aiding teachers in doing research with small telescopes, large research-grade telescopes, astronomical data archives, and the Spitzer Space Telescope. Along the way, as these programs evolved, a number of basic questions were continuously discussed by the very talented program team. These questions included: 1) What is real research and why should we encourage it? 2) How can it be successfully brought to the classroom? 3) What is the relative importance of teacher content knowledge versus science process knowledge? 4) How frustrating should an authentic research experience be? 5) How do we measure the success of our professional development program? 6) How should be evaluate and publish student work? 7) How can teachers work together on a team to pursue research? 8) What is the model for interaction of teachers and researchers - equal partners versus the graduate student/apprentice model? 9) What is the ideal mix of skills for a professional development team at NOAO? 10) What role can distance learning play in professional preparation? 11) What tools are needed for data analysis? 12) How can we stay funded? Our evolving program has also been used as a test bed to examine new models of teacher's professional development that may aid our outreach efforts in the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope program, the Thirty-Meter Telescope program, and the National Virtual Observatory program. We will describe a variety of lessons learned (and relearned) and try to describe best practices in promoting teacher and student research. The TLRBSE Program is funded by the National Science Foundation under ESI 0101982, funded through the AURA/NSF Cooperative Agreement AST-9613615. NOAO is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), Inc. under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation.

Asteroid observations with NCSFCT AZT-8 telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kozhukhov, O. M.; Maigurova, N. V.

2017-02-01

The asteroid observations of the small Solar System bodies were carried out with the AZT-8 telescope (D = 0.7 m, f/4) of the National Center of Space Facilities Control and Testing (NCSFCT) during 2010-2013. The telescope is located near Yevpatoria, the observatory code according IAU is B17. The observational program included perturbed main belt asteroids and NEO's for the GAIA FUN-SSO Company. The MPC database contains more than 4500 asteroids positions and magnitudes obtained during this period at AZT-8 telescope. The article presents analysis of the positional accuracy of B17 observations obtained from the comparison with the JPL HORIZONS ephemeris, and data from AstD-yS-2 and NEODyS-2 web services.

An application of artificial intelligence to automatic telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Swanson, Keith; Drummond, Mark; Bresina, John

1992-01-01

Automatic Photoelectric Telescopes (APT's) allow an astronomer to be removed form the telescope site in both time and space. APT's 'execute' an observation program (a set of observation requests) expressed in an ASCII-based language (ATIS) and collect observation results expressed in this same language. The observation program is currently constructed by a Principal Astronomer from the requests of multiple users; the execution is currently controlled by a simple heuristic dispatch scheduler. Research aimed at improving the use of APT's is being carried out by the Entropy Reduction Engine (ERE) project at NASA Ames. The overall goal of the ERE project is the study and construction of systems that integrate planning, scheduling, and control. This paper discusses the application of some ERE technical results to the improvement of both the scheduling and the operation of APT's.

Analysis of space telescope data collection systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ingels, F. M.

1984-01-01

The Multiple Access (MA) communication link of the Space Telescope (ST) is described. An expected performance bit error rate is presented. The historical perspective and rationale behind the ESTL space shuttle end-to-end tests are given. The concatenated coding scheme using a convolutional encoder for the outer coder is developed. The ESTL end-to-end tests on the space shuttle communication link are described. Most important is how a concatenated coding system will perform. This is a go-no-go system with respect to received signal-to-noise ratio. A discussion of the verification requirements and Specification document is presented, and those sections that apply to Space Telescope data and communications system are discussed. The Space Telescope System consists of the Space Telescope Orbiting Observatory (ST), the Space Telescope Science Institute, and the Space Telescope Operation Control Center. The MA system consists of the ST, the return link from the ST via the Tracking and Delay Relay Satellite system to White Sands, and from White Sands via the Domestic Communications Satellite to the STOCC.

A Scientific Revolution: The Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gardner, Jonathan P.

2011-01-01

Astronomy is going through a scientific revolution, responding to a Rood of data from the Hubble Space Telescope, other space missions, and large telescopes on the ground. In this talk, Dr. Gardner will discuss some of the most important astronomical discoveries of the last 10 years, and the role that space telescopes have played in those discoveries. The next decade looks equally bright with the newly refurbished Hubble and the promise of its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope.

The 4-meter lunar engineering telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peacock, Keith; Giannini, Judith A.; Kilgus, Charles C.; Bely, Pierre Y.; May, B. Scott; Cooper, Shannon A.; Schlimm, Gerard H.; Sounder, Charles; Ormond, Karen; Cheek, Eric

1991-01-01

The 16-meter diffraction limited lunar telescope incorporates a primary mirror with 312 one-meter segments; 3 nanometer active optics surface control with laser metrology and hexapod positioners; a space frame structure with one-millimeter stability; and a hexapod mount for pointing. The design data needed to limit risk in this development can be obtained by building a smaller engineering telescope on the moon with all of the features of the 16-meter design. This paper presents a 4.33-meter engineering telescope concept developed by the Summer 1990 Student Program of the NASA/JHU Space Grant Consortium Lunar Telescope Project. The primary mirror, made up of 18 one-meter hexagonal segments, is sized to provide interesting science as well as engineering data. The optics are configured as a Ritchey-Chretien with a coude relay to the focal plane beneath the surface. The optical path is continuously monitored with 3-nanometer precision interferometrically. An active optics processor and piezoelectric actuators operate to maintain the end-to-end optical configuration established by wave front sensing using a guide star. The mirror segments, consisting of a one-centimeter thick faceplate on 30-cm deep ribs, maintain the surface figure to a few nanometers under lunar gravity and thermal environment.

Parametric Cost Models for Space Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stahl, H. Philip; Henrichs, Todd; Dollinger, Courtney

2010-01-01

Multivariable parametric cost models for space telescopes provide several benefits to designers and space system project managers. They identify major architectural cost drivers and allow high-level design trades. They enable cost-benefit analysis for technology development investment. And, they provide a basis for estimating total project cost. A survey of historical models found that there is no definitive space telescope cost model. In fact, published models vary greatly [1]. Thus, there is a need for parametric space telescopes cost models. An effort is underway to develop single variable [2] and multi-variable [3] parametric space telescope cost models based on the latest available data and applying rigorous analytical techniques. Specific cost estimating relationships (CERs) have been developed which show that aperture diameter is the primary cost driver for large space telescopes; technology development as a function of time reduces cost at the rate of 50% per 17 years; it costs less per square meter of collecting aperture to build a large telescope than a small telescope; and increasing mass reduces cost.

APT, The Phase I Tool for HST Cycle 12

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blacker, B.; Berch, M.; Curtis, G.; Douglas, R.; Downes, R.; Krueger, A.; O'Dea, C.

2002-12-01

In our continuing effort to streamline our systems and improve service to the science community, the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) is developing and releasing, APT - The Astronomer's Proposal Tool as the new interface for Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Phase I and Phase II proposal submissions for HST Cycle 12. The goal of the APT, is to bring state of the art technology, more visual tools and power into the hands of proposers so that they can optimize the scientific return of their HST programs. Proposing for HST and other missions, consists of requesting observing time and/or archival research funding. This step is called Phase I, where the scientific merit of a proposal is considered by a community based peer-review process. Accepted proposals then proceed thru Phase II, where the observations are specified in sufficient detail to enable scheduling on the telescope. In this paper we will present our concept and implementation plans for our Phase I development and submission tool, APT. In addition, we will go behind the scenes and discuss the implications for the Science Policies Division (SPD) and other groups at the STScI caused by a new submission tool and submission output products. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

An Overview of the Performance of the Chandra X-ray Observatory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weisskopf, M. C.; Aldcroft, T. L.; Bautz, M.; Cameron, R. A.; Dewey, D.; Drake, J. J.; Grant, C. E.; Marshall, H. L.; Murray, S. S.

2004-01-01

The Chandra X-ray Observatory is the X-ray component of NASA's Great Observatory Program which includes the recently launched Spitzer Infrared Telescope, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) for observations in the visible, and the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory (CGRO) which, after providing years of useful data has reentered the atmosphere. All these facilities provide, or provided, scientific data to the international astronomical community in response to peer-reviewed proposals for their use. The Chandra X-ray Observatory was the result of the efforts of many academic, commercial, and government organizations primarily in the United States but also in Europe. NASA s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) manages the Project and provides Project Science; Northrop Grumman Space Technology (NGST - formerly TRW) served as prime contractor responsible for providing the spacecraft, the telescope, and assembling and testing the Observatory; and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) provides technical support and is responsible for ground operations including the Chandra X-ray Center (CXC). Telescope and instrument teams at SAO, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Pennsylvania State University (PSU), the Space Research Institute of the Netherlands (SRON), the Max-Planck Institut fur extraterrestrische Physik (MPE), and the University of Kiel support also provide technical support to the Chandra Project. We present here a detailed description of the hardware, its on-orbit performance, and a brief overview of some of the remarkable discoveries that illustrate that performance.

KSC-02pd0622

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-04-30

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the 2002 Space Congress, Cape Canaveral, Fla., held April 30 - May 3, visitors look at astronauts' gloves worn during spacewalks. The exhibit highlighted the Hubble Space Telescope 3B Servicing Mission (STS-109) in March 2002. The Space Congress is held annually to highlight military and space initiatives, new technologies, and Florida's role in programs and research. This year's theme is Beginning a New Era - Initiatives in Space. NASA presented several paper sessions, including Hubble Discoveries and Advancements in Technology. Space Congress is sponsored by the Canaveral Council of Technical Societies

NASA's Celebration of the International Year of Astronomy 2009

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasan, Hashima; Smith, D.

2010-01-01

NASA celebrated the International Year of Astronomy (IYA) 2009 by developing a rich and vibrant educational and public outreach program that increased the exposure of the public and students to NASA discoveries reaching audiences far and wide. We kicked off the event at the American Astronomical Society meeting in January 2009, with a sneak preview of the multiwavelength image of M101, taken by the three NASA Great Observatories, Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra X-Ray Observatory, and Spitzer Space Telescope. There was a steady stream of visitors at the NASA booth at the Opening Ceremony in Paris. Since then NASA programs have touched the hearts and souls of the young and old both in the U.S. and internationally. NASA IYA programs in the form of teacher workshops, student contests, exhibits in libraries, museums, planetaria and non traditional venues such as airports and music festivals, podcasts and vodcasts have reached a wide audience. The NASA IYA Student Ambassadors engaged undergraduate and graduate students throughout the U.S. in outreach programs they created to spread NASA astronomy to their local communities. The year 2009 saw the launch of several space astronomy, heliophysics and planetary science missions. NASA developed IYA programs associated which each launch, to capitalize on the associated interest generated in the public. Some examples of the impact of these programs and building on their success beyond 2009 will be discussed in this talk. All NASA programs can be accessed via the website http://astronomy2009.nasa.gov/.

Managing Risk on a Technology Development Project/Advanced Mirror System Demonstrator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Byberg, Alicia; Russell, J. Kevin; Stahl, Phil (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The risk management study applied to the Advanced Mirror System Demonstrator (AMSD), a precursor mirror technology development for the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) is documented. The AMSD will be developed as a segment of a lightweight primary mirror system that can be produced at a low cost and with a short manufacturing schedule. The technology gained from the program will support the risk mitigation strategy for the NGST, as well as other government agency space mirror programs.

TOWARD A NETWORK OF FAINT DA WHITE DWARFS AS HIGH-PRECISION SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC STANDARDS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Narayan, G.; Matheson, T.; Saha, A.

We present the initial results from a program aimed at establishing a network of hot DA white dwarfs to serve as spectrophotometric standards for present and future wide-field surveys. These stars span the equatorial zone and are faint enough to be conveniently observed throughout the year with large-aperture telescopes. The spectra of these white dwarfs are analyzed in order to generate a non-local-thermodynamic-equilibrium model atmosphere normalized to Hubble Space Telescope colors, including adjustments for wavelength-dependent interstellar extinction. Once established, this standard star network will serve ground-based observatories in both hemispheres as well as space-based instrumentation from the UV to themore » near IR. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this concept and show how two different approaches to the problem using somewhat different assumptions produce equivalent results. We discuss the lessons learned and the resulting corrective actions applied to our program.« less

Origins Space Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooray, Asantha R.; Origins Space Telescope Study Team

2017-01-01

The Origins Space Telescope (OST) is the mission concept for the Far-Infrared Surveyor, a study in development by NASA in preparation for the 2020 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey. Origins is planned to be a large aperture, actively-cooled telescope covering a wide span of the mid- to far-infrared spectrum. Its spectrographs will enable 3D surveys of the sky that will discover and characterize the most distant galaxies, Milky-Way, exoplanets, and the outer reaches of our Solar system. Origins will enable flagship-quality general observing programs led by the astronomical community in the 2030s. The Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) would like to hear your science needs and ideas for this mission. The team can be contacted at firsurveyor_info@lists.ipac.caltech.edu. I will summarize the OST STDT, mission design and instruments, key science drivers, and the study plan over the next two years.

Updated Starshade Technology Gap List

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crill, Brendan P.; Siegler, Nicholas

2017-01-01

NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP) guides the development of technology that enables the direct imaging and characterization of exo-Earths in the habitable zone of their stars, for future space observatories. Here we present the Starshade portion of the 2017 ExEP Enabling Technology Gap List, an annual update to ExEP's list of of technology to be advanced in the next 1-5 years. A Starshade is an external occulter on an independent spacecraft, allowing a space telescope to achieve exo-Earth imaging contrast requirements by blocking starlight before it enters the telescope. Building and operating a Starshade requires new technology: the occulter is a structure tens of meters in diameter that must be positioned precisely at a distance of tens of thousands of kilometers from the telescope. We review the current state-of-the-art performance and the performance level that must be achieved for a Starshade.

New Details about Interstellar Visitor on This Week @NASA – November 24, 2017

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-11-24

New data reveal that the interstellar asteroid that recently zipped through our solar system is rocky, cigar-shaped, and has a somewhat reddish hue. It’s the first confirmed object from another star observed in our solar system, and was discovered Oct. 19 by the University of Hawaii’s Pan-STARRS1 telescope team, funded by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Observations Program. The telescope team named it ‘Oumuamua (oh MOO-uh MOO-uh) – Hawaiian for “a messenger from afar arriving first.” The unusually-shaped asteroid, which is up to a quarter mile long and perhaps 10 times as long as it is wide, may provide new clues into how other solar systems formed. Also, Advanced Weather Satellite Launched, James Webb Space Telescope Completes Final Cryogenic Testing, Recurring Martian Streaks: Flowing Sand, Not Water? and Happy Thanksgiving, from Space!

The rocky Soviet road to Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klaes, Larry

1990-08-01

The history of the Soviet space program is reviewed with particular attention given to the Soviet Mars exploration program. Missions of the Mars and Zond series and their exploration of Mars are described in detail, and the progress of the Soviet Mars exploration program is compared and contrasted with that of U.S. programs. Soviet space exploration in the 1980s is reviewed, noting that changes in political climate enabled more open discussion of the Phobos mission, which facilitated both international cooperation in assembling the craft and extensive U.S.-Soviet cooperation in the communications aspect of the probe through use of NASA's Deep Space Network of radio telescopes. The Phobos 1 and Phobos 2 missions are discussed and reasons for difficulties are analyzed; the future of the Soviet Mars program is reviewed.

Hubble Space Telescope: Cycle 1 calibration plan. Version 1.0

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stanley, Peggy (Editor); Blades, Chris (Editor)

1990-01-01

The framework for quantitative scientific analysis with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) will be established from a detailed calibration program, and a major responsibility of staff in the Telescope & Instruments Branch (TIB) is the development and maintenance of this calibration for the instruments and the telescope. The first in-orbit calibration will be performed by the SI Investigation Definition Teams (IDTs) during the Science Verification (SV) period in Cycle 0 (expected to start 3 months after launch and last for 5 months). Subsequently, instrument scientists in the TIB become responsible for all aspects of the calibration program. Because of the long lead times involved, TIB scientists have already formulated a calibration plan for the next observing period, Cycle 1 (expected to last a year after the end of SV), which has been reviewed and approved by the STScI Director. The purpose here is to describe the contents of this plan. Our primary aim has been to maintain through Cycle 1 the level of calibration that is anticipated by the end of SV. Anticipated accuracies are given here in tabular form - of course, these accuracies can only be best guesses because we do not know how each instrument will actually perform on-orbit. The calibration accuracies are expected to satisfy the normal needs of both the General Observers (GOs) and the Guaranteed Time Observers (GTOs).

Proposal to National Aeronautics and Space Administration for continuation of a grazing incidence imaging telescope for X-ray astronomy using sounding rockets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murray, B.

1976-01-01

The construction of a high resolution imaging telescope experiment payload suitable for launch on an Astrobee F sounding rocket was proposed. Also integration, launch, and subsequent data analysis effort were included. The payload utilizes major component subassemblies from the HEAO-B satellite program which were nonflight development units for that program. These were the X ray mirror and high resolution imager brassboard detector. The properties of the mirror and detector were discussed. The availability of these items for a sounding rocket experiment were explored with the HEAO-B project office.

Free-space laser communication technologies II; Proceedings of the Meeting, Los Angeles, CA, Jan. 15-17, 1990

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Begley, David L. (Editor); Seery, Bernard D. (Editor)

1990-01-01

Various papers on free-space laser communication technologies are presented. Individual topics addressed include: optical intersatellite link experiment between the earth station and ETS-VI, the Goddard optical communications program, technologies and techniques for lasercom terminal size, weight, and cost reduction, laser beam acquisition and tracking system for ETS-VI laser communication equipment, analog dividers for acquisition and tracking signal normalization, fine pointing mechanism using multilayered piezoelectric actuator for optical ISL system, analysis of SILEX tracking sensor performance, new telescope concept for space communication, telescope considered as a very high gain antenna, design of compact transceiver optical systems for optical intersatellite links, ultralightweight optics for laser communications, highly sensitive measurement method for stray light and retroreflected light, depolarization effects on free space laser transceiver communication systems, in-orbit measurements of microaccelerations of ESA's communication satellite Olympus, high-performance laser diode transmitter for optical free space communication, diode-pumped Nd:host laser transmitter for intersatellite optical communications, single-frequency diode-pumped laser for free-space communication.

NASA's Lunar Impact Monitoring Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Suggs, Robert M.; Cooke, William; Swift, Wesley; Hollon, Nicholas

2007-01-01

NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office nas implemented a program to monitor the Moon for meteoroid impacts from the Marshall Space Flight Center. Using off-the-shelf telescopes and video equipment, the moon is monitored for as many as 10 nights per month, depending on weather. Custom software automatically detects flashes which are confirmed by a second telescope, photometrically calibrated using background stars, and published on a website for correlation with other observations, Hypervelocity impact tests at the Ames Vertical Gun Facility have been performed to determine the luminous efficiency ana ejecta characteristics. The purpose of this research is to define the impact ejecta environment for use by lunar spacecraft designers of the Constellation (manned lunar) Program. The observational techniques and preliminary results will be discussed.

Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Straughn, Amber

2011-01-01

Over the past 20 years the Hubble Space Telescope has revolutionized our understanding of the Universe. Most recently, the complete refurbishment of Hubble in 2009 has given new life to the telescope and the new science instruments have already produced ground breaking science results, revealing some of the most distant galaxy candidates ever discovered. Despite the remarkable advances in astrophysics that Hubble has provided, the new questions that have arisen demand a new space telescope with new technologies and capabilities. I will present the exciting new technology development and science goals of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, which is currently being built and tested and will be launched this decade.

Leadership in Space: Selected Speeches of NASA Administrator Michael Griffin, May 2005 - October 2008

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Griffin, Michael

2008-01-01

Speech topics include: Leadership in Space; Space Exploration: Real and Acceptable Reasons; Why Explore Space?; Space Exploration: Filling up the Canvas; Continuing the Voyage: The Spirit of Endeavour; Incorporating Space into Our Economic Sphere of Influence; The Role of Space Exploration in the Global Economy; Partnership in Space Activities; International Space Cooperation; National Strategy and the Civil Space Program; What the Hubble Space Telescope Teaches Us about Ourselves; The Rocket Team; NASA's Direction; Science and NASA; Science Priorities and Program Management; NASA and the Commercial Space Industry; NASA and the Business of Space; American Competitiveness: NASA's Role & Everyone's Responsibility; Space Exploration: A Frontier for American Collaboration; The Next Generation of Engineers; System Engineering and the "Two Cultures" of Engineering; Generalship of Engineering; NASA and Engineering Integrity; The Constellation Architecture; Then and Now: Fifty Years in Space; The Reality of Tomorrow; and Human Space Exploration: The Next 50 Years.

Minimum Weight Design of a Leaf Spring Tapered in Thickness and Width for the Hubble Space Telescope-Space Support Equipment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rodriguez, P. I.

1990-01-01

A linear elastic solution to the problem of minimum weight design of cantilever beams with variable width and depth is presented. The solution shown is for the specific application of the Hubble Space Telescope maintenance mission hardware. During these maintenance missions, delicate instruments must be isolated from the potentially damaging vibration environment of the space shuttle cargo bay during the ascent and descent phases. The leaf springs are designed to maintain the isolation system natural frequency at a level where load transmission to the instruments in a minimum. Nonlinear programming is used for the optimization process. The weight of the beams is the objective function with the deflection and allowable bending stress as the constraint equations. The design variables are the width and depth of the beams at both the free and the fixed ends.

Applying artificial intelligence to the control of space telescopes (extended abstract)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Drummond, Mark; Swanson, Keith; Bresina, John; Philips, Andrew; Levinson, Rich

1992-01-01

The field of astronomy has recently benefited from the availability of space telescopes. The Hubble Space Telescope (HST), for instance, despite its problems, provides a unique and valuable view of the universe. However, unlike HST, a telescope need not be in low Earth orbit to escape our thickening atmosphere: it is currently technologically feasible to put a telescope on the moon, and there are excellent reasons for doing this. Either in low Earth orbit or on the moon, a space telescope represents an expensive and sought-after resource. Thus, the planning, scheduling, and control of these telescopes is an important problem that must be seriously studied.

Advances in Telescope and Detector Technologies - Impacts on the Study and Understanding of Binary Star and Exoplanet Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guinan, Edward F.; Engle, Scott; Devinney, Edward J.

2012-04-01

Current and planned telescope systems (both on the ground and in space) as well as new technologies will be discussed with emphasis on their impact on the studies of binary star and exoplanet systems. Although no telescopes or space missions are primarily designed to study binary stars (what a pity!), several are available (or will be shortly) to study exoplanet systems. Nonetheless those telescopes and instruments can also be powerful tools for studying binary and variable stars. For example, early microlensing missions (mid-1990s) such as EROS, MACHO and OGLE were initially designed for probing dark matter in the halos of galaxies but, serendipitously, these programs turned out to be a bonanza for the studies of eclipsing binaries and variable stars in the Magellanic Clouds and in the Galactic Bulge. A more recent example of this kind of serendipity is the Kepler Mission. Although Kepler was designed to discover exoplanet transits (and so far has been very successful, returning many planetary candidates), Kepler is turning out to be a ``stealth'' stellar astrophysics mission returning fundamentally important and new information on eclipsing binaries, variable stars and, in particular, providing a treasure trove of data of all types of pulsating stars suitable for detailed Asteroseismology studies. With this in mind, current and planned telescopes and networks, new instruments and techniques (including interferometers) are discussed that can play important roles in our understanding of both binary star and exoplanet systems. Recent advances in detectors (e.g. laser frequency comb spectrographs), telescope networks (both small and large - e.g. Super-WASP, HAT-net, RoboNet, Las Combres Observatory Global Telescope (LCOGT) Network), wide field (panoramic) telescope systems (e.g. Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) and Pan-Starrs), huge telescopes (e.g. the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), the Overwhelming Large Telescope (OWL) and the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT)), and space missions, such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the possible NASA Explorer Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS - recently approved for further study) and Gaia (due for launch during 2013) will all be discussed. Also highlighted are advances in interferometers (both on the ground and from space) and imaging now possible at sub-millimeter wavelengths from the Extremely Long Array (ELVA) and Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA). High precision Doppler spectroscopy, for example with HARPS, HIRES and more recently the Carnegie Planet Finder Spectrograph, are currently returning RVs typically better than ~2-m/s for some brighter exoplanet systems. But soon it should be possible to measure Doppler shifts as small as ~10-cm/s - sufficiently sensitive for detecting Earth-size planets. Also briefly discussed is the impact these instruments will have on the study of eclipsing binaries, along with future possibilities of utilizing methods from the emerging field of Astroinformatics, including: the Virtual Observatory (VO) and the possibilities of analyzing these huge datasets using Neural Network (NN) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies.

Application of Peterson's stray light model to complex optical instruments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fray, S.; Goepel, M.; Kroneberger, M.

2016-07-01

Gary L. Peterson (Breault Research Organization) presented a simple analytical model for in- field stray light evaluation of axial optical systems. We exploited this idea for more complex optical instruments of the Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) mission. For the Flexible Combined Imager (FCI) we evaluated the in-field stray light of its three-mirroranastigmat telescope, while for the Infrared Sounder (IRS) we performed an end-to-end analysis including the front telescope, interferometer and back telescope assembly and the cold optics. A comparison to simulations will be presented. The authors acknowledge the support by ESA and Thales Alenia Space through the MTG satellites program.

X-Ray Optics at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

O'Dell, Stephen L.; Atkins, Carolyn; Broadway, David M.; Elsner, Ronald F.; Gaskin, Jessica A.; Gubarev, Mikhail V.; Kilaru, Kiranmayee; Kolodziejczak, Jeffery J.; Ramsey, Brian D.; Roche, Jacqueline M.;

Incorporating LWIR Data into Multi-Frame Blind Deconvolution of Visible Imagery

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-18

18.7% 10% 12% Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (GLAST) 19.7% 50% 19% Hubble Space Telescope (HST) (Night 1) 39.9% 20% 15% Iridium 82 14.4% 40% 9...LEO Satellite name Δ Δ ΔMM Delta 1 Rocket Body 12.8% 10% 7% Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (GLAST) 4.3% 10% 6% Hubble Space Telescope (HST) (Night...2) 21.4% 20% -4% Hubble Space Telescope (HST) (Night 3) 41.4% 30% 1% (a) (b) (c) Fig. 3. (a) LWIR image of HST, (b) LWIR image converted

A Scientific Revolution: the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gardner, Jonathan P.

2011-01-01

Astronomy is going through a scientific revolution, responding to a flood of data from the Hubble Space Telescope, other space missions, and large telescopes on the ground. In this talk, I will discuss some of the most important astronomical discoveries of the last 10 years, and the role that space telescopes have played in those discoveries. The next decade looks equally bright with the newly refurbished Hubble and the promise of its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope. I will describe how Hubble was upgraded and how and why we are building Webb.

A Scientific Revolution: The Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gardner, Jonathan

2011-01-01

Astronomy is going through a scientific revolution, responding to a flood of data from the Hubble Space Telescope, other space missions, and large telescopes on the ground. In this talk, I will discuss some of the most important astronomical discoveries of the last 10 years, and the role that space telescopes have played in those discoveries. The next decade looks equally bright with the newly refurbished Hubble and the promise of its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope. I will describe how Hubble was upgraded and how and why we are building Webb.

A Scientific Revolution: The Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gardner, Jonathan P.

2009-01-01

Astronomy is going through a scientific revolution, responding to a flood of data from the Hubble Space Telescope, other space missions, and large telescopes on the ground. In this talk, I will discuss the top 10 astronomical discoveries of the last 10 years, and the role that space telescopes have played in those discoveries. The next decade looks equally bright with the newly refurbished Hubble and the promise of its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope. I will describe how Hubble was upgraded and how and why we are building Webb.

A Scientific Revolution: the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gardner, Jonathan P.

2012-01-01

Astronomy is going through a scientific revolution, responding to a flood of data from the Hubble Space Telescope, other space missions, and large telescopes on the ground. In this talk, I will discuss some of the most important astronomical discoveries of the last IO years, and the role that space telescopes have played in those discoveries. The next decade looks equally bright with the newly refurbished Hubble and the promise of its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope. I will describe how Hubble was upgraded and how and why we are building Webb.

Space Studies Board Annual Report 1994

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

The following summaries of major reports are presented: (1) 'Scientific Opportunities in the Human Exploration of Space;' (2) 'A Space Physics Paradox;' (3) 'An Integrated Strategy for the Planetary Sciences;' and (4) 'ONR (Office of Naval Research) Research Opportunities in Upper Atmospheric Sciences.' Short reports on the following topics are also presented: life and microgravity sciences and the Space Station Program, the Space Infrared Telescope Facility and the Stratospheric Observatory for infrared astronomy, the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility and Cassini Saturn Probe, and the utilization of the Space Station.

Mars Telescopic Observations Workshop II

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sprague, A. L. (Editor); Bell, J. F., III (Editor)

1997-01-01

Mars Telescopic Observations Workshop E convened in Tucson, Arizona, in October 1997 by popular demand slightly over two years following the first successful Mars Telescopic Observations Workshop, held in Ithaca, New York, in August 1995. Experts on Mars from the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, and the United States were present. Twenty-eight oral presentations were made and generous time allotted for useful discussions among participants. The goals of the workshop were to (1) summarize active groundbased observing programs and evaluate them in the context of current and future space missions to Mars, (2) discuss new technologies and instrumentation in the context of changing emphasis of observations and theory useful for groundbased observing, and (3) more fully understand capabilities of current and planned Mars missions to better judge which groundbased observations are and will continue to be of importance to our overall Mars program. In addition, the exciting new discoveries presented from the Pathfinder experiments and the progress report from the Mars Global Surveyor infused the participants with satisfaction for the successes achieved in the early stages of these missions. Just as exciting was the enthusiasm for new groundbased programs designed to address new challenges resulting from mission science results. We would like to thank the National Aeronautics and Space Administration as well as Dr. David Black, director of the Lunar and Planetary Institute, and the staff of the Institute's Publications and Program Services Department for providing logistical, administrative, and publication support services for this workshop.

Rapid Cadence Collections with the Space Surveillance Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monet, David G.; Axelrod, T.; Blake, T.; Claver, C. F.; Lupton, R.; Pearce, E.; Shah, R.; Woods, D.

2013-01-01

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has constructed the 3.5-m Space Surveillance Telescope (SST) on North Oscura Peak in the White Sands Missle Range in New Mexico. The primary goal of the SST program is the monitoring of the Earth's geosynchronous belt for microsatellites and debris. DARPA has announced that SST may also provide the science community a unique asset for astronomical surveys. This paper presents preliminary results from rapid cadence science collections (1.0-sec exposures every 2.5-sec) of a 9.5 square degree area centered near the open cluster M67. The goal of this survey is to find and study astronomical objects whose brightness varies over these short time scales.

A natural language query system for Hubble Space Telescope proposal selection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hornick, Thomas; Cohen, William; Miller, Glenn

1987-01-01

The proposal selection process for the Hubble Space Telescope is assisted by a robust and easy to use query program (TACOS). The system parses an English subset language sentence regardless of the order of the keyword phases, allowing the user a greater flexibility than a standard command query language. Capabilities for macro and procedure definition are also integrated. The system was designed for flexibility in both use and maintenance. In addition, TACOS can be applied to any knowledge domain that can be expressed in terms of a single reaction. The system was implemented mostly in Common LISP. The TACOS design is described in detail, with particular attention given to the implementation methods of sentence processing.

Structural, Thermal, and Optical Performance (STOP) Modeling and Results for the James Webb Space Telescope Integrated Science Instrument Module

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gracey, Renee; Bartoszyk, Andrew; Cofie, Emmanuel; Comber, Brian; Hartig, George; Howard, Joseph; Sabatke, Derek; Wenzel, Greg; Ohl, Raymond

2016-01-01

The James Webb Space Telescope includes the Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM) element that contains four science instruments (SI) including a Guider. We performed extensive structural, thermal, and optical performance(STOP) modeling in support of all phases of ISIM development. In this paper, we focus on modeling and results associated with test and verification. ISIMs test program is bound by ground environments, mostly notably the 1g and test chamber thermal environments. This paper describes STOP modeling used to predict ISIM system performance in 0g and at various on-orbit temperature environments. The predictions are used to project results obtained during testing to on-orbit performance.

Wide-Field InfraRed Survey Telescope WFIRST

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Green, J.; Schechter, P.; Baltay, C.; Bean, R.; Bennett, D.; Brown, R.; Conselice, C.; Donahue, M.; Fan, X.; Rauscher, B.;

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA's Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) lifts off from Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, on Aug. 25 at 1:35:39 a.m. EDT. SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Consisting of a 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF will be the largest infrared telescope ever launched into space. It is the fourth and final element in NASA’s family of orbiting “Great Observatories.” Its highly sensitive instruments will give a unique view of the Universe and peer into regions of space that are hidden from optical telescopes.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-08-25

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - NASA's Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) lifts off from Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, on Aug. 25 at 1:35:39 a.m. EDT. SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Consisting of a 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF will be the largest infrared telescope ever launched into space. It is the fourth and final element in NASA’s family of orbiting “Great Observatories.” Its highly sensitive instruments will give a unique view of the Universe and peer into regions of space that are hidden from optical telescopes.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) waits for encapsulation. SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Consisting of a 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF will be the largest infrared telescope ever launched into space. It is the fourth and final element in NASA’s family of orbiting “Great Observatories.” Its highly sensitive instruments will give a unique view of the Universe and peer into regions of space that are hidden from optical telescopes.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-08-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) waits for encapsulation. SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Consisting of a 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF will be the largest infrared telescope ever launched into space. It is the fourth and final element in NASA’s family of orbiting “Great Observatories.” Its highly sensitive instruments will give a unique view of the Universe and peer into regions of space that are hidden from optical telescopes.

KSC-04pd0997

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Kathryn D. Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space, is one of five space program heroes inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. Other inductees were Norman E. Thagard, the first American to occupy Russia’s Mir space station; the late Francis R. "Dick" Scobee, commander of the ill-fated 1986 Challenger mission; Richard O. Covey, commander of the Hubble Space Telescope repair mission; and Frederick D. Gregory, the first African-American to command a space mission and the current NASA deputy administrator. The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame opened in 1990 to provide a place where space travelers could be remembered for their participation and accomplishments in the U.S. space program. To be eligible for induction, an individual must have been a U.S. citizen, a NASA astronaut, and out of the active astronaut corps at least five years. The five inductees join 52 previously honored astronauts from the ranks of the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, and Space Shuttle programs.

KSC-04pd0996

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Richard O. Covey, commander of the Hubble Space Telescope repair mission, is one of five space program heroes inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. Other inductees were Norman E. Thagard, the first American to occupy Russia’s Mir space station; the late Francis R. "Dick" Scobee, commander of the ill-fated 1986 Challenger mission; Kathryn D. Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space; and Frederick D. Gregory, the first African-American to command a space mission and the current NASA deputy administrator. The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame opened in 1990 to provide a place where space travelers could be remembered for their participation and accomplishments in the U.S. space program. To be eligible for induction, an individual must have been a U.S. citizen, a NASA astronaut, and out of the active astronaut corps at least five years. The five inductees join 52 previously honored astronauts from the ranks of the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, and Space Shuttle programs.

Oversight: Space Telescope, 1982

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

The oversight hearing of the House subcommittee on Space Science and Applications concerning the development of the Space Telescope is presented. Plans for future utilization of the telescope are discussed.

STS-61 Crew Members Sign Autographs in MSFC's Morris Auditorium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

STS-61 astronauts Kathryn Thornton, Jeffrey Hoffman and Thomas Akers (standing) sign autographs in Marshall Space Flight Center's Morris Auditorium, January 19, 1994. Space Shuttle crews traditionally visited NASA field centers following each mission to present mission highlights and recognize employees who made contributions to the Shuttle program. Many of the techniques used during the STS-61 Hubble Space Telescope Servicing mission were rehearsed at the Center's Neutral Buoyancy Simulator.

NASA's future plans for space astronomy and astrophysics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaplan, Michael S.

1992-01-01

NASA's plans in the field of space astronomy and astrophysics through the first decade of the next century are reviewed with reference to specific missions and mission concepts. The missions discussed include the Space Infrared Telescope Facility, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, the Submillimeter Intermediate Mission, the Astrometric Interferometry Mission, the Greater Observatories program, and Mission from Planet Earth. Plans to develop optics and sensors technology to enable these missions are also discussed.

GESE: a small UV space telescope to conduct a large spectroscopic survey of z˜1 Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heap, Sara R.; Gong, Qian; Hull, Tony; Kruk, Jeffrey; Purves, Lloyd

2014-11-01

One of the key goals of NASA's astrophysics program is to answer the question: How did galaxies evolve into the spirals and elliptical galaxies that we see today? We describe a space mission concept called Galaxy Evolution Spectroscopic Explorer (GESE) to address this question by making a large spectroscopic survey of galaxies at a redshift, z˜1 (look-back time of ˜8 billion years). GESE is a 1.5-m space telescope with an ultraviolet (UV) multi-object slit spectrograph that can obtain spectra of hundreds of galaxies per exposure. The spectrograph covers the spectral range, 0.2-0.4 μm at a spectral resolving power, R˜500. This observed spectral range corresponds to 0.1-0.2 μm as emitted by a galaxy at a redshift, z=1. The mission concept takes advantage of two new technological advances: (1) light-weighted, wide-field telescope mirrors, and (2) the Next-Generation MicroShutter Array (NG-MSA) to be used as a slit generator in the multi-object slit spectrograph.

Origins Space Telescope: Study Plan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nayyeri, Hooshang; Cooray, Asantha; Origins Space Telescope Study Team

2018-01-01

The Origins Space Telescope (OST) is the mission concept for the Far-Infrared Surveyor, a study in development by NASA in preparation for the 2020 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey. Origins is planned to be a large aperture, actively-cooled telescope covering a wide span of the mid- to far-infrared spectrum. Its spectrographs will enable 3D surveys of the sky that will discover and characterize the most distant galaxies, Milky-Way, exoplanets, and the outer reaches of our Solar system. Origins will enable flagship-quality general observing programs led by the astronomical community in the 2030s. The Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) would like to hear your science needs and ideas for this mission. The team can be contacted at firsurveyor_info@lists.ipac.caltech.edu. This presentation will provide a summary of the OST STDT, the OST Study Team based at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, study partners, and the advisory panel to the study. This presentation will also summarize recent activities, including the process used to reach a decision on the mission architecture, the identification of key science drivers, and the key study milestones between 2017 and 2020.

A stochastic model for photon noise induced by charged particles in multiplier phototubes of the space telescope fine guidance sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Howell, L. W.; Kennel, H. F.

1984-01-01

The Space Telescope (ST) is subjected to charged particle strikes in its space environment. ST's onboard fine guidance sensors utilize multiplier phototubes (PMT) for attitude determination. These tubes, when subjected to charged particle strikes, generate spurious photons in the form of Cerenkov radiation and fluorescence which give rise to unwanted disturbances in the pointing of the telescope. A stochastic model for the number of these spurious photons which strike the photocathode of the multiplier phototube which in turn produce the unwanted photon noise are presented. The model is applicable to both galactic cosmic rays and charged particles trapped in the Earth's radiation belts. The model which was programmed allows for easy adaption to a wide range of particles and different parameters for the phototube of the multiplier. The probability density functions for photons noise caused by protons, alpha particles, and carbon nuclei were using thousands of simulated strikes. These distributions are used as part of an overall ST dynamics simulation. The sensitivity of the density function to changes in the window parameters was also investigated.

Stochastic model for photon noise induced by charged particles in multiplier phototubes of the Hubble Space Telescope fine guidance sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Howell, L. W.; Kennel, H. F.

1986-01-01

The Space Telescope (ST) is subjected to charged particle strikes in its space environment. ST's onboard fine guidance sensors utilize multiplier phototubes (PMT) for attitude determination. These tubes, when subjected to charged particle strikes, generate spurious photons in the form of Cerenkov radiation and fluorescence which give rise to unwanted disturbances in the pointing of the telescope. A stochastic model for the number of these spurious photons which strike the photocathodes of the multiplier phototube which in turn produce the unwanted photon noise are presented. The model is applicable to both galactic cosmic rays and charged particles trapped in the earth's radiation belts. The model which was programmed allows for easy adaption to a wide range of particles and different parameters for the phototube of the multiplier. The probability density functions for photons noise caused by protons, alpha particles, and carbon nuclei were using thousands of simulated strikes. These distributions are used as part of an overall ST dynamics simulation. The sensitivity of the density function to changes in the window parameters was also investigated.

GESE: A Small UV Space Telescope to Conduct a Large Spectroscopic Survey of Z-1 Galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heap, Sara R.; Gong, Qian; Hull, Tony; Kruk, Jeffrey; Purves, Lloyd

2013-01-01

One of the key goals of NASA's astrophysics program is to answer the question: How did galaxies evolve into the spirals and elliptical galaxies that we see today? We describe a space mission concept called Galaxy Evolution Spectroscopic Explorer (GESE) to address this question by making a large spectroscopic survey of galaxies at a redshift, z is approximately 1 (look-back time of approximately 8 billion years). GESE is a 1.5-meter space telescope with an ultraviolet (UV) multi-object slit spectrograph that can obtain spectra of hundreds of galaxies per exposure. The spectrograph covers the spectral range, 0.2-0.4 micrometers at a spectral resolving power, R approximately 500. This observed spectral range corresponds to 0.1-0.2 micrometers as emitted by a galaxy at a redshift, z=1. The mission concept takes advantage of two new technological advances: (1) light-weighted, wide-field telescope mirrors, and (2) the Next- Generation MicroShutter Array (NG-MSA) to be used as a slit generator in the multi-object slit spectrograph.

Origins Space Telescope: Study Plan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooray, Asantha R.; Origins Space Telescope Study Team

2017-01-01

The Origins Space Telescope (OST) is the mission concept for the Far-Infrared Surveyor, a study in development by NASA in preparation for the 2020 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey. Origins is planned to be a large aperture, actively-cooled telescope covering a wide span of the mid- to far-infrared spectrum. Its spectrographs will enable 3D surveys of the sky that will discover and characterize the most distant galaxies, Milky-Way, exoplanets, and the outer reaches of our Solar system. Origins will enable flagship-quality general observing programs led by the astronomical community in the 2030s. The Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) would like to hear your science needs and ideas for this mission. The team can be contacted at firsurveyor_info@lists.ipac.caltech.edu. This presentation will provide a summary of the OST STDT, the OST Study Team based at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, study partners, and the advisory panel to the study. This presentation will also summarize recent activities, including the process used to reach a decision on the mission architecture, the identification of key science drivers, and the key study milestones between 2017 and 2020.

Why Space Telescopes Are Amazing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rigby, Jane R.

2012-01-01

One of humanity's best ideas has been to put telescopes in space. The dark stillness of space allows telescopes to perform much better than they can on even the darkest and clearest of Earth's mountaintops. In addition, from space we can detect colors of light, like X-rays and gamma rays, that are blocked by the Earth's atmosphere I'll talk about NASA's team of great observatories: the Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, and Chandra X-ray Observatory} and how they've worked together to answer key questions: When did the stars form? Is there really dark matter? Is the universe really expanding ever faster and faster?

Modeling the space debris environment with MASTER-2009 and ORDEM2010

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flegel, Sven Kevin; Krisko, Paula; Gelhaus, Johannes; Wiedemann, Carsten; Moeckel, Marek; Krag, Holger; Klinkrad, Heiner; Xu, Yu-Lin; Horstman, Matthew; Matney, Mark; Vörsmann, Peter

The two software tools MASTER-2009 and ORDEM2010 are the ESA and NASA reference software tools respectively which describe the earth's debris environment. The primary goal of both programs is to allow users to estimate the object flux onto a target object for mission planning. The current paper describes the basic distinctions in the model philosophies. At the core of each model lies the method by which the object environment is established. Cen-tral to this process is the role played by the results from radar/telescope observations or impact fluxes on surfaces returned from earth orbit. The ESA Meteoroid and Space Debris Terrestrial Environment Reference Model (MASTER) is engineered to give a realistic description of the natural and the man-made particulate environment of the earth. Debris sources are simulated based on detailed lists of known historical events such as fragmentations or solid rocket motor firings or through simulation of secondary debris such as impact ejecta or the release of paint flakes from degrading spacecraft surfaces. The resulting population is then validated against historical telescope/radar campaigns using the ESA Program for Radar and Optical Observa-tion Forecasting (PROOF) and against object impact fluxes on surfaces returned from space. The NASA Orbital Debris Engineering Model (ORDEM) series is designed to provide reliable estimates of orbital debris flux on spacecraft and through telescope or radar fields-of-view. Central to the model series is the empirical nature of the input populations. These are derived from NASA orbital debris modeling but verified, where possible, with measurement data from various sources. The latest version of the series, ORDEM2010, compiles over two decades of data from NASA radar systems, telescopes, in-situ sources, and ground tests that are analyzed by statistical methods. For increased understanding of the application ranges of the two programs, the current paper provides an overview of the two models' main program features and the methods by which simulation results are presented. This paper is written in a combined effort by ESA and NASA.

The James Webb Space Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mather, John

2003-01-01

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will extend the discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope by deploying a large cooled infrared telescope at the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L2. It will have a 6 m aperture and three instruments covering the wavelength range from 0.6 to 28 microns.

The Search for Life Beyond Earth

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-07-14

Matt Mountain, Director of the Space Telescope Science Institute and telescope scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope, speaks during a panel discussion on the search for life beyond Earth in the James E. Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters on Monday, July 14, 2014 in Washington, DC. The panel discussed how NASA's space-based observatories are making new discoveries and how the agency's new telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope, will continue this path of discovery after its schedule launch in 2018. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

A Common Lunar Lander (CLL) for the Space Exploration Initiative

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bailey, Stephen

1991-01-01

Information is given in viewgraph form on the Artemis project, a plan to establish a permanent base on the Moon. Information includes a summary of past and future events, the program rationale, a summary of potential payloads, the physical characteristics of experiments, sketches of equipment, design study objectives, and details of such payloads as the Geophysical Station Network, teleoperated rovers, astronomical telescopes, a Moon-Earth radio interferometer, very low frequency radio antennas, the Lunar Polar Crater Telescope, Lunar Resource Utilization Experiments, and biological experiments.

Research of advanced techniques for X-ray detectors and telescopes with applications to rockets and the LAMAR facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gorenstein, P.

1985-01-01

A program for the development of high throughput instrumentation for X-ray astronomy based upon focusing optics is being carried out by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. The instrumentation is applicable to investigations requiring large area focusing optics for direct imaging or dispersive spectroscopy. The long range goals of this program are the development of telescopes and gratings for future major X-ray astronomy facilities, including additions to the LAMAR OSS-2/SHEAL experiment after the initial flights. Tests of the devices and their more immediate utilization in scientific investigations can be carried out with SPARTAN payloads deployed and retrieved by the Space Shuttle. However, the present backlog of approved SPARTAN missions is longer than the three-year duration of the program described in this program. Laboratory studies and breadboarding of instrumentation are discussed.

Origins Space Telescope: Planet-forming disks and exoplanets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pontoppidan, Klaus; Origins Space Telescope Study Team

2017-01-01

The Origins Space Telescope (OST) is the mission concept for the Far-Infrared Surveyor, a study in development by NASA in preparation for the 2020 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey. Origins is planned to be a large aperture, actively-cooled telescope covering a wide span of the mid- to far-infrared spectrum. Its imagers and spectrographs will enable a variety of surveys of the sky that will discover and characterize the most distant galaxies, Milky-Way, exoplanets, and the outer reaches of our Solar system. Origins will enable flagship-quality general observing programs led by the astronomical community in the 2030s. The Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) would like to hear your science needs and ideas for this mission. The team can be contacted at firsurveyor_info@lists.ipac.caltech.edu. This presentation will provide a summary of the science case related to planet formation and exoplanets. Leveraging orders of magnitude of improvements in sensitivity, the Origins Telescope will reveal the path of water from the interstellar medium to the inner regions of planet-forming disks, and determine the total masses of disks around stars across the stellar mass range out to distances of 500 pc. It will measure the temperatures and search for basic chemical ingredients for life on rocky planets. Beyond this, the Origins Telescope will open a vast discovery space in the general areas of star formation, protoplanetary and debris disks, and cool exoplanets in habitable zones.

STS-109 Onboard Photo of Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

This is an onboard photo of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) power control unit (PCU), the heart of the HST's power system. STS-109 payload commander John M. Grunsfeld, joined by Astronaut Richard M. Lirnehan, turned off the telescope in order to replace its PCU while participating in the third of five spacewalks dedicated to servicing and upgrading the HST. Other upgrades performed were: replacement of the solar array panels; replacement of the Faint Object Camera (FOC) with a new advanced camera for Surveys (ACS); and installation of the experimental cooling system for the Hubble's Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS), which had been dormant since January 1999 when its original coolant ran out. The telescope was captured and secured on a work stand in Columbia's payload bay using Columbia's robotic arm, where crew members completed the system upgrades. The Marshall Space Flight Center had the responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the HST, which is the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made, to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit. The HST detects objects 25 times fainter than the dimmest objects seen from Earth and provides astronomers with an observable universe 250 times larger than is visible from ground-based telescopes, perhaps as far away as 14 billion light-years. Launched March 1, 2002 the STS-109 HST servicing mission lasted 10 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes. It was the 108th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

STS-103 perfect night-time landing for Space Shuttle Discovery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

The orbiter Discovery looks like a blue ghost as it drops from the darkness onto lighted runway 33 at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility. After traveling more than 3,267,000 miles on a successful eight-day mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope, the orbiter touches down at 7:00:47 p.m. EST. Aboard are Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr., Pilot Scott J. Kelly, and Mission Specialists Steven L. Smith, C. Michael Foale (Ph.D.), John M. Grunsfeld (Ph.D.), Claude Nicollier of Switzerland and Jean-Frangois Clervoy of France, who spent the Christmas holiday in space in order to accomplish their mission before the end of 1999. During the mission, Discovery's four space-walking astronauts, Smith, Foale, Grunsfeld and Nicollier, spent 24 hours and 33 minutes upgrading and refurbishing Hubble, making it more capable than ever to renew its observations of the universe. Mission objectives included replacing gyroscopes and an old computer, installing another solid state recorder, and replacing damaged insulation in the telescope. Hubble was released from the end of Discovery's robot arm on Christmas Day. This was the 96th flight in the Space Shuttle program and the 27th for the orbiter Discovery. The landing was the 20th consecutive Shuttle landing in Florida and the 13th night landing in Shuttle program history.

KSC-99pp1511

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-12-27

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The orbiter Discovery looks like a blue ghost as it drops from the darkness onto lighted runway 33 at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility. After traveling more than 3,267,000 miles on a successful eight-day mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope, the orbiter touches down at 7:00:47 p.m. EST. Aboard are Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr., Pilot Scott J. Kelly, and Mission Specialists Steven L. Smith, C. Michael Foale (Ph.D.), John M. Grunsfeld (Ph.D.), Claude Nicollier of Switzerland and Jean-François Clervoy of France, who spent the Christmas holiday in space in order to accomplish their mission before the end of 1999. During the mission, Discovery's four space-walking astronauts, Smith, Foale, Grunsfeld and Nicollier, spent 24 hours and 33 minutes upgrading and refurbishing Hubble, making it more capable than ever to renew its observations of the universe. Mission objectives included replacing gyroscopes and an old computer, installing another solid state recorder, and replacing damaged insulation in the telescope. Hubble was released from the end of Discovery's robot arm on Christmas Day. This was the 96th flight in the Space Shuttle program and the 27th for the orbiter Discovery. The landing was the 20th consecutive Shuttle landing in Florida and the 13th night landing in Shuttle program history

Members of House Committee on Science and Astronautics Visited MSFC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1962-01-01

The members of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics visited the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) on March 9, 1962 to gather firsthand information of the nation's space exploration program. The congressional group was composed of members of the Subcommittee on Manned Space Flight. They were briefed on MSFC's manned space efforts earlier in the day and then inspected mockups of the Saturn I Workshop and the Apollo Telescope Mount, two projects developed by MSFC for the post-Apollo program. Pictured left-to-right are Dieter Grau, MSFC; Konrad Dannenberg, MSFC; James G. Fulton, Republican representative for Pennsylvania; Joe Waggoner, Democratic representative for Louisiana; and Dr. Wernher von Braun, Director of MSFC.

Artificial intelligence in astronomy - a forecast.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adorf, H. M.

Since several years artificial intelligence techniques are being actively used in astronomy, particularly within the Hubble Space Telescope project. This contribution reviews achievements, analyses some problems of using artificial intelligence in an astronomical environment, and projects current AI programming trends into the future.

Science at the Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

White, Nicholas E.

2012-01-01

The Sciences and Exploration Directorate of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is the largest Earth and space science research organization in the world. Its scientists advance understanding of the Earth and its life-sustaining environment, the Sun, the solar system, and the wider universe beyond. Researchers in the Sciences and Exploration Directorate work with engineers, computer programmers, technologists, and other team members to develop the cutting-edge technology needed for space-based research. Instruments are also deployed on aircraft, balloons, and Earth's surface. I will give an overview of the current research activities and programs at GSFC including the James Web Space Telescope (JWST), future Earth Observing programs, experiments that are exploring our solar system and studying the interaction of the Sun with the Earth's magnetosphere.

Fabrication of MgF2 and LiF windows for the Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gormley, Daphne; Bottema, Murk; Darnell, Barbara; Fowler, Walter; Medenica, Walter

1988-01-01

Two prototype test windows (MgF2 and LiF) to be used on the 75-mm UV MAMA detector tubes for the Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph are described. The spatial and optical constraints of this instrument dictate that the thickness of the window materials be no greater than 2-3 mm to achieve a minimum 50-percent transmission at hydrogen Lyman alpha (121.6 nm), and that the window must be domed to minimize optical aberrations and provide structural strength. The detector window has an input diameter of about 100 mm with a radius-of-curvature of 70 mm. The manufacturing processes involved in the fabrication of these windows is discussed, as well as test programs (optical and structural) to be performed at Goddard Space Flight Center.

Current and Near-Term Future Measurements of the Orbital Debris Environment at NASA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stansbery, Gene; Liou, J.-C.; Mulrooney, M.; Horstman, M

2010-01-01

The NASA Orbital Debris Program Office places great emphasis on obtaining and understanding direct measurements of the orbital debris environment. The Orbital Debris Program Office's environmental models are all based on these measurements. Because OD measurements must cover a very wide range of sizes and altitudes, one technique realistically cannot be used for all measurements. In general, radar measurements have been used for lower altitudes and optical measurements for higher altitude orbits. For very small debris, in situ measurements such as returned spacecraft surfaces are utilized. In addition to receiving information from large debris (> 5-10 cm diameter) from the U.S. Space Surveillance Network, NASA conducts statistical measurements of the debris population for smaller sizes. NASA collects data from the Haystack and Goldstone radars for debris in low Earth orbit as small as 2- 4 mm diameter and from the Michigan Orbital DEbris Survey Telescope for debris near geosynchronous orbit altitude for sizes as small as 30-60 cm diameter. NASA is also currently examining the radiator panel of the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 which was exposed to space for 16 years and was recently returned to Earth during the STS- 125 Space Shuttle mission. This paper will give an overview of these on-going measurement programs at NASA as well as discuss progress and plans for new instruments and techniques in the near future.

"50 Cents, 50 Years": Finding the Value of the Space Program on the Back of a Quarter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horack, John M.

2008-01-01

Brief presentation highlighting the accomplishments of NASA upon its 50th anniversary. NASA's first manned space flight, voyage to the moon, planetary exploration, space station construction, international cooperation, space habitat construction and the deployment of multiple satellites including the Hubble Space Telescope, Gamma Ray Observatory, Magellan and Galileo. More recent efforts include the construction of the Ares transportation system and a return to human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit. The author also urges for continued space exploration via the National Space Policy through the authorization of Congress.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers move the first half of the fairing around the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) behind it for encapsulation. SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Consisting of a 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF will be the largest infrared telescope ever launched into space. It is the fourth and final element in NASA’s family of orbiting “Great Observatories.” Its highly sensitive instruments will give a unique view of the Universe and peer into regions of space that are hidden from optical telescopes.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-08-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers move the first half of the fairing around the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) behind it for encapsulation. SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Consisting of a 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF will be the largest infrared telescope ever launched into space. It is the fourth and final element in NASA’s family of orbiting “Great Observatories.” Its highly sensitive instruments will give a unique view of the Universe and peer into regions of space that are hidden from optical telescopes.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the top of the fairing is seen as it moves into place around the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF). SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Consisting of a 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF will be the largest infrared telescope ever launched into space. It is the fourth and final element in NASA’s family of orbiting “Great Observatories.” Its highly sensitive instruments will give a unique view of the Universe and peer into regions of space that are hidden from optical telescopes.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-08-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the top of the fairing is seen as it moves into place around the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF). SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Consisting of a 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF will be the largest infrared telescope ever launched into space. It is the fourth and final element in NASA’s family of orbiting “Great Observatories.” Its highly sensitive instruments will give a unique view of the Universe and peer into regions of space that are hidden from optical telescopes.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first half of the fairing is moved around the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF). SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Consisting of a 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF will be the largest infrared telescope ever launched into space. It is the fourth and final element in NASA’s family of orbiting “Great Observatories.” Its highly sensitive instruments will give a unique view of the Universe and peer into regions of space that are hidden from optical telescopes.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-08-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first half of the fairing is moved around the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF). SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Consisting of a 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF will be the largest infrared telescope ever launched into space. It is the fourth and final element in NASA’s family of orbiting “Great Observatories.” Its highly sensitive instruments will give a unique view of the Universe and peer into regions of space that are hidden from optical telescopes.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first half of the fairing (background) moves toward the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (foreground) for encapsulation. SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Consisting of a 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF will be the largest infrared telescope ever launched into space. It is the fourth and final element in NASA’s family of orbiting “Great Observatories.” Its highly sensitive instruments will give a unique view of the Universe and peer into regions of space that are hidden from optical telescopes.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-08-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first half of the fairing (background) moves toward the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (foreground) for encapsulation. SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Consisting of a 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF will be the largest infrared telescope ever launched into space. It is the fourth and final element in NASA’s family of orbiting “Great Observatories.” Its highly sensitive instruments will give a unique view of the Universe and peer into regions of space that are hidden from optical telescopes.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers watch as the first half of the fairing moves closer around the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF). SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Consisting of a 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF will be the largest infrared telescope ever launched into space. It is the fourth and final element in NASA’s family of orbiting “Great Observatories.” Its highly sensitive instruments will give a unique view of the Universe and peer into regions of space that are hidden from optical telescopes.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-08-14

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the mobile service tower on Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, workers watch as the first half of the fairing moves closer around the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF). SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space. Consisting of a 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF will be the largest infrared telescope ever launched into space. It is the fourth and final element in NASA’s family of orbiting “Great Observatories.” Its highly sensitive instruments will give a unique view of the Universe and peer into regions of space that are hidden from optical telescopes.

Eyes on the Universe: The Legacy of the Hubble Space Telescope and Looking to the Future with the James Webb Space Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Straughn, Amber

2011-01-01

Over the past 20 years the Hubble Space Telescope has revolutionized our understanding of the Universe. Most recently, the complete refurbishment of Hubble in 2009 has given new life to the telescope and the new science instruments have already produced groundbreaking science results, revealing some of the most distant galaxy candidates ever discovered. Despite the remarkable advances in astrophysics that Hubble has provided, the new questions that have arisen demand a new space telescope with new technologies and capabilities. I will present the exciting new technology development and science goals of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, which is currently being built and tested and will be launched this decade.

Silver and Gold

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Inside NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center's giant clean room in Greenbelt, Md., JWST Optical Engineer Larkin Carey from Ball Aerospace, examines two test mirror segments recently placed on a black composite structure. This black composite structure is called the James Webb Space Telescope's “Pathfinder” and acts as a spine supporting the telescope's primary mirror segments. The Pathfinder is a non-flight prototype. The mirrors were placed on Pathfinder using a robotic arm move that involved highly trained engineers and technicians from Exelis, Northrop Grumman and NASA. "Getting this right is critical to proving we are ready to start assembling the flight mirrors onto the flight structure next summer," said Lee Feinberg, NASA's Optical Telescope Element Manager at NASA Goddard. "This is the first space telescope that has ever been built with a light-weighted segmented primary mirror, so learning how to do this is a groundbreaking capability for not only the Webb telescope but for potential future space telescopes." The James Webb Space Telescope is the successor to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. It will be the most powerful space telescope ever built. Webb is an international project led by NASA with its partners, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. For more information about the Webb telescope, visit: www.jwst.nasa.gov or www.nasa.gov/webb Credit: NASA/Chris Gunn NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

The Chemical Evolution of Phosphorus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacobson, Heather R.; Thanathibodee, Thanawuth; Frebel, Anna; Roederer, Ian U.; Cescutti, Gabriele; Matteucci, Francesca

2014-12-01

Phosphorus is one of the few remaining light elements for which little is known about its nucleosynthetic origin and chemical evolution, given the lack of optical absorption lines in the spectra of long-lived FGK-type stars. We have identified a P I doublet in the near-ultraviolet (2135/2136 Å) that is measurable in stars of low metallicity. Using archival Hubble Space Telescope-Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph spectra, we have measured P abundances in 13 stars spanning -3.3 <= [Fe/H] <= -0.2, and obtained an upper limit for a star with [Fe/H] ~ -3.8. Combined with the only other sample of P abundances in solar-type stars in the literature, which spans a range of -1 <= [Fe/H] <= +0.2, we compare the stellar data to chemical evolution models. Our results support previous indications that massive-star P yields may need to be increased by a factor of a few to match stellar data at all metallicities. Our results also show that hypernovae were important contributors to the P production in the early universe. As P is one of the key building blocks of life, we also discuss the chemical evolution of the important elements to life, C-N-O-P-S, together. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. This work is supported through program AR-13246. Other portions of this work are based on data gathered with the 6.5 m Magellan Telescopes located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile, and the McDonald Observatory of the University of Texas at Austin.

Exploring the NRO Opportunity for a Hubble-Sized Wide-Field Near-IR Space Telescope - New WFIRST

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dressler, Alan; Spergel, David; Mountain, Matt; Postman, Mark; Elliott, Erin; Bendek, Eduardo; Bennett, David; Dalcanton, Julianne; Gaudi, Scott; Gehrels, Neil;

Human Exploration Missions Study: Space Surveillance Telescope Transfer to and Station at a Halo Orbit at the Earth-Sun Libration Point L2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dauro, Vincent A., Sr.

2001-01-01

This study was undertaken to determine mission profile and delta velocity requirements to place a telescope at the Earth-Sun libration point L2. The program, Integrated Mission Program (IMP), was selected to be used in the investigation. A description of IMP and its capabilities may be found in the Addenda. The Addenda also contains the libration halo equations, constants and other parameters. Comments regarding the chaotic nature of numerical integration near the libration points are also attached in the Addenda. A basic two stage S/C with a simple mission profile was selected. This profile is shown.

Preliminary Cost Model for Space Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stahl, H. Philip; Prince, F. Andrew; Smart, Christian; Stephens, Kyle; Henrichs, Todd

2009-01-01

Parametric cost models are routinely used to plan missions, compare concepts and justify technology investments. However, great care is required. Some space telescope cost models, such as those based only on mass, lack sufficient detail to support such analysis and may lead to inaccurate conclusions. Similarly, using ground based telescope models which include the dome cost will also lead to inaccurate conclusions. This paper reviews current and historical models. Then, based on data from 22 different NASA space telescopes, this paper tests those models and presents preliminary analysis of single and multi-variable space telescope cost models.

Large-field high-resolution mosaic movies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hammerschlag, Robert H.; Sliepen, Guus; Bettonvil, Felix C. M.; Jägers, Aswin P. L.; Sütterlin, Peter; Martin, Sara F.

2012-09-01

Movies with fields-of-view larger than normal for high-resolution telescopes will give a better understanding of processes on the Sun, such as filament and active region developments and their possible interactions. New active regions can influence, by their emergence, their environment to the extent of possibly serving as an igniter of the eruption of a nearby filament. A method to create a large field-of-view is to join several fields-of-view into a mosaic. Fields are imaged quickly one after another using fast telescope-pointing. Such a pointing cycle has been automated at the Dutch Open Telescope (DOT), a high-resolution solar telescope located on the Canary Island La Palma. The observer can draw with the computer mouse the desired total field in the guider-telescope image of the whole Sun. The guider telescope is equipped with an H-alpha filter and electronic enhancement of contrast in the image for good visibility of filaments and prominences. The number and positions of the subfields are calculated automatically and represented by an array of bright points indicating the subfield centers inside the drawn rectangle of the total field on the computer screen with the whole-sun image. When the exposures start the telescope repeats automatically the sequence of subfields. Automatic production of flats is also programmed including defocusing and fast motion over the solar disk of the image field. For the first time mosaic movies were programmed from stored information on automated telescope motions from one field to the next. The mosaic movies fill the gap between whole-sun images with limited resolution of synoptic telescopes including space instruments and small-field high-cadence movies of high-resolution solar telescopes.

The development of composite materials for spacecraft precision reflector panels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tompkins, Stephen S.; Bowles, David E.; Funk, Joan G.; Towell, Timothy W.; Lavoie, J. A.

1990-01-01

One of the critical technology needs for large precision reflectors required for future astrophysics and optical communications is in the area of structural materials. Therefore, a major area of the Precision Segmented Reflector Program at NASA is to develop lightweight composite reflector panels with durable, space environmentally stable materials which maintain both surface figure and required surface accuracy necessary for space telescope applications. Results from the materials research and development program at NASA Langley Research Center are discussed. Advanced materials that meet the reflector panel requirements are identified. Thermal, mechanical and durability properties of candidate materials after exposure to simulated space environments are compared to the baseline material.

James Webb Space telescope optical simulation testbed: experimental results with linear control alignment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Egron, Sylvain; Lajoie, Charles-Philippe; Michau, Vincent; Bonnefois, Aurélie; Escolle, Clément; Leboulleux, Lucie; N'Diaye, Mamadou; Pueyo, Laurent; Choquet, Elodie; Perrin, Marshall D.; Ygouf, Marie; Fusco, Thierry; Ferrari, Marc; Hugot, Emmanuel; Soummer, Rémi

2017-09-01

The current generation of terrestrial telescopes has large enough primary mirror diameters that active optical control based on wavefront sensing is necessary. Similarly, in space, while the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has a mostly passive optical design, apart from focus control, its successor the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has active control of many degrees of freedom in its primary and secondary mirrors.

KSC-99pp1504

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-12-27

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- The Space Shuttle Discovery drops out of the darkness onto runway 33 at the Shuttle Landing Facility after traveling more than 3,267,000 miles on a successful eight-day mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Astronauts Curtis L. Brown Jr., Commander; Scott J. Kelly, Pilot; and Steven L. Smith, C. Michael Foale (Ph.D.), John M. Grunsfeld (Ph.D.), Claude Nicollier of Switzerland and Jean-François Clervoy of France, all Mission Specialists, spent the Christmas holiday in space in order to accomplish their mission before the end of 1999. During the mission, Discovery's four space-walking astronauts, Smith, Foale, Grunsfeld and Nicollier, spent 24 hours and 33 minutes upgrading and refurbishing Hubble, making it more capable than ever to renew its observations of the universe. Mission objectives included replacing gyroscopes and an old computer, installing another solid state recorder, and replacing damaged insulation in the telescope. Hubble was released from the end of Discovery's robot arm on Christmas Day. Main gear touchdown was at 7:00:47 p.m. EST. Nose gear touchdown occurred at 7:00:58 p.m. EST and wheel stop at 7:01:34 p.m. EST. This was the 96th flight in the Space Shuttle program and the 27th for the orbiter Discovery. The landing was the 20th consecutive Shuttle landing in Florida and the 13th night landing in Shuttle program history

Barred Spiral Galaxy

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 1300 Credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) Acknowledgment: P. Knezek (WIYN) The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute conducts Hubble science operations. Goddard is responsible for HST project management, including mission and science operations, servicing missions, and all associated development activities. To learn more about the Hubble Space Telescope go here: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/main/index.html

NASA Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Research Project Capstone Even

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-05-05

John Grunsfeld, NASA Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate, speaks to students from Mapletown Jr/Sr High School and Margaret Bell Middle School about his experiences on the final space shuttle servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope during the NASA Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Research Project Capstone Event in the James E. Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters on Monday, May 5, 2014. Grunsfeld flew on three of the five servicing missions to the Hubble Space Telescope. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Saturn's Rings in Ultraviolet Light

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Saturn's Rings in Ultraviolet Light Credit: NASA and E. Karkoschka (University of Arizona) The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute conducts Hubble science operations. Goddard is responsible for HST project management, including mission and science operations, servicing missions, and all associated development activities. To learn more about the Hubble Space Telescope go here: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/main/index.html

STS-109 Onboard Photo of Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

This is an onboard photo of Astronaut John M. Grunsfield, STS-109 payload commander, participating in the third of five spacewalks to perform work on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). On this particular walk, Grunsfield, joined by Astronaut Richard M. Lirnehan, turned off the telescope in order to replace its power control unit (PCU), the heart of the HST's power system. The telescope was captured and secured on a work stand in Columbia's payload bay using Columbia's robotic arm, where crew members completed system upgrades to the HST. Included in those upgrades were: replacement of the solar array panels; replacement of the power control unit (PCU); replacement of the Faint Object Camera (FOC) with a new advanced camera for Surveys (ACS); and installation of the experimental cooling system for the Hubble's Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-object Spectrometer (NICMOS), which had been dormant since January 1999 when its original coolant ran out. The Marshall Space Flight Center had the responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the HST, which is the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made, to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit. The HST detects objects 25 times fainter than the dimmest objects seen from Earth and provides astronomers with an observable universe 250 times larger than is visible from ground-based telescopes, perhaps as far away as 14 billion light-years. The HST views galaxies, stars, planets, comets, possibly other solar systems, and even unusual phenomena such as quasars, with 10 times the clarity of ground-based telescopes. Launched March 1, 2002 the STS-109 HST servicing mission lasted 10 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes. It was the 108th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

Manufacture of large glass honeycomb mirrors. [for astronomical telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Angel, J. R. P.; Hill, J. M.

1982-01-01

The problem of making very large glass mirrors for astronomical telescopes is examined, and the advantages of honeycomb mirrors made of borosilicate glass are discussed. Thermal gradients in the glass that degrade the figure of thick borosilicate mirrors during use can be largely eliminated in a honeycomb structure by internal ventilation (in air) or careful control of the radiation environment (in space). It is expected that ground-based telescopes with honeycomb mirrors will give better images than those with solid mirrors. Materials, techniques, and the experience that has been gained making trial mirrors and test castings as part of a program to develop 8-10-m-diameter lightweight mirrors are discussed.

(abstract) Simple Spreadsheet Thermal Models for Cryogenic Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nash, A. E.

1994-01-01

Self consistent circuit analog thermal models, that can be run in commercial spreadsheet programs on personal computers, have been created to calculate the cooldown and steady state performance of cryogen cooled Dewars. The models include temperature dependent conduction and radiation effects. The outputs of the models provide temperature distribution and Dewar performance information. These models have been used to analyze the Cryogenic Telescope Test Facility (CTTF). The facility will be on line in early 1995 for its first user, the Infrared Telescope Technology Testbed (ITTT), for the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) at JPL. The model algorithm as well as a comparison of the model predictions and actual performance of this facility will be presented.

Simple Spreadsheet Thermal Models for Cryogenic Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nash, Alfred

1995-01-01

Self consistent circuit analog thermal models that can be run in commercial spreadsheet programs on personal computers have been created to calculate the cooldown and steady state performance of cryogen cooled Dewars. The models include temperature dependent conduction and radiation effects. The outputs of the models provide temperature distribution and Dewar performance information. these models have been used to analyze the SIRTF Telescope Test Facility (STTF). The facility has been brought on line for its first user, the Infrared Telescope Technology Testbed (ITTT), for the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) at JPL. The model algorithm as well as a comparison between the models' predictions and actual performance of this facility will be presented.

Deep Space Telecommunications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kuiper, T. B. H.; Resch, G. M.

2000-01-01

The increasing load on NASA's deep Space Network, the new capabilities for deep space missions inherent in a next-generation radio telescope, and the potential of new telescope technology for reducing construction and operation costs suggest a natural marriage between radio astronomy and deep space telecommunications in developing advanced radio telescope concepts.

Adaptive Full Aperture Wavefront Sensor Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robinson, William G.

1997-01-01

This grant and the work described was in support of a Seven Segment Demonstrator (SSD) and review of wavefront sensing techniques proposed by the Government and Contractors for the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) Program. A team developed the SSD concept. For completeness, some of the information included in this report has also been included in the final report of a follow-on contract (H-27657D) entitled "Construction of Prototype Lightweight Mirrors". The original purpose of this GTRI study was to investigate how various wavefront sensing techniques might be most effectively employed with large (greater than 10 meter) aperture space based telescopes used for commercial and scientific purposes. However, due to changes in the scope of the work performed on this grant and in light of the initial studies completed for the NGST program, only a portion of this report addresses wavefront sensing techniques. The wavefront sensing techniques proposed by the Government and Contractors for the NGST were summarized in proposals and briefing materials developed by three study teams including NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, TRW, and Lockheed-Martin. In this report, GTRI reviews these approaches and makes recommendations concerning the approaches. The objectives of the SSD were to demonstrate functionality and performance of a seven segment prototype array of hexagonal mirrors and supporting electromechanical components which address design issues critical to space optics deployed in large space based telescopes for astronomy and for optics used in spaced based optical communications systems. The SSD was intended to demonstrate technologies which can support the following capabilities: Transportation in dense packaging to existing launcher payload envelopes, then deployable on orbit to form a space telescope with large aperture. Provide very large (greater than 10 meters) primary reflectors of low mass and cost. Demonstrate the capability to form a segmented primary or quaternary mirror into a quasi-continuous surface with individual subapertures phased so that near diffraction limited imaging in the visible wavelength region is achieved. Continuous compensation of optical wavefront due to perturbations caused by imperfections, natural disturbances, and equipment induced vibrations/deflections to provide near diffraction limited imaging performance in the visible wavelength region. Demonstrate the feasibility of fabricating such systems with reduced mass and cost compared to past approaches.

The Diverse Origins of Neutron-capture Elements in the Metal-poor Star HD 94028: Possible Detection of Products of I-Process Nucleosynthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roederer, Ian U.; Karakas, Amanda I.; Pignatari, Marco; Herwig, Falk

2016-04-01

We present a detailed analysis of the composition and nucleosynthetic origins of the heavy elements in the metal-poor ([Fe/H] = -1.62 ± 0.09) star HD 94028. Previous studies revealed that this star is mildly enhanced in elements produced by the slow neutron-capture process (s process; e.g., [Pb/Fe] = +0.79 ± 0.32) and rapid neutron-capture process (r process; e.g., [Eu/Fe] = +0.22 ± 0.12), including unusually large molybdenum ([Mo/Fe] = +0.97 ± 0.16) and ruthenium ([Ru/Fe] = +0.69 ± 0.17) enhancements. However, this star is not enhanced in carbon ([C/Fe] = -0.06 ± 0.19). We analyze an archival near-ultraviolet spectrum of HD 94028, collected using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope, and other archival optical spectra collected from ground-based telescopes. We report abundances or upper limits derived from 64 species of 56 elements. We compare these observations with s-process yields from low-metallicity AGB evolution and nucleosynthesis models. No combination of s- and r-process patterns can adequately reproduce the observed abundances, including the super-solar [As/Ge] ratio (+0.99 ± 0.23) and the enhanced [Mo/Fe] and [Ru/Fe] ratios. We can fit these features when including an additional contribution from the intermediate neutron-capture process (I process), which perhaps operated through the ingestion of H in He-burning convective regions in massive stars, super-AGB stars, or low-mass AGB stars. Currently, only the I process appears capable of consistently producing the super-solar [As/Ge] ratios and ratios among neighboring heavy elements found in HD 94028. Other metal-poor stars also show enhanced [As/Ge] ratios, hinting that operation of the I process may have been common in the early Galaxy. These data are associated with Program 072.B-0585(A), PI. Silva. Some data presented in this paper were obtained from the Barbara A. Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST). The Space Telescope Science Institute is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555. These data are associated with Programs GO-7402 and GO-8197. This work is based on data obtained from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Science Archive Facility. These data are associated with Program 072.B-0585(A). This paper includes data taken at The McDonald Observatory of The University of Texas at Austin.

Probing the z > 6 Universe with the First Hubble Frontier Fields Cluster A2744

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atek, Hakim; Richard, Johan; Kneib, Jean-Paul; Clement, Benjamin; Egami, Eiichi; Ebeling, Harald; Jauzac, Mathilde; Jullo, Eric; Laporte, Nicolas; Limousin, Marceau; Natarajan, Priyamvada

2014-05-01

The Hubble Frontier Fields program combines the capabilities of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) with the gravitational lensing of massive galaxy clusters to probe the distant universe to an unprecedented depth. Here, we present the results of the first combined HST and Spitzer observations of the cluster A-2744. We combine the full near-infrared data with ancillary optical images to search for gravitationally lensed high-redshift (z >~ 6) galaxies. We report the detection of 15 I 814 dropout candidates at z ~ 6-7 and one Y 105 dropout at z ~ 8 in a total survey area of 1.43 arcmin2 in the source plane. The predictions of our lens model also allow us to identify five multiply imaged systems lying at redshifts between z ~ 6 and z ~ 8. Thanks to constraints from the mass distribution in the cluster, we were able to estimate the effective survey volume corrected for completeness and magnification effects. This was in turn used to estimate the rest-frame ultraviolet luminosity function (LF) at z ~ 6-8. Our LF results are generally in agreement with the most recent blank field estimates, confirming the feasibility of surveys through lensing clusters. Although based on a shallower observations than what will be achieved in the final data set including the full Advanced Camera for Survey observations, the LF presented here goes down to M UV ~-18.5, corresponding to 0.2L sstarf at z ~ 7 with one identified object at M UV ~-15 thanks to the highly magnified survey areas. This early study forecasts the power of using massive galaxy clusters as cosmic telescopes and its complementarity to blank fields. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope (HST), which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with programs 13495 and 11689. Based in part on observations made with the Spitzer Space Telescope, which is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology under a contract with NASA. This work utilizes gravitational lensing models produced by PIs Ebeling, Merten, and Zitrin, and Sharon funded as part of the HST Frontier Fields program conducted by STScI. STScI is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. The lens models were obtained from the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST).

Innovative telescope architectures for future large space observatories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polidan, Ronald S.; Breckinridge, James B.; Lillie, Charles F.; MacEwen, Howard A.; Flannery, Martin R.; Dailey, Dean R.

2016-10-01

Over the past few years, we have developed a concept for an evolvable space telescope (EST) that is assembled on orbit in three stages, growing from a 4×12-m telescope in Stage 1, to a 12-m filled aperture in Stage 2, and then to a 20-m filled aperture in Stage 3. Stage 1 is launched as a fully functional telescope and begins gathering science data immediately after checkout on orbit. This observatory is then periodically augmented in space with additional mirror segments, structures, and newer instruments to evolve the telescope over the years to a 20-m space telescope. We discuss the EST architecture, the motivation for this approach, and the benefits it provides over current approaches to building and maintaining large space observatories.

James Webb Space Telescope: The First Light Machine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stahl, H. Philip

2014-01-01

NASA James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will search for the first luminous objects of the Universe to help answer fundamental questions about how the Universe came to look like it does today. At 6.5 meters in diameter, JWST will be the world's largest space telescope. Its architecture, e.g. aperture, wavelength range and operating temperature, is driven by JWST's science objectives. Introduction: Scheduled to start its 5 year mission after 2018, JWST will study the origin and evolution of galaxies, stars and planetary systems. Its science mission is to: Identify the first bright objects that formed in the early Universe, and follow the ionization history. Determine how galaxies form. Determine how galaxies and dark matter, including gas, stars, metals, overall morphology and active nuclei evolved to the present day. Observe the birth and early development of stars and the formation of planets. And, study the physical and chemical properties of solar systems for the building blocks of Life. Principle: To accomplish the JWST science objectives requires a larger aperture infrared cryogenic space telescope. A large aperture is required because the objects are very faint. The infrared spectral range is required because the objects are so far away that their ultraviolet and visible wavelength spectral lines are red-shifted into the infrared. Because the telescope is infrared, it needs to be cryogenic. And, because of the telescope is infrared, it must operate above the Earth's atmosphere, i.e. in space. JWST is probably the single most complicated mission that humanity has attempted. It is certainly the most difficult optical fabrication and testing challenge of our generation. The JWST 6.5 m diameter primary mirror is nearly a parabola with a conic constant of -0.9967 and radius of curvature at 30K of 15.880 m. The primary mirror is divided into 18 segments with 3 different prescriptions; each with its own off-axis distance and aspheric departure. The radius of curvature for all 18 segments must match to +/- 0.150 mm at 30K. JWST is diffraction limited at 2 micrometers which translates into a transmitted wavefront specification of 156 nm rms. Of that amount, 50 nm rms is allocated to the primary mirror. Each segment is allocated 22 nm rms surface error. At the start of the JWST program, the capability to make such a mirror did not exist. In 1996, NASA began a systematic and comprehensive mirror technology development effort which resulted in JWST. This program resulted in a qualified mirror fabrication process being approved in 2006. Today, all JWST primary mirror segments meet their requirements and are on schedule for a 2018 launch. The next step is system level assembly, integration and test. Ambient tests will be conducted at Goddard Space Flight Center and cryogenic system level testing will be performed in Chamber A at the Johnson Space Center.

Pixel Stability in the Hubble Space Telescope WFC3/UVIS Detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bourque, Matthew; Baggett, Sylvia M.; Borncamp, David; Desjardins, Tyler D.; Grogin, Norman A.; Wide Field Camera 3 Team

2018-06-01

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) Ultraviolet-Visible (UVIS) detector has acquired roughly 12,000 dark images since the installation of WFC3 in 2009, as part of a daily monitoring program to measure the instrinsic dark current of the detector. These images have been reconfigured into 'pixel history' images in which detector columns are extracted from each dark and placed into a new time-ordered array, allowing for efficient analysis of a given pixel's behavior over time. We discuss how we measure each pixel's stability, as well as plans for a new Data Quality (DQ) flag to be introduced in a future release of the WFC3 calibration pipeline (CALWF3) for flagging pixels that are deemed unstable.

The Large Deployable Reflector (LDR) - Plans and progress

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Swanson, Paul N.

1987-01-01

The program history, scientific aims, design, and projected performance of the LDR, a 20-m-primary two-stage four-mirror orbiting sub-mm/FIR astronomical observatory under NASA development, are reviewed. It is shown that the LDR would provide capabilities complementary to those of IRAS, the Kuiper Airborne Observatory, the IRTF, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the planned Space IR Telescope Facility for observations of small-scale background anisotropies, high-redshift galaxies, and objects at temperatures of a few times 10 K or lower. The current design concept is illustrated with extensive drawings, diagrams, and tables of instrument parameters. Particular attention is given to the graphite-epoxy facing and Al-honeycomb core of the primary structure, the focal-plane instruments, and outstanding technological problems.

Galaxy Evolution Spectroscopic Explorer (GESE): Science Rationale, Optical Design, and Telescope Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heap, Sara R.; Gong, Qian; Hull, Tony; Purves, Lloyd

2014-01-01

One of the key goals of NASA’s astrophysics program is to answer the question: How did galaxies evolve into the spiral, elliptical, and irregular galaxies that we see today? We describe a space mission concept called Galaxy Evolution Spectroscopic Explorer (GESE) to help address this question by making a large ultraviolet spectroscopic survey of galaxies at a redshift, z approximately 1 (look-back time of approximately 8 billion years). GESE is a 1.5-m space telescope with an near-ultraviolet (NUV) multi-object slit spectrograph covering the spectral range, 0.2-0.4 micrometers (0.1-0.2 micrometers as emitted by galaxies at a redshift, z approximately 1) at a spectral resolution of delta lambda=6 A.

Servicing Large Space Telescopes with the Deep Space Gateway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peterson, B. M.; Feinberg, L. D.; Greenhouse, M. A.; Grunsfeld, J. M.; Polidan, R. S.; Siegler, N.; Thronson, H. A.

2018-02-01

Future large space telescopes will require servicing to operate over lifetimes long enough to realize their full value and justify their expense. We discuss scenarios that will make servicing telescopes at Sun-Earth L2 possible.

Town Hall Meeting Presentation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mather, John C.

2002-01-01

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), formerly known as the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST), will be the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. It will carry 3 instruments to a deep space orbit around the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L2, and will cover the wavelength range from 0.6 to 28 microns. The design concepts and current status of the project will be summarized, including the telescope and observatory contract proposed by the new prime contractor, TRW.

Human space flight and future major space astrophysics missions: servicing and assembly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thronson, Harley; Peterson, Bradley M.; Greenhouse, Matthew; MacEwen, Howard; Mukherjee, Rudranarayan; Polidan, Ronald; Reed, Benjamin; Siegler, Nicholas; Smith, Hsiao

2017-09-01

Some concepts for candidate future "flagship" space observatories approach the payload limits of the largest launch vehicles planned for the next few decades, specifically in the available volume in the vehicle fairing. This indicates that an alternative to autonomous self-deployment similar to that of the James Webb Space Telescope will eventually be required. Moreover, even before this size limit is reached, there will be significant motivation to service, repair, and upgrade in-space missions of all sizes, whether to extend the life of expensive facilities or to replace outworn or obsolete onboard systems as was demonstrated so effectively by the Hubble Space Telescope program. In parallel with these challenges to future major space astronomy missions, the capabilities of in-space robotic systems and the goals for human space flight in the 2020s and 2030s offer opportunities for achieving the most exciting science goals of the early 21st Century. In this paper, we summarize the history of concepts for human operations beyond the immediate vicinity of the Earth, the importance of very large apertures for scientific discovery, and current capabilities and future developments in robot- and astronaut-enabled servicing and assembly.

The Director's Discretionary Early Release Science Program for JWST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levenson, Nancy A.; Sembach, Kenneth

2018-06-01

We will introduce the Director's Discretionary Early Release Science (DD-ERS) Program for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). These programs will educate and inform the community about JWST's instruments and capabilities, providing open access to early observations, and science-enabling products that the DD-ERS teams produce. During this session, we will provide updates on JWST status, and the 13 selected teams will give an overview of their planned observations and future work.

Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) Key Project: the Birth and Death of Planets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stencel, Robert E.; Creech-Eakman, Michelle; Fajardo-Acosta, Sergio; Backman, Dana

1999-01-01

This program was designed to continue to analyze observations of stars thought to be forming protoplanets, using the European Space Agency's Infrared Space Observatory, ISO, as one of NASA Key Projects with ISO. A particular class of Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) discovered stars, known after the prototype, Vega, are principal targets for these observations aimed at examining the evidence for processes involved in forming, or failing to form, planetary systems around other stars. In addition, this program continued to provide partial support for related science in the WIRE, SOFIA and Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) projects, plus approved ISO supplementary time observations under programs MCREE1 29 and VEGADMAP. Their goals include time dependent changes in SWS spectra of Long Period Variable stars and PHOT P32 mapping experiments of recognized protoplanetary disk candidate stars.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1962-03-08

The members of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics visited the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) on March 9, 1962 to gather firsthand information of the nation’s space exploration program. The congressional group was composed of members of the Subcommittee on Manned Space Flight. Standing at the Apollo Applications Program Cluster Model in building 4745 are (left-to-right): Dr. Wernher von Braun, MSFC; Congressman Joe D. Waggoner, Democratic representative of Louisiana; Congressman Earle Cabell, Democratic representative of Texas; Subcommittee Chairman Olin E. Teague, Democratic representative of Texas; Congressman James G. Fulton, Republican representative of Pennsylvania; and Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger, associate MSFC director for science. The subcommittee was briefed on MSFC’s manned space efforts earlier in the day and then inspected mockups of the Saturn I Workshop and the Apollo Telescope Mount, two projects developed by MSFC for the post-Apollo program.

A Modular Orbital Demonstration of an Evolvable Space Telescope (MODEST)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conti, Alberto; Arenberg, Jonathan; Baldauf, Brian

2017-01-01

The “Search for Life” (direct imaging of earth-like planets) will require extremely stable telescopes with apertures in the 10 m to 20 m range. Such apertures are larger than what can be delivered to space using current or planned future launch vehicles. Building and assembling large telescopes in space is therefore likely to require not only multiple launches but importantly assembly in spce. As a result, space-based telescopes with large apertures will require major changes to our conventional telescope design and architecture.Here we report on the concept for the Modular Orbital Demonstration of an Evolvable Space Telescope (MODEST) to demonstrates the on-orbit robotic and/or astronaut assembly of an optical telescope in space. MODEST is a proposed International Space Station (ISS demonstration that will make use of the standard Express Logistics Carriers (ELCs) and can mounted to one of a variety of ISS pallets.MODEST will provides significant risk reduction for the next generation of space observatories, and demonstrates the technology needed to assemble a six-mirror phased telescope. Key modest features include the use of an active primary optical surface with wavefront feedback control to allow on-orbit optimization, and the precise surface control to meet optical system wavefront and stability requirements.MODEST will also be used to evaluate advances in lightweight mirror and metering structure materials such as SiC or Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) that have excellent mechanical and thermal properties, e.g. high stiffness, high modulus, high thermal conductivity, and low thermal expansion. Mirrors built from these materials can be rapidly replicated in a highly cost effective manner, making them an excellent candidate for a low cost, high performance Optical Telescope Assembly paving the way for enabling affordable solutions for the next generation of large aperture space-based telescope.MODEST post-assembly value includes space, ground, and environmental studies, a testbed for new instruments, and a tool for student’s exploration of space.

Space hands-on universe telescope and orbiting wide-angle light-collector telescope to be built on the Japanese experiment module exposure facility of the international space station

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Takahashi, Y.; Ebisuzaki, T.; Pennypacker, C.

1999-01-01

A concept study to build great observatories on, and deploy from, the ISS is presented. Use of the ISS infra-structure including robotic arms and astronauts{close_quote} EVA would permit a construction of very large optical telescopes. We envisage that the second phase of the ISS after its initial construction can landmark a new era for both ISS and Space Sciences. Ultimately, this study would plan a 10-or 20-meter class space telescope. For its first step, we envisioned an immediate extension of the Exposed Facility of ISS for building a {open_quotes}Work-bench{close_quotes} for this purpose. Initial activities can begin with two modest-sized telescopesmore » soon after the ISS construction. These early missions being studied are space Hands-On Universe Telescope (SHOUT) and Orbiting Wide-angle Light-collector (OWL). SHOUT is a 1-m telescope for science education. It will be built and adjusted on the exposure module of the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) of the International Space Station by using a robotic arm and the EVA of astronauts. We also seek the possibility to release it from ISS after its perfection on orbit, so that it is free from the vibrations and gas contaminations on and around the ISS. SHOUT is an engineering prototype of 10-m Space Telescope (Space SUBARU Telescope). It would be scaled from the Space-SUBARU telescope so that the testing with the SHOUT would warrant the required specifications for the 10-meter Space-SUBARU construction on the ISS. The goal of the test with the SHOUT is to warrant a spatial resolution of 0.01 arc-seconds using the active/adaptive optics. It will test the following three major engineering challenges: (1) active/adaptive optics in space; (2) building of large structures by astronauts; and (3) release of a spacecraft from ISS to a free-flying orbit. The present feasibility study for the next generation great observatories that are to be built on the JEM Exposure Facility (EF) has been already funded by the Japan Space Forum, under the auspices of the National Space Development Agency (NASDA) of Japan. Included in this study are SHOUT, Space SUBARU telescope as well as OWL, Large Area gamma-ray Telescope (LAGT), and Space Submilimeter and Infrared Telescope (S-SIT). {copyright} {ital 1999 American Institute of Physics.}« less

Development of the NASA MCAT Auxiliary Telescope for Orbital Debris Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frith, James; Lederer, Sue; Cowardin, Heather; Buckalew, Brent; Hickson, Paul; Anz-Meador, Phillip

2016-01-01

The National Aeronautical Space Administration has deployed the Meter Class Autonomous Telescope (MCAT) to Ascension Island with plans for it to become fully operational by summer 2016. This telescope will be providing data in support of research being conducted by the Orbital Debris Program Office at the Johnson Space Center. In addition to the main observatory, a smaller, auxiliary telescope is being deployed to the same location to augment and support observations generated by MCAT. It will provide near-simultaneous photometry and astrometry of debris objects, independent measurements of the seeing conditions, and offload low priority targets from MCAT's observing queue. Its hardware and software designs are presented here The National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) has recently deployed the Meter Class Autonomous Telescope (MCAT) to Ascension Island. MCAT will provide NASA with a dedicated optical sensor for observations of orbital debris with the goal of statistically sampling the orbital and photometric characteristics of the population from low Earth to Geosynchronous orbits. Additionally, a small auxiliary telescope, co-located with MCAT, is being deployed to augment its observations by providing near-simultaneous photometry and astrometry, as well as offloading low priority targets from MCAT's observing queue. It will also serve to provide an independent measurement of the seeing conditions to help monitor the quality of the data being produced by the larger telescope. Comprised of off-the-shelf-components, the MCAT Auxiliary Telescope will have a 16-inch optical tube assembly, Sloan g'r'i'z' and Johnson/Cousins BVRI filters, and a fast tracking mount to help facilitate the tracking of objects in low Earth orbit. Tracking modes and tasking will be similar to MCAT except an emphasis will be placed on observations that provide more accurate initial orbit determination for the objects detected by MCAT. The near-simultaneous observations will also provide the opportunity for multi-filter color information of the debris objects to be obtained. Color information can further distinguish the individual objects within the population and provide insight into the reflectance properties of their surface material. The specific hardware, software, and tasking methodology of the MCAT Auxiliary Telescope is presented here..

Graphical techniques to assist in pointing and control studies of orbiting spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Howell, L. W.; Ruf, J. H.

1986-01-01

Computer generated graphics are developed to assist in the modeling and assessment of pointing and control systems of orbiting spacecraft. Three-dimensional diagrams are constructed of the Earth and of geometrical models which resemble the spacecraft of interest. Orbital positioning of the spacecraft model relative to the Earth and the orbital ground track are then displayed. A star data base is also available which may be used for telescope pointing and star tracker field-of-views to visually assist in spacecraft pointing and control studies. A geometrical model of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is constructed and placed in Earth orbit to demonstrate the use of these programs. Simulated star patterns are then displayed corresponding to the primary mirror's FOV and the telescope's star trackers for various telescope orientations with respect to the celestial sphere.

Advance on solar instrumentation in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Yihua

2015-08-01

The solar observing facilities in China are introduced with the emphasis on the development in recent years and future plans for both ground and space-based solar instrumentations. The recent solar instruments are as follows: A new generation Chinese Spectral Radioreliograph (CSRH) has been constructed at Mingantu Observing Station in Zhengxiangbaiqi, inner Mongolia of China since 2013 and is in test observations now. CSRH has two arrays with 40 × 4.5 m and 60 × 2 m parabolic antennas covering 0.4-2 GHz and 2-15 GHz frequency range. CSRH is renamed as MUSER (Mingantu Ultrawide Spectral Radiheliograph) after its accomplishment. A new 1 m vacuum solar telescope (NVST) has been installed in 2010 at Fuxian lake, 60 km away from Kunming, Yunana. At present it is the best seeing place in China. A new telescope called ONSET (Optical and NIR Solar Eruption Tracer) has been established at the same site as NVST in 2011. ONSET has been put into operation since 2013. For future ground-based plans, Chinese Giant Solar Telescope (CGST) with spatial resolution equivalent to 8m and effective area of 5m full-aperture telescope has been proposed and was formally listed into the National Plans of Major Science & Technology Infrastructures in China. The pre-study and site survey for CGST have been pursued. A 1-meter mid-infrared telescope for precise measurement of the solar magnetic field has been funded by NSFC in 2014 as a national major scientific instrument development project. This project will develop the first mid-infrared solar magnetic observation instrument in the world aiming at increasing the precision of the transverse magnetic field measurement by one order of magnitude. For future ground-based plans, we promote the Deep-space Solar Observatory (DSO) with 1-m aperture telescope to be formally funded. The ASO-S (an Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory) has been supported in background phase by Space Science Program as a small mission. Other related space solar projects have also been proposed to promote the solar-terrestrial research.

Evidence of a Non-universal Stellar Initial Mass Function. Insights from HST Optical Imaging of Six Ultra-faint Dwarf Milky Way Satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gennaro, Mario; Tchernyshyov, Kirill; Brown, Thomas M.; Geha, Marla; Avila, Roberto J.; Guhathakurta, Puragra; Kalirai, Jason S.; Kirby, Evan N.; Renzini, Alvio; Simon, Joshua D.; Tumlinson, Jason; Vargas, Luis C.

2018-03-01

Using deep observations obtained with the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) on board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), we demonstrate that the sub-solar stellar initial mass function (IMF) of six ultra-faint dwarf Milky Way satellites (UFDs) is more bottom light than the IMF of the Milky Way disk. Our data have a lower-mass limit of ∼0.45 M ⊙, while the upper limit is ∼0.8 M ⊙, set by the turnoff mass of these old, metal-poor systems. If formulated as a single power law, we obtain a shallower IMF slope than the Salpeter value of ‑2.3, ranging from ‑1.01 for Leo IV to ‑1.87 for Boötes I. The significance of these deviations depends on the galaxy and is typically 95% or more. When modeled as a log-normal, the IMF fit results in a higher peak mass than in the Milky Way disk, but a Milky Way disk value for the characteristic system mass (∼0.22 M ⊙) is excluded at only 68% significance, and only for some UFDs in the sample. We find that the IMF slope correlates well with the galaxy mean metallicity, and to a lesser degree, with the velocity dispersion and the total mass. The strength of the observed correlations is limited by shot noise in the number of observed stars, but future space-based missions like the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope ( WFIRST) will enhance both the number of dwarf Milky Way satellites that can be studied in such detail and the observation depth for individual galaxies. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with program GO-12549.

Origins Space Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooray, Asantha; Origins Space Telescope Study Team

2018-01-01

The Origins Space Telescope (OST) is the mission concept for the Far-Infrared Surveyor, a study in development by NASA in preparation for the 2020 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey. Origins is planned to be a large aperture, actively-cooled telescope covering a wide span of the mid- to far-infrared spectrum. Its spectrographs will enable 3D surveys of the sky that will discover and characterize the most distant galaxies, Milky-Way, exoplanets, and the outer reaches of our Solar system. Origins will enable flagship-quality general observing programs led by the astronomical community in the 2030s. The Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) would like to hear your science needs and ideas for this mission. The team can be contacted at firsurveyor_info@lists.ipac.caltech.edu. This presentation will provide a summary of the OST STDT, our completed first mission concept and an introduction to the second concept that will be studied at the study center in 2018. This presentation will also summarize key science drivers and the key study milestones between 2018 and 2020.

Origins Space Telescope: Community Participation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carey, Sean J.; Origins Space Telescope Study Team

2017-01-01

The Origins Space Telescope (OST) is the mission concept for the Far-Infrared Surveyor, a study in development by NASA in preparation for the 2020 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey. Origins is planned to be a large aperture, actively-cooled telescope covering a wide span of the mid- to far-infrared spectrum. Its imagers and spectrographs will enable a variety of surveys of the sky that will discover and characterize the most distant galaxies, Milky-Way, exoplanets, and the outer reaches of our Solar system. Origins will enable flagship-quality general observing programs led by the astronomical community in the 2030s. This poster will outline the ways in which the astronomical community can participate in the STDT activities and a summary of tools that are currently available or are planned for the community during the study. The Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) would like to hear your science needs and ideas for this mission. The team can be contacted at firsurveyor_info@lists.ipac.caltech.edu.

Dusty Disks, Diffuse Clouds, and Dim Suns: Galactic Science with the Infrared Spectrograph on the Spitzer Space Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roellig, T. L.; Watson, D. M.; Uchida, K. I.; Forrest, W. J.; VanCleve, J. E.; Herter, T. L.; Sloan, G. C.; Furlan, E.; Wilson, J. C.; Bernard-Salas, J.

2004-01-01

The Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) on the Spitzer Space Telescope has now been in routine science operations since Dec. 14,2003. The IRS Science Team has used a portion of their guaranteed time to pursue three major science themes in galactic astronomy: the evolution of protostellar disks and debris disks; the composition and evolution of diffuse matter and clouds in the interstellar medium; and the composition and structure of brown dwarfs and low-mass main-sequence stars. We report here on the results from the first five months of IRS observations in these programs. Full IRS Spectra have already been obtained for large samples of YSO/protoplanetary disks in the Taurus and TW Hya associations, and or debris disks around main-sequence stars, in which many aspects of the evolution of planetary systems can be addressed for the first time. As anticipated, the mid-infrared IRS observations of brown dwarfs have yielded important new information about their atmospheres, including the identification of NH3 and measurements of new methane features. This work is based on observations made with the Spitzer Space Telescope, which is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology under NASA contract 1407. Support for this work was provided by NASA's Office of Space Science.

Origins Space Telescope: Nearby Galaxies, the Milky Way, and the Interstellar Medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Battersby, Cara; Sandstrom, Karin; Origins Space Telescope Science and Technology Definition Team

2018-01-01

The Origins Space Telescope (OST) is the mission concept for the Far-Infrared Surveyor, one of the four science and technology definition studies of NASA Headquarters for the 2020 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal survey. Origins will enable flagship-quality general observing programs led by the astronomical community in the 2030s. We welcome you to contact the Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) with your science needs and ideas by emailing us at ost_info@lists.ipac.caltech.eduThis presentation will summarize the science case related to Nearby Galaxies, the Milky Way, and the Interstellar Medium (Interstellar Medium). The Origins Space Telescope will enable a wealth of unprecedented scientific advances in this area, both those we know to expect, and the discovery space that lies unexplored. Origins will enable a comprehensive view of magnetic fields, turbulence, and the multiphase ISM; connecting these physics across scales of galaxies to protostellar cores. With unprecedented sensitivity, Origins will measure and characterize the mechanisms of feedback from star formation and Active Galactic Nuclei, and their interplay, over cosmic time. Origins will unveil the abundance and availability of water for habitable planets by allowing us to trace the trail of water from interstellar clouds to protoplanetary disks, to Earth itself.

Dusty Disks, Diffuse Clouds, and Dim Suns - Galactic Science with the Infrared Spectrograph on the Spitzer Space Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roellig, T. L.; Watson, D. M.; Uchida, K. I.; Forrest, W. J.; Van Cleve, J. E.; Herter, T. L.; Sloan, G. C.; Furlan, E.; Wilson, J. C.; Bernard-Salas, J.; Saumon, D.; Leggett, S.; Chen, C.; Kemper, F.; Hartmann, L.; Marley, M.; Cushing, M.; Mainzer, A. K.; Kirkpatrick, D.; Jura, M.; Houck, J. R.

2004-05-01

The Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) on the Spitzer Space Telescope has now been in routine science operations since Dec. 14, 2003. The IRS Science Team has used a portion of their guaranteed time to pursue three major science themes in galactic astronomy: the evolution of protostellar disks and debris disks; the composition and evolution of diffuse matter and clouds in the interstellar medium; and the composition and structure of brown dwarfs and low-mass main-sequence stars. We report here on the results from the first five months of IRS observations in these programs. Full IRS Spectra have already been obtained for large samples of YSO/protoplanetary disks in the Taurus and TW Hya associations, and of debris disks around main-sequence stars, in which many aspects of the evolution of planetary systems can be addressed for the first time. As anticipated, the mid-infrared IRS observations of brown dwarfs have yielded important new information about their atmospheres, including the identification of NH3 and measurements of new methane features. This work is based on observations made with the Spitzer Space Telescope, which is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology under NASA contract 1407. Support for this work was provided by NASA's Office of Space Science.

Update on Multi-Variable Parametric Cost Models for Ground and Space Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stahl, H. Philip; Henrichs, Todd; Luedtke, Alexander; West, Miranda

2012-01-01

Parametric cost models can be used by designers and project managers to perform relative cost comparisons between major architectural cost drivers and allow high-level design trades; enable cost-benefit analysis for technology development investment; and, provide a basis for estimating total project cost between related concepts. This paper reports on recent revisions and improvements to our ground telescope cost model and refinements of our understanding of space telescope cost models. One interesting observation is that while space telescopes are 50X to 100X more expensive than ground telescopes, their respective scaling relationships are similar. Another interesting speculation is that the role of technology development may be different between ground and space telescopes. For ground telescopes, the data indicates that technology development tends to reduce cost by approximately 50% every 20 years. But for space telescopes, there appears to be no such cost reduction because we do not tend to re-fly similar systems. Thus, instead of reducing cost, 20 years of technology development may be required to enable a doubling of space telescope capability. Other findings include: mass should not be used to estimate cost; spacecraft and science instrument costs account for approximately 50% of total mission cost; and, integration and testing accounts for only about 10% of total mission cost.

Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking with the Maui Space Surveillance System (NEAT/MSSS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Helin, Eleanor F.; Pravdo, Steven H.; Lawrence, Kenneth J.; Hicks, Michael D.

2001-01-01

Over the last year the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's (JPL) Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) program has made significant progress and now consists of two simultaneously-operating, autonomous search systems on the 1.2-m (48") telescopes: on the Maui Space Surveillance System (NEAT/MSSS) and NEAT/Palomar on the Palomar Observatory's Oschin telescope. This paper will focus exclusively on the NEAT/MSSS system. NEAT/MSSS is operated as a partnership between NASA/JPL and the United States Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), utilizing the AFRL 1.2-m telescope on the 3000-m summit of Haleakala, Maui, The USAF Space Command (SPCMD) contributed financial support to build and install the 'NEAT focal reducer' on the MSSS 1.2-m telescope giving it a large field of view (2.5 square degrees), suitable for the near-earth object (NEO),both asteroids and comets, survey. This work was completed in February 2000. AFRL has made a commitment to NEAT/MSSS that allows NEAT to operate full time with the understanding that AFRL participate as partners in NEAT/MSSS and have use of the NEAT camera system for high priority satellite observations during bright time (parts of 12 nights each month). Currently, NEAT has discovered 42 NEAs including 12 larger than 1-km, 5 Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs), 6 comets, and nearly 25,000 asteroid detections since March 2000.

Engineers Clean Mirror with Carbon Dioxide Snow

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-01-22

Just like drivers sometimes use snow to clean their car mirrors in winter, two Exelis Inc. engineers are practicing "snow cleaning'" on a test telescope mirror for the James Webb Space Telescope at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. By shooting carbon dioxide snow at the surface, engineers are able to clean large telescope mirrors without scratching them. "The snow-like crystals (carbon dioxide snow) knock contaminate particulates and molecules off the mirror," said Lee Feinberg, NASA optical telescope element manager. This technique will only be used if the James Webb Space Telescope's mirror is contaminated during integration and testing. The Webb telescope is the scientific successor to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. It will be the most powerful space telescope ever built. With a mirror seven times as large as Hubble's and infrared capability, Webb will be capturing light from 13.5 billion light years away. To do this, its mirror must be kept super clean. "Small dust particles or molecules can impact the science that can be done with the Webb," said Feinberg. "So cleanliness especially on the mirrors is critical." Webb is an international project led by NASA with its partners, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. Image credit: NASA/Goddard/Chris Gunn

The Pulkovo Cooperation for Radar and Optical Observations of Space Objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molotov, I.; Konovalenko, A. A.; Tuccari, G.; Falkovich, I.; Nechaeva, M.; Kiladze, R.; Titenko, V.; Agapov, V.; Khutorovsky, Z. N.; Sukhov, P. P.; Burtsev, Yu.; Sochilina, A.; Abalakin, V.; et al.

The Pulkovo observatory is arranging the cooperation of optical and radio telescopes for space debris studies in two main research directions, i.e. the precise tracking of the GEO-objects for development of the dynamical control method and the barrier method study of small fragments produced by GEO-object explosions.Radar experiments are being carried out a few times per year by using the Evpatoria RT-70 transmitter and the receiving radio telescopes in Bear Lakes (Russia), Simeiz (Ukraine), Noto (Italy), and Urumqi (China). The data processing centers are located in N. Novgorod and Noto, and integrated into the Low Frequency VLBI Network (LFVN). The adjustment of the coordinated radar VLBI measurements has been completed, and the technique of beam-track searching has been tested. The program of the LFVN modernizations is in progress The Pulkovo cooperation of optical observers (PULCOO) includes observatories and observation stations of the former Soviet Union around the world, and is to provide the routine tracking of the GEO-objects. The adjustment has been carried out for the method to search for GEO-fragments in the barriers predicted on basis of the Pulkovo "LAPLACE" theory of motion. The refurbishment program for telescopes, which cooperate with the PULCOO, is in progress.

Kodak AMSD Mirror Development Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matthews, Gary; Dahl, Roger; Barrett, David; Bottom, John; Russell, Kevin (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The Advanced Mirror System Demonstration Program is developing minor technology for the next generation optical systems. Many of these systems will require extremely lightweight and stable optics due to the overall size of the primary mirror. These segmented, deployable systems require new technology that AMSD is developing. The on-going AMSD program is a critical enabler for Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) which will start in 2002. The status of Kodak's AMSD mirror and future plans will be discussed with respect to the NGST program.

Spherical Primary Optical Telescope (SPOT): An Architecture Demonstration for Cost-effective Large Space Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feinberg, Lee D.; Hagopian, John; Budinoff, Jason; Dean, Bruce; Howard, Joe

2004-01-01

This paper summarizes efforts underway at the Goddard Space Flight Center to demonstrate a new type of space telescope architecture that builds on the rigid segmented telescope heritage of the James Webb Space Telescope but that solves several key challenges for future space telescopes. The architecture is based on a cost-effective segmented spherical primary mirror combined with a unique wavefront sensing and control system that allows for continuous phasing of the primary mirror. The segmented spherical primary allows for cost-effective 3-meter class (e.g., Midex and Discovery) missions as well as enables 30-meter telescope solutions that can be manufactured in a reasonable amount of time and for a reasonable amount of money. The continuous wavefront sensing and control architecture enables missions in low-earth-orbit and missions that do not require expensive stable structures and thermal control systems. For the 30-meter class applications, the paper discusses considerations for assembling and testing the telescopes in space. The paper also summarizes the scientific and technological roadmap for the architecture and also gives an overview of technology development, design studies, and testbed activities underway to demonstrate its feasibility.

Spherical Primary Optical Telescope (SPOT): An Architecture Demonstration for Cost-effective Large Space Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feinberg, Lee; Hagopian, John; Budinoff, Jason; Dean, Bruce; Howard, Joe

2005-01-01

This paper summarizes efforts underway at the Goddard Space Flight Center to demonstrate a new type of space telescope architecture that builds on the rigid, segmented telescope heritage of the James Webb Space Telescope but that solves several key challenges for future space telescopes. The architecture is based on a cost-effective segmented spherical primary mirror combined with a unique wavefront sensing and control system that allows for continuous phasing of the primary mirror. The segmented spherical primary allows for cost-effective 3-meter class (eg, Midex and Discovery) missions as well as enables 30-meter telescope solutions that can be manufactured in a reasonable amount of time and for a reasonable amount of money. The continuous wavefront sensing and control architecture enables missions in low-earth-orbit and missions that do not require expensive stable structures and thermal control systems. For the 30-meter class applications, the paper discusses considerations for assembling and testing the telescopes in space. The paper also summarizes the scientific and technological roadmap for the architecture and also gives an overview of technology development, design studies, and testbed activities underway to demonstrate it s feasibility.

Lights Out on the James Webb Space Telescope

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

What happens when the lights are turned out in the enormous clean room that currently houses NASA's James Webb Space Telescope? The technicians who are inspecting the telescope and its expansive golden mirrors look like ghostly wraiths in this image as they conduct a "lights out inspection" in the Spacecraft Systems Development and Integration Facility (SSDIF) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The clean room lights were turned off to inspect the telescope after it experienced vibration and acoustic testing. The contamination control engineer used a bright flashlight and special ultraviolet flashlights to inspect for contamination because it's easier to find in the dark. NASA photographer Chris Gunn said "The people have a ghostly appearance because it's a long exposure." He left the camera's shutter open for a longer than normal time so the movement of the technicians appear as a blur. He also used a special light "painting" technique to light up the primary mirror. The James Webb Space Telescope is the scientific successor to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. It will be the most powerful space telescope ever built. Webb is an international project led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency. For more information about the Webb telescope visit: www.jwst.nasa.gov or www.nasa.gov/webb Image Credit: NASA/Chris Gunn

KSC-04pd1005

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Before the induction ceremony of five space program heroes into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, former astronaut Wally Schirra is greeted with applause as he is introduced as a previous inductee. One of America's original Mercury Seven astronauts, Schirra is the only one who flew in all three of the nation's pioneering space programs, Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. The ceremony was held at the Apollo/Saturn V Center at KSC. New inductees are Richard O. Covey, commander of the Hubble Space Telescope repair mission; Norman E. Thagard, the first American to occupy Russia’s Mir space station; the late Francis R. "Dick" Scobee, commander of the ill-fated 1986 Challenger mission; Kathryn D. Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space; and Frederick D. Gregory, the first African-American to command a space mission and the current NASA deputy administrator. The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame opened in 1990 to provide a place where space travelers could be remembered for their participation and accomplishments in the U.S. space program. The five inductees join 52 previously honored astronauts from the ranks of the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, and Space Shuttle programs.

KSC-2009-2433

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-03-30

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Science Instrument Command and Data Handling Unit, or SIC&DH, is moved into a clean area. The SIC&DH will be installed on the Hubble Space Telescope during space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission, replacing the one that suffered a failure aboard the orbiting telescope on Sept. 27, 2008. The SIC&DH is being prepared for integration onto the Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment Carrier. The SIC&DH will be installed on the Hubble Space Telescope during space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission, replacing one that suffered a failure aboard the orbiting telescope on Sept. 27, 2008. The carrier holds the payload for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission servicing NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, targeted to launch May 12. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-2009-2432

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-03-30

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician monitors the lowering of the Science Instrument Command and Data Handling Unit, or SIC&DH, onto a stand. The SIC&DH will be installed on the Hubble Space Telescope during space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission, replacing the one that suffered a failure aboard the orbiting telescope on Sept. 27, 2008. The SIC&DH is being prepared for integration onto the Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment Carrier. The SIC&DH will be installed on the Hubble Space Telescope during space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission, replacing one that suffered a failure aboard the orbiting telescope on Sept. 27, 2008. The carrier holds the payload for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission servicing NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, targeted to launch May 12. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-2009-2434

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-03-30

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the clean area of the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Science Instrument Command and Data Handling Unit, or SIC&DH, in the foreground, is being prepared for integration onto the Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment Carrier, in the background. The SIC&DH will be installed on the Hubble Space Telescope during space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission, replacing the one that suffered a failure aboard the orbiting telescope on Sept. 27, 2008. The SIC&DH will be installed on the Hubble Space Telescope during space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission, replacing one that suffered a failure aboard the orbiting telescope on Sept. 27, 2008. The carrier holds the payload for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission servicing NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, targeted to launch May 12. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

KSC-2009-2435

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-03-30

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – In the clean area of the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Science Instrument Command and Data Handling Unit, or SIC&DH, in the foreground, is being prepared for integration onto the Multi-Use Lightweight Equipment Carrier, in the background. The SIC&DH will be installed on the Hubble Space Telescope during space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission, replacing the one that suffered a failure aboard the orbiting telescope on Sept. 27, 2008. The SIC&DH will be installed on the Hubble Space Telescope during space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission, replacing one that suffered a failure aboard the orbiting telescope on Sept. 27, 2008. The carrier holds the payload for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission servicing NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, targeted to launch May 12. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller

History of Hubble Space Telescope (HST)

NASA Image and Video Library

1990-04-01

This photograph shows the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) installed in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery for the STS-31 Mission at The Kennedy Space Center prior to launch on April 24, 1990. The HST is the first of NASA's great observatories and the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made. The purpose of the HST is to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit by placing the telescope in space, enabling astronomers to collect data that is free of the Earth's atmosphere. The Marshall Space Flight Center had overall responsibility for design, development, and construction of the HST. The Perkin-Elmer Corporation, in Danbury, Connecticut, developed the optical system and guidance sensors. The Lockheed Missile and Space Company, Sunnyvale, California, produced the protective outer shroud and spacecraft systems, and assembled and tested the finished telescope.

PROSPECTS FOR CHARACTERIZING HOST STARS OF THE PLANETARY SYSTEM DETECTIONS PREDICTED FOR THE KOREAN MICROLENSING TELESCOPE NETWORK

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Henderson, Calen B., E-mail: henderson@astronomy.ohio-state.edu

2015-02-10

I investigate the possibility of constraining the flux of the lens (i.e., host star) for the types of planetary systems the Korean Microlensing Telescope Network is predicted to find. I examine the potential to obtain lens flux measurements by (1) imaging the lens once it is spatially resolved from the source, (2) measuring the elongation of the point-spread function of the microlensing target (lens+source) when the lens and source are still unresolved, and (3) taking prompt follow-up photometry. In each case I simulate the observing programs for a representative example of current ground-based adaptive optics (AO) facilities (specifically NACO onmore » the Very Large Telescope), future ground-based AO facilities (GMTIFS on the Giant Magellan Telescope, GMT), and future space telescopes (NIRCAM on the James Webb Space Telescope, JWST). Given the predicted distribution of relative lens-source proper motions, I find that the lens flux could be measured to a precision of σ{sub H{sub ℓ}}≤0.1 for ≳60% of planet detections ≥5 yr after each microlensing event for a simulated observing program using GMT, which images resolved lenses. NIRCAM on JWST would be able to carry out equivalently high-precision measurements for ∼28% of events Δt = 10 yr after each event by imaging resolved lenses. I also explore the effects various blend components would have on the mass derived from prompt follow-up photometry, including companions to the lens, companions to the source, and unassociated interloping stars. I find that undetected blend stars would cause catastrophic failures (i.e., >50% fractional uncertainty in the inferred lens mass) for ≲ (16 · f {sub bin})% of planet detections, where f {sub bin} is the binary fraction, with the majority of these failures occurring for host stars with mass ≲0.3 M {sub ☉}.« less

KSC-03pd0535

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-02-24

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Boeing Delta II rocket, the launch vehicle for the Space Infrared Telescope Facility, stands upright in the launch tower on Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space between wavelengths of 3 and 180 microns (1 micron is one-millionth of a meter). Most of this infrared radiation is blocked by the Earth's atmosphere and cannot be observed from the ground. Consisting of an 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF is one of NASA's largest infrared telescopes to be launched. Its highly sensitive instruments will give a unique view of the Universe and peer into regions of space that are hidden from optical telescopes on the ground or orbiting telescopes such as the Hubble Space Telescope.

Observatories Combine to Crack Open the Crab Nebula

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Astronomers have produced a highly detailed image of the Crab Nebula, by combining data from telescopes spanning nearly the entire breadth of the electromagnetic spectrum, from radio waves seen by the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) to the powerful X-ray glow as seen by the orbiting Chandra X-ray Observatory. And, in between that range of wavelengths, the Hubble Space Telescope's crisp visible-light view, and the infrared perspective of the Spitzer Space Telescope. This composite image of the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant, was assembled by combining data from five telescopes spanning nearly the entire breadth of the electromagnetic spectrum: the Very Large Array, the Spitzer Space Telescope, the Hubble Space Telescope, the XMM-Newton Observatory, and the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Credits: NASA, ESA, NRAO/AUI/NSF and G. Dubner (University of Buenos Aires) #nasagoddard #space #science

Space science public outreach at Louisiana State University

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guzik, T.; Babin, E.; Cooney, W.; Giammanco, J.; Hartman, D.; McNeil, R.; Slovak, M.; Stacy, J.

Over the last seven years the Astronomy / Astrophysics group in the Department of Physics and Astronomy of Louisiana State University has developed an exten- sive Space Science education and public outreach program. This program includes the local park district (the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge, BREC), the local amateur astronomer group (the Baton Rouge As- tronomical Society, BRAS), the Louisiana Arts and Science Museum (LASM), and Southern University (SU, part of the largest HBCU system in the nation). Our effort has directly led to the development of the Highland Road Park Observatory (HRPO, http://www.bro.lsu.edu/hrpo) that supports student astronomy training at LSU and SU, amateur observations and a public program for adults and children, establishment of a series of teacher professional development workshops in astronomy and physics, and the "Robots for Internet Experiences (ROBIE)" project (http://www.bro.lsu.edu/) where we have several instruments (e.g. HAM radio, radio telescope, optical tele- scopes) that can be controlled over the internet by students and teachers in the class- room along with associated lessons developed by a teacher group. In addition, this year the LASM, will be opening a new planetarium / space theater in downtown Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We are currently working to bring live views of the heavens from the HRPO telescope to audiences attending planetarium shows and will be working closely with planetarium staff to develop shows that highlight LSU astronomy / space science research. During the presentation we will provide some details about our in- dividual projects, the overall structure of our program, establishing community links and some of the lessons we learned along the way. Finally, we would like to acknowl- edge NASA, Louisiana State University, the Louisiana Systemic Initiatives Program and the Louisiana Technology Innovation Fund for their support.

Origins of the Strategic Defense Initiative: Ballistic Missile Defense, 1944-1983

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-12-01

interactionwith NASA on the Space Station Freedom program and helpedwrite a research guide on military space activities for the National Air and Space...black stood up in the gallery and shouted : "I prophesy against ABM in the name of Jesus Christ!" After she was removed, the Senators began their...error at 7,575 miles. However, NASA had the advantage of having a much longer time to focus its telescope. A laser weapon must be swiftly pointed and

A soft actuation system for segmented reflector articulation and isolation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Agronin, Michael L.; Jandura, Louise

1990-01-01

Segmented reflectors have been proposed for space based applications such as optical communication and large diameter telescopes. An actuation system for mirrors in a space based segmented mirror array was developed as part of NASA's Precision Segmented Reflector program. The actuation system, called the Articulated Panel Module (APM), provides 3 degrees of freedom mirror articulation, gives isolation from structural motion, and simplifies space assembly of the mirrors to the reflector backup truss. A breadboard of the APM was built and is described.

Creating the Deep Space Environment for Testing the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) at NASA Johnson Space Center's Chamber A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Homan, Jonathan L.; Cerimele, Mary P.; Montz, Michael E.; Bachtel, Russell; Speed, John; O'Rear, Patrick

2013-01-01

Chamber A is the largest thermal vacuum chamber at the Johnson Space Center and is one of the largest space environment chambers in the world. The chamber is 19.8 m (65 ft) in diameter and 36.6 m (120 ft) tall and is equipped with cryogenic liquid nitrogen panels (shrouds) and gaseous helium shrouds to create a simulated space environment. It was originally designed and built in the mid 1960 s to test the Apollo Command and Service Module and several manned tests were conducted on that spacecraft, contributing to the success of the program. The chamber has been used since that time to test spacecraft active thermal control systems, Shuttle DTO, DOD, and ESA hardware in simulated Low Earth Orbit (LEO) conditions. NASA is now moving from LEO towards exploration of locations with environments approaching those of deep space. Therefore, Chamber A has undergone major modifications to enable it to simulate these deeper space environments. Environmental requirements were driven, and modifications were funded by the James Webb Space Telescope program, and this telescope which will orbit Solar/Earth L2, will be the first test article to benefit from the chamber s new capabilities. To accommodate JWST, the Chamber A high vacuum system has been modernized, additional LN2 shrouds have been installed, the liquid nitrogen system has been modified to remove dependency on electrical power and increase its reliability, a new helium shroud/refrigeration system has been installed to create a colder more stable and uniform heat sink, and the controls have been updated to increase the level of automation and improve operator interfaces. Testing of these major modifications was conducted in August of 2012 and this initial test was very successful, with all major systems exceeding their performance requirements. This paper will outline the changes in overall environmental requirements, discuss the technical design data that was used in the decisions leading to the extensive modifications, and describe the new capabilities of the chamber.

Creating the Deep Space Environment for Testing the James Webb Space Telescope at NASA Johnson Space Center's Chamber A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Homan, Jonathan L.; Cerimele, Mary P.; Montz, Michael E.; Bachtel, Russell; Speed, John; O'Rear, Patrick

2013-01-01

Chamber A is the largest thermal vacuum chamber at the Johnson Space Center and is one of the largest space environment chambers in the world. The chamber is 19.8 m (65 ft.) in diameter and 36.6 m (120 ft.) tall and is equipped with cryogenic liquid nitrogen panels (shrouds) and gaseous helium shrouds to create a simulated space environment. It was originally designed and built in the mid 1960 s to test the Apollo Command and Service Module and several manned tests were conducted on that spacecraft, contributing to the success of the program. The chamber has been used since that time to test spacecraft active thermal control systems, Shuttle DTO, DOD, and ESA hardware in simulated Low Earth Orbit (LEO) conditions. NASA is now moving from LEO towards exploration of locations with environments approaching those of deep space. Therefore, Chamber A has undergone major modifications to enable it to simulate these deeper space environments. Environmental requirements were driven, and modifications were funded by the James Webb Space Telescope program, and this telescope, which will orbit Solar/Earth L2, will be the first test article to benefit from the chamber s new capabilities. To accommodate JWST, the Chamber A high vacuum system has been modernized, additional LN2 shrouds have been installed, the liquid nitrogen system has been modified to minimize dependency on electrical power and increase its reliability, a new helium shroud/refrigeration system has been installed to create a colder more stable and uniform heat sink, and the controls have been updated to increase the level of automation and improve operator interfaces. Testing of these major modifications was conducted in August of 2012 and this initial test was very successful, with all major systems exceeding their performance requirements. This paper will outline the changes in overall environmental requirements, discuss the technical design data that was used in the decisions leading to the extensive modifications, and describe the new capabilities of the chamber.

Creating the Deep Space Environment for Testing the James Webb Space Telescope at the Johnson Space Center's Chamber A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Homan, Jonathan L.; Cerimele, Mary P.; Montz, Michael E.

2012-01-01

Chamber A is the largest thermal vacuum chamber at the Johnson Space Center and is one of the largest space environment chambers in the world. The chamber is 19.8 m (65 ft) in diameter and 36.6 m (120 ft) tall and is equipped with cryogenic liquid nitrogen panels (shrouds) and gaseous helium shrouds to create a simulated space environment. It was originally designed and built in the mid 1960's to test the Apollo Command and Service Module and several manned tests were conducted on that spacecraft, contributing to the success of the program. The chamber has been used since that time to test spacecraft active thermal control systems, Shuttle DTO, DOD, and ESA hardware in simulated Low Earth Orbit (LEO) conditions. NASA is now moving from LEO towards exploration of locations with environments approaching those of deep space. Therefore, Chamber A has undergone major modifications to enable it to simulate these deeper space environments. Environmental requirements were driven, and the modifications were funded, by the James Webb Space Telescope program, and this telescope which will orbit Solar/Earth L2, will be the first test article to benefit from the chamber s new capabilities. To accommodate JWST, the Chamber A high vacuum system has been modernized, additional LN2 shrouds have been installed, the liquid nitrogen system has been modified to remove dependency on electrical power and increase its reliability, a new helium shroud/refrigeration system has been installed to create a colder more stable and uniform heat sink and, the controls have been updated to increase the level of automation and improve operator interfaces. Testing of these major modifications was conducted in August 2012 and this initial test was very successful, with all major systems exceeding their performance requirements. This paper will outline the changes in the overall environmental requirements, discuss the technical design data that was used in the decisions leading to the extensive modifications, and describe the new capabilities of the chamber.

Evaluation and testing of image quality of the Space Solar Extreme Ultraviolet Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Jilong; Yi, Zhong; Zhou, Shuhong; Yu, Qian; Hou, Yinlong; Wang, Shanshan

2018-01-01

For the space solar extreme ultraviolet telescope, the star point test can not be performed in the x-ray band (19.5nm band) as there is not light source of bright enough. In this paper, the point spread function of the optical system is calculated to evaluate the imaging performance of the telescope system. Combined with the actual processing surface error, such as small grinding head processing and magnetorheological processing, the optical design software Zemax and data analysis software Matlab are used to directly calculate the system point spread function of the space solar extreme ultraviolet telescope. Matlab codes are programmed to generate the required surface error grid data. These surface error data is loaded to the specified surface of the telescope system by using the communication technique of DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange), which is used to connect Zemax and Matlab. As the different processing methods will lead to surface error with different size, distribution and spatial frequency, the impact of imaging is also different. Therefore, the characteristics of the surface error of different machining methods are studied. Combining with its position in the optical system and simulation its influence on the image quality, it is of great significance to reasonably choose the processing technology. Additionally, we have also analyzed the relationship between the surface error and the image quality evaluation. In order to ensure the final processing of the mirror to meet the requirements of the image quality, we should choose one or several methods to evaluate the surface error according to the different spatial frequency characteristics of the surface error.

Near earth tracking/data exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spearing, Robert

1990-01-01

The future challenges facing NASA's data acquisition program are examined, with emphasis on the near-earth exploration activity and the associated data systems. It is noted that the process that is being followed is an evolutionary one: new technologies are being gradually integrated into currently operating systems. For example, advanced handling is already being introduced into such programs as the Space Telescope and the Gamma Ray Source Observatory System.

KSC-04pd1001

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, five space program heroes accept the accolades of the crowd attending their induction into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. From left, they are Norman E. Thagard, the first American to occupy Russia's Mir space station; June Scobee, on behalf of her late husband Francis R. "Dick" Scobee, commander of the ill-fated 1986 Challenger mission; Kathryn D. Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space; Frederick D. Gregory, the first African-American to command a space mission and the current NASA Deputy Administrator; and Richard O. Covey, commander of the Hubble Space Telescope repair mission. The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame opened in 1990 to provide a place where space travelers could be remembered for their participation and accomplishments in the U.S. space program. To be eligible for induction, an individual must have been a U.S. citizen, a NASA astronaut, and out of the active astronaut corps at least five years. The five inductees join 52 previously honored astronauts from the ranks of the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, and Space Shuttle programs.

KSC-04pd1008

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Before the induction ceremony of five space program heroes into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, former astronaut Gene Cernan waves to guests as he is introduced as a previous inductee. He walked in space on Gemini 9, orbited the Moon on Apollo 10 and walked on the Moon as commander of Apollo 17. The ceremony was held at the Apollo/Saturn V Center at KSC. New inductees are Richard O. Covey, commander of the Hubble Space Telescope repair mission; Norman E. Thagard, the first American to occupy Russia’s Mir space station; the late Francis R. "Dick" Scobee, commander of the ill-fated 1986 Challenger mission; Kathryn D. Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space; and Frederick D. Gregory, the first African-American to command a space mission and the current NASA deputy administrator. The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame opened in 1990 to provide a place where space travelers could be remembered for their participation and accomplishments in the U.S. space program. The five inductees join 52 previously honored astronauts from the ranks of the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, and Space Shuttle programs.

KSC-04pd0995

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Richard O. Covey, commander of the Hubble Space Telescope repair mission, speaks to guests at the induction of five space program heroes into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. Seated from left, they are Norman E. Thagard, the first American to occupy Russia’s Mir space station; June Scobee, on behalf of her late husband Francis R. "Dick" Scobee, commander of the ill-fated 1986 Challenger mission; Kathryn D. Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space; and Frederick D. Gregory, the first African-American to command a space mission and the current NASA deputy administrator. The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame opened in 1990 to provide a place where space travelers could be remembered for their participation and accomplishments in the U.S. space program. To be eligible for induction, an individual must have been a U.S. citizen, a NASA astronaut, and out of the active astronaut corps at least five years. The five inductees join 52 previously honored astronauts from the ranks of the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, and Space Shuttle programs.

KSC-04pd1006

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Before the induction ceremony of five space program heroes into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, former astronaut Gordon Cooper is introduced as a previous inductee. One of America’s original Mercury Seven astronauts, Cooper flew the last and longest Project Mercury orbital mission and spent eight days in space aboard Gemini 5. The ceremony was held at the Apollo/Saturn V Center at KSC. New inductees are Richard O. Covey, commander of the Hubble Space Telescope repair mission; Norman E. Thagard, the first American to occupy Russia’s Mir space station; the late Francis R. "Dick" Scobee, commander of the ill-fated 1986 Challenger mission; Kathryn D. Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space; and Frederick D. Gregory, the first African-American to command a space mission and the current NASA deputy administrator. The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame opened in 1990 to provide a place where space travelers could be remembered for their participation and accomplishments in the U.S. space program. The five inductees join 52 previously honored astronauts from the ranks of the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, and Space Shuttle programs.

KSC-04pd1002

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Inside the Apollo/Saturn V Center at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, the Bethune-Cookman Choir performs prior to the induction ceremony of five space program heroes into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. New inductees are Richard O. Covey, commander of the Hubble Space Telescope repair mission; Norman E. Thagard, the first American to occupy Russia’s Mir space station; the late Francis R. "Dick" Scobee, commander of the ill-fated 1986 Challenger mission; Kathryn D. Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space; and Frederick D. Gregory, the first African-American to command a space mission and the current NASA deputy administrator. The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame opened in 1990 to provide a place where space travelers could be remembered for their participation and accomplishments in the U.S. space program. To be eligible for induction, an individual must have been a U.S. citizen, a NASA astronaut, and out of the active astronaut corps at least five years. The five inductees join 52 previously honored astronauts from the ranks of the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, and Space Shuttle programs.

A large-area gamma-ray imaging telescope system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koch, D. G.

1983-01-01

The concept definition of using the External Tank (ET) of the Space Shuttle as the basis for constructing a large area gamma ray imaging telescope in space is detailed. The telescope will be used to locate and study cosmic sources of gamma rays of energy greater than 100 MeV. Both the telescope properties and the means whereby an ET is used for this purpose are described. A parallel is drawn between those systems that would be common to both a Space Station and this ET application. In addition, those systems necessary for support of the telescope can form the basis for using the ET as part of the Space Station. The major conclusions of this concept definition are that the ET is ideal for making into a gamma ray telescope, and that this telescope will provide a substantial increase in collecting area.

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Optical Telescope Element (OTE) Development Status

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feinberg, Lee D.

2004-01-01

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Optical Telescope Element (OTE) is a segmented, cryogenic telescope scheduled for launch in 2011. In September of 2002, NASA selected prime contractor Northrop Grumman Space Technology (NGST) to build the observatory including management of the OTE. NGST is teamed with subcontractors Ball Aerospace, Alliant Techsystems (ATK). and Kodak. The team has completed several significant design, technology, architecture definition, and manufacturing milestones in the past year that are summarized in this paper.

Space telescope optical telescope assembly/scientific instruments. Phase B: Preliminary design and program definition study. Volume 2A. focal plane camera

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

Trade studies were conducted to ensure the overall feasibility of the focal plane camera in a radial module. The primary variable in the trade studies was the location of the pickoff mirror, on axis versus off-axis. Two alternatives were: (1) the standard (electromagnetic focus) SECO submodule, and (2) the MOD 15 permanent magnet focus SECO submodule. The technical areas of concern were the packaging affected parameters of thermal dissipation, focal plane obscuration, and image quality.

Speckle interferometry of Hipparcos link stars. III

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

White, Graeme L.; Jauncey, David L.; Reynolds, John E.; Blackmore, David R.; Matcher, Steven J.

1991-01-01

A third list of stars is presented which have been tested by speckle interferometry for use in the Hubble Space Telescope link between the Hipparcos astrometric reference frame and the extragalactic VLBI reference frame. Structural information on angular scales of 0.15-1.2 arcsec for 34 Southern Hemisphere stars is reported from observations made with the Imperial College Speckle Interferometer mounted on the Mount Stromlo 1.9-m telescope. Twenty-four percent of the stars (8 out of the 34) show evidence of multiplicity, in agreement with previous observations in this program.

Deep space target location with Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and Hipparcos data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Null, George W.

1988-01-01

Interplanetary spacecraft navigation requires accurate a priori knowledge of target positions. A concept is presented for attaining improved target ephemeris accuracy using two future Earth-orbiting optical observatories, the European Space Agency (ESA) Hipparcos observatory and the Nasa Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Assuming nominal observatory performance, the Hipparcos data reduction will provide an accurate global star catalog, and HST will provide a capability for accurate angular measurements of stars and solar system bodies. The target location concept employs HST to observe solar system bodies relative to Hipparcos catalog stars and to determine the orientation (frame tie) of these stars to compact extragalactic radio sources. The target location process is described, the major error sources discussed, the potential target ephemeris error predicted, and mission applications identified. Preliminary results indicate that ephemeris accuracy comparable to the errors in individual Hipparcos catalog stars may be possible with a more extensive HST observing program. Possible future ground and spacebased replacements for Hipparcos and HST astrometric capabilities are also discussed.

Large Aperture Systems: 2000-2004

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

This custom bibliography from the NASA Scientific and Technical Information Program lists a sampling of records found in the NASA Aeronautics and Space Database. The scope of this topic includes technologies for next generation astronomical telescopes and detectors. This area of focus is one of the enabling technologies as defined by NASA s Report of the President s Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy, published in June 2004.

The Tolman Surface Brightness Test for the Reality of the Expansion. III. Hubble Space Telescope Profile and Surface Brightness Data for Early-Type Galaxies in Three High-Redshift Clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lubin, Lori M.; Sandage, Allan

2001-09-01

Photometric data for 34 early-type galaxies in the three high-redshift clusters Cl 1324+3011 (z=0.76), Cl 1604+4304 (z=0.90), and Cl 1604+4321 (z=0.92), observed with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and with the Keck 10 m telescopes by Oke, Postman, & Lubin, are analyzed to obtain the photometric parameters of mean surface brightness, magnitudes for the growth curves, and angular radii at various Petrosian η radii. The angular radii at η=1.3 mag for the program galaxies are all larger than 0.24". All the galaxies are well resolved at this angular size using HST, whose point-spread function is 0.05", half-width at half-maximum. The data for each of the program galaxies are listed at η=1.0, 1.3, 1.5, 1.7, and 2.0 mag. They are corrected by color equations and K-terms for the effects of redshift to the rest-frame Cape/Cousins I for Cl 1324+3011 and Cl 1604+4304 and R for Cl 1604+4321. The K-corrections are calculated from synthetic spectral energy distributions derived from evolving stellar population models of Bruzual & Charlot, that have been fitted to the observed broadband (BVRI) AB magnitudes of each program galaxy. The listed photometric data are independent of all cosmological parameters. They are the source data for the Tolman surface brightness test made in Paper IV.

A New Method for Wide-field Near-IR Imaging with the Hubble Space Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Momcheva, Ivelina G.; van Dokkum, Pieter G.; van der Wel, Arjen; Brammer, Gabriel B.; MacKenty, John; Nelson, Erica J.; Leja, Joel; Muzzin, Adam; Franx, Marijn

2017-01-01

We present a new technique for wide and shallow observations using the near-infrared channel of Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Wide-field near-IR surveys with HST are generally inefficient, as guide star acquisitions make it impractical to observe more than one pointing per orbit. This limitation can be circumvented by guiding with gyros alone, which is possible as long as the telescope has three functional gyros. The method presented here allows us to observe mosaics of eight independent WFC3-IR pointings in a single orbit by utilizing the fact that HST drifts by only a very small amount in the 25 s between non-destructive reads of unguided exposures. By shifting the reads and treating them as independent exposures the full resolution of WFC3 can be restored. We use this “drift and shift” (DASH) method in the Cycle 23 COSMOS-DASH program, which will obtain 456 WFC3 H 160 pointings in 57 orbits, covering an area of 0.6 degree in the COSMOS field down to H 160 = 25. When completed, the program will more than triple the area of extra-galactic survey fields covered by near-IR imaging at HST resolution. We demonstrate the viability of the method with the first four orbits (32 pointings) of this program. We show that the resolution of the WFC3 camera is preserved, and that structural parameters of galaxies are consistent with those measured in guided observations.

Space exploration and colonization - Towards a space faring society

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hammond, Walter E.

1990-01-01

Development trends of space exploration and colonization since 1957 are reviewed, and a five-phase evolutionary program planned for the long-term future is described. The International Geosphere-Biosphere program which is intended to provide the database on enviromental changes of the earth as a global system is considered. Evolution encompasses the anticipated advantages of such NASA observation projects as the Hubble Space Telescope, the Gamma Ray Observatory, the Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility, and the Cosmic Background Explorer. Attention is given to requirements for space colonization, including development of artificial gravity and countermeasures to mitigate zero gravity problems; robotics and systems aimed to minimize human exposure to the space environment; the use of nuclear propulsion; and international collaboration on lunar-Mars projects. It is recommended that nuclear energy sources be developed for both propulsion and as extraterrestrial power plants.

Probing AGN Structure on Microarcsecond Scales: The Space Telescope and Optical Reverberation Mapping Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Rosa, Gisella

2015-08-01

The unknown dynamics of the broad line region (BLR) gas represents a serious gap in our understanding of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and, consequently, of the black-hole/host-galaxy co-evolution. By using time resolution as a substitute for spatial resolution, reverberation mapping (RM) is the only technique that allows us to infer both the geometry and the kinematics of the BLR gas, shading light on the BLR role on accretion/feedback processes. In 2014, the AGN STORM team used HST/COS for a RM program for which we obtained 170 UV spectra of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548 at a near daily cadence. These data and contemporaneous observations with Swift and ground-based telescopes make this the most intensive RM program ever undertaken. I will report first results of this unique RM experiment.

Planetary Defense Architecture for Mitigating Short-Term Warning Cosmic Threats: READI Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nambiar, Shrrirup; Hussein, Alaa; Silva-Martinez, Jackelynne; Reinert, Jessica; Gonzalez, Fernando

2016-01-01

Earth is being constantly bombarded by a large variety of celestial bodies and has been since its formation 4.5 billion years ago. Among those bodies, mainly asteroids and comets, there are those that have the potential to create large scale destruction upon impact. The only extinction-level impact recorded to date was 65 million years ago, during the era of dinosaurs. The probability of another extinction-level, or even city-killer, impact may be negligible, but the consequences can be severe for the biosphere and for our species. Therefore it is highly imperative for us to be prepared for such a devastating impact in the near future, especially since humanity is at the threshold of wielding technologies that allow us to do so. Majority of scientists, engineers, and policymakers have focused on long-term strategies and warning periods for Earth orbit crossing Near-Earth Objects (NEOs), and have suggested methods and policies to tackle such problems. However, less attention has been paid to short warning period NEO threats. Such NEOs test current technological and international cooperation capabilities in protecting ourselves, and can create unpredictable devastation ranging from local to global scale. The most recent example is the Chelyabinsk incident in Russia. This event has provided a wakeup call for space agencies and governments around the world towards establishing a Planetary Defense Program. The Roadmap for EArth Defense Initiative (READI) is a project by a team of international, intercultural, and interdisciplinary participants of the International Space University's Space Studies Program 2015 hosted by Ohio University, Athens, OH proposing a roadmap for space agencies, governments, and the general public to tackle NEOs with a short warning before impact. Taking READI as a baseline, this paper presents a technical description of methodologies proposed for detection and impact mitigation of a medium-sized comet (up to 800m across) with a short-warning period of two years on a collision course with Earth. The hypothetical comet is on a highly-inclined orbit having a high probability for Earth impact after its perihelion. For detection, we propose a space-based infrared detection system consisting of two satellites located at the Earth-Moon Lagrange points L1 and L2 coupled with space observatories, like the James Webb telescope and the Centennial telescope. These telescopes are supported by ground-based telescopes, like the Arecibo and Green Bank telescope, in the search for NEOs. Upon detection, the comet is tracked constantly using space- and ground-based telescopes. The deflection system is two-pronged, firstly involving the use of a high energy Directed Energy Laser Terminals (DELT) placed at Sun-Earth Lagrange points L4 and L5 so as to initiate and increase the ablation rate of the comet and deviate it from its collision trajectory, and secondly by the Hypervelocity Comet Intercept Vehicle (HCIV), a space-borne system combining a kinetic impactor with a thermonuclear device. The policy and international collaboration aspects to implement these methods are also outlined in the paper. The techniques mentioned could also be applied to mitigate medium-to-large sized asteroids (up to 2km across).

Architecture for Mitigating Short-Term Warning Cosmic Threats: READI Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nambiar, Shrrirup P.; Hussein, Alaa; Silva-Martinez, Jackelynne; Reinert, Jessica; Gonzalez, Fernando

2016-01-01

Earth is being constantly bombarded by a large variety of celestial bodies and has been since its formation 4.5 billion years ago. Among those bodies, mainly asteroids and comets, there are those that have the potential to create large scale destruction upon impact. The only extinction-level impact recorded to date was 65 million years ago, during the era of dinosaurs. The probability of another extinction-level, or even city-killer, impact may be negligible, but the consequences can be severe for the biosphere and for our species. Therefore it is highly imperative for us to be prepared for such a devastating impact in the near future, especially since humanity is at the threshold of wielding technologies that allow us to do so. Majority of scientists, engineers, and policymakers have focused on long-term strategies and warning periods for Earth orbit crossing Near-Earth Objects (NEOs), and have suggested methods and policies to tackle such problems. However, less attention has been paid to short warning period NEO threats. Such NEOs test current technological and international cooperation capabilities in protecting ourselves, and can create unpredictable devastation ranging from local to global scale. The most recent example is the Chelyabinsk incident in Russia. This event has provided a wakeup call for space agencies and governments around the world towards establishing a Planetary Defense Program. The Roadmap for EArth Defense Initiative (READI) is a project by a team of international, intercultural, and interdisciplinary participants of the International Space University's Space Studies Program 2015 hosted by Ohio University, Athens, OH proposing a roadmap for space agencies, governments, and the general public to tackle NEOs with a short warning before impact. Taking READI as a baseline, this paper presents a technical description of methodologies proposed for detection and impact mitigation of a medium-sized comet (up to 800m across) with a short-warning period of two years on a collision course with Earth. The hypothetical comet is on a highly-inclined orbit having a high probability for Earth impact after its perihelion. For detection, we propose a space-based infrared detection system consisting of two satellites located at the Earth-Moon Lagrange points L1 and L2 coupled with space observatories, like the James Webb telescope and the Centennial telescope. These telescopes are supported by ground-based telescopes, like the Arecibo and Green Bank telescope, in the search for NEOs. Upon detection, the comet is tracked constantly using space- and ground-based telescopes. The deflection system is two-pronged, firstly involving the use of a high energy Directed Energy Laser Terminals (DELT) placed at Sun-Earth Lagrange points L4 and L5 so as to initiate and increase the ablation rate of the comet and deviate it from its collision trajectory, and secondly by the Hypervelocity Comet Intercept Vehicle (HCIV), a space-borne system combining a kinetic impactor with a thermonuclear device. The policy and international collaboration aspects to implement these methods are also outlined in the paper. The techniques mentioned could also be applied to mitigate medium-to-large sized asteroids (up to 2km across).

KSC-02pd0627

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-04-30

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the 2002 Space Congress, Cape Canaveral, Fla., a presentation on "Hubble Discoveries" by Dr. Mark Clampin (with microphone), Advanced Camera for Surveys team, included an image of an eye (seen on the screen) comprising hundreds of photos of all the people who worked on Hubble. On the right is Frank Ceppolina, project manager, Hubble Space Telescope Development Project. The Space Congress is held annually to highlight military and space initiatives, new technologies, and Florida's role in programs and research. This year's theme is Beginning a New Era - Initiatives in Space. NASA presented several paper sessions, including Advancements in Technology. Space Congress is sponsored by the Canaveral Council of Technical Societies

The Carnegie-Chicago Hubble Program. I. An Independent Approach to the Extragalactic Distance Scale Using Only Population II Distance Indicators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beaton, Rachael L.; Freedman, Wendy L.; Madore, Barry F.; Bono, Giuseppe; Carlson, Erika K.; Clementini, Gisella; Durbin, Meredith J.; Garofalo, Alessia; Hatt, Dylan; Jang, In Sung; Kollmeier, Juna A.; Lee, Myung Gyoon; Monson, Andrew J.; Rich, Jeffrey A.; Scowcroft, Victoria; Seibert, Mark; Sturch, Laura; Yang, Soung-Chul

2016-12-01

We present an overview of the Carnegie-Chicago Hubble Program, an ongoing program to obtain a 3% measurement of the Hubble constant (H 0) using alternative methods to the traditional Cepheid distance scale. We aim to establish a completely independent route to H 0 using RR Lyrae variables, the tip of the red giant branch (TRGB), and Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). This alternative distance ladder can be applied to galaxies of any Hubble type, of any inclination, and, using old stars in low-density environments, is robust to the degenerate effects of metallicity and interstellar extinction. Given the relatively small number of SNe Ia host galaxies with independently measured distances, these properties provide a great systematic advantage in the measurement of H 0 via the distance ladder. Initially, the accuracy of our value of H 0 will be set by the five Galactic RR Lyrae calibrators with Hubble Space Telescope Fine-Guidance Sensor parallaxes. With Gaia, both the RR Lyrae zero-point and TRGB method will be independently calibrated, the former with at least an order of magnitude more calibrators and the latter directly through parallax measurement of tip red giants. As the first end-to-end “distance ladder” completely independent of both Cepheid variables and the Large Magellanic Cloud, this path to H 0 will allow for the high-precision comparison at each rung of the traditional distance ladder that is necessary to understand tensions between this and other routes to H 0. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with programs #13472 and #13691.

The Distance to M51

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McQuinn, Kristen. B. W.; Skillman, Evan D.; Dolphin, Andrew E.; Berg, Danielle; Kennicutt, Robert

2016-07-01

Great investments of observing time have been dedicated to the study of nearby spiral galaxies with diverse goals ranging from understanding the star formation process to characterizing their dark matter distributions. Accurate distances are fundamental to interpreting observations of these galaxies, yet many of the best studied nearby galaxies have distances based on methods with relatively large uncertainties. We have started a program to derive accurate distances to these galaxies. Here we measure the distance to M51—the Whirlpool galaxy—from newly obtained Hubble Space Telescope optical imaging using the tip of the red giant branch method. We measure the distance modulus to be 8.58 ± 0.10 Mpc (statistical), corresponding to a distance modulus of 29.67 ± 0.02 mag. Our distance is an improvement over previous results as we use a well-calibrated, stable distance indicator, precision photometry in a optimally selected field of view, and a Bayesian Maximum Likelihood technique that reduces measurement uncertainties. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained from the Data Archive at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555.

Rapid Maturation of Edge Sensor Technology and Potential Application in Large Space Telescopes with Segmented Primary Mirrors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Montgomery, Edward E., IV; Smith, W. Scott (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

This paper explores the history and results of the last two year's efforts to transition inductive edge sensor technology from Technology Readiness Level 2 to Technology Readiness Level 6. Both technical and programmatic challenges were overcome in the design, fabrication, test, and installation of over a thousand sensors making up the Segment Alignment Maintenance System (SAMs) for the 91 segment, 9.2-meter. Hobby Eberly Telescope (HET). The integration of these sensors with the control system will be discussed along with serendipitous leverage they provided for both initialization alignment and operational maintenance. The experience gained important insights into the fundamental motion mechanics of large segmented mirrors, the relative importance of the variance sources of misalignment errors, the efficient conduct of a program to mature the technology to the higher levels. Unanticipated factors required the team to develop new implementation strategies for the edge sensor information which enabled major segmented mirror controller design simplifications. The resulting increase in the science efficiency of HET will be shown. Finally, the on-going effort to complete the maturation of inductive edge sensor by delivering space qualified versions for future IR (infrared radiation) space telescopes.

Hubble Space Telescope Deploy, Eastern Cuba, Haiti

NASA Image and Video Library

1990-04-29

A close up deploy view of the Hubble Space Telescope on the end of the space shuttle remote manipulator system (RMS) with Eastern Cuba, (20.0N, 74.0W) seen on the left side of the telescope and northern Haiti seen on the right side of the telescope. The light colored blue feature in the water north of Haiti is the shallow waters of the Caicos Bank.

KSC-99pp1505

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-12-27

After landing at the Shuttle Landing Facility, STS-103 Mission Specialist Jean-François Clervoy of France (left), with the European Space Agency (ESA), and Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr. (right) look over the orbiter Discovery. They and other crew members Pilot Scott J. Kelly and Mission Specialists Steven L. Smith, C. Michael Foale (Ph.D.), John M. Grunsfeld (Ph.D.) and Claude Nicollier of Switzerland (also with ESA), completed a successful eight-day mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope, spending the Christmas holiday in space in order to accomplish their mission before the end of 1999. During the mission, Discovery's four space-walking astronauts, Smith, Foale, Grunsfeld and Nicollier, spent 24 hours and 33 minutes upgrading and refurbishing Hubble, making it more capable than ever to renew its observations of the universe. Mission objectives included replacing gyroscopes and an old computer, installing another solid state recorder, and replacing damaged insulation in the telescope. Hubble was released from the end of Discovery's robot arm on Christmas Day. Main gear touchdown was at 7:00:47 p.m. EST. Nose gear touchdown occurred at 7:00:58 p.m. EST and wheel stop at 7:01:34 p.m. EST. This was the 96th flight in the Space Shuttle program and the 27th for the orbiter Discovery. The landing was the 20th consecutive Shuttle landing in Florida and the 13th night landing in Shuttle program history

Yes, the James Webb Space Telescope Mirrors 'Can'

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

The powerful primary mirrors of the James Webb Space Telescope will be able to detect the light from distant galaxies. The manufacturer of those mirrors, Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colo., recently celebrated their successful efforts as mirror segments were packed up in special shipping canisters (cans) for shipping to NASA. The Webb telescope has 21 mirrors, with 18 primary mirror segments working together as one large 21.3-foot (6.5-meter) primary mirror. The mirror segments are made of beryllium, which was selected for its stiffness, light weight and stability at cryogenic temperatures. Bare beryllium is not very reflective of near-infrared light, so each mirror is coated with about 0.12 ounce of gold. Northrop Grumman Corp. Aerospace Systems is the principal contractor on the telescope and commissioned Ball for the optics system's development, design, manufacturing, integration and testing. The Webb telescope is the world's next-generation space observatory and successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. The most powerful space telescope ever built, the Webb telescope will provide images of the first galaxies ever formed, and explore planets around distant stars. It is a joint project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. For more information about the James Webb Space Telescope, visit: www.jwst.nasa.gov Credit: Ball Aerospace NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

The space telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

Papers concerning the development of the Space Telescope which were presented at the Twenty-first Annual Meeting of the American Astronautical Society in August, 1975 are included. Mission planning, telescope performance, optical detectors, mirror construction, pointing and control systems, data management, and maintenance of the telescope are discussed.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1970-01-01

This 1970 photograph shows Skylab's Ultraviolet (UV)/X-Ray Solar Photography instrument, an Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM) facility designed to photograph normal and explosive areas in the solar atmosphere in the x-ray and UV spectra. The Marshall Space Flight Center had program management responsibility for the development of Skylab hardware and experiments.

Summary of the COS Cycle 22 Calibration Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sonnentrucker, Paule; Becker, George; Bostroem, Azalee; Debes, John H.; Ely, Justin; Fox, Andrew; Lockwood, Sean; Oliveira, Cristina; Penton, Steven; Proffitt, Charles; Roman-Duval, Julia; Sahnow, David; Sana, Hugues; Taylor, Jo; Welty, Alan D.; Wheeler, Thomas

2016-09-01

We summarize the calibration activities for the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) on the Hubble Space Telescope during Cycle 22 which ran from November 2014 through October 2015. We give an overview of the COS calibration plan, COS usage statistics and we briefly describe major changes with respect to the previous cycle. High-level executive summaries for each calibration program comprising Cycle 22 are also given here. Results of the analysis attached to each program are published in separate ISRs.

History of Hubble Space Telescope (HST)

NASA Image and Video Library

1986-01-01

This photograph shows the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) flight article assembly with multilayer insulation, high gain anterna, and solar arrays in a clean room of the Lockheed Missile and Space Company. The HST is the first of NASA's great observatories and the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made. The purpose of the HST is to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit by placing the telescope in space, enabling astronomers to collect data that is free of the Earth's atmosphere. The HST was deployed from the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-31 mission) into Earth orbit in April 1990. The Marshall Space Flight Center had overall responsibility for design, development, and construction of the HST. The Perkin-Elmer Corporation, in Danbury, Connecticut, developed the optical system and guidance sensors. The Lockheed Missile and Space Company, Sunnyvale, California, produced the protective outer shroud and spacecraft systems, and assembled and tested the finished telescope.

KSC-04pd1004

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Former astronaut Scott Carpenter is introduced as a previous inductee into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. He and other Hall of Fame members were present for the induction of five new space program heroes into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame: Richard O. Covey, commander of the Hubble Space Telescope repair mission; Norman E. Thagard, the first American to occupy Russia’s Mir space station; the late Francis R. "Dick" Scobee, commander of the ill-fated 1986 Challenger mission; Kathryn D. Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space; and Frederick D. Gregory, the first African-American to command a space mission and the current NASA deputy administrator. The induction ceremony was held at the Apollo/Saturn V Center at KSC. The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame opened in 1990 to provide a place where space travelers could be remembered for their participation and accomplishments in the U.S. space program. The five inductees join 52 previously honored astronauts from the ranks of the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, and Space Shuttle programs.

KSC-04pd1009

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Before the induction ceremony of five space program heroes into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, former astronaut Ed Mitchell is introduced as a previous inductee. Mitchell explored the Moon's hilly Fra Mauro region with Alan B. Shepard during the 1971 Apollo 14 mission. The ceremony was held at the Apollo/Saturn V Center at KSC. New inductees are Richard O. Covey, commander of the Hubble Space Telescope repair mission; Norman E. Thagard, the first American to occupy Russia’s Mir space station; the late Francis R. "Dick" Scobee, commander of the ill-fated 1986 Challenger mission; Kathryn D. Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space; and Frederick D. Gregory, the first African-American to command a space mission and the current NASA deputy administrator. The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame opened in 1990 to provide a place where space travelers could be remembered for their participation and accomplishments in the U.S. space program. The five inductees join 52 previously honored astronauts from the ranks of the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, and Space Shuttle programs.

KSC-03pd0531

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-02-24

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, a Boeing Delta II rocket is raised to a vertical position on the launch tower. The rocket is the launch vehicle for the Space Infrared Telescope Facility. SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space between wavelengths of 3 and 180 microns (1 micron is one-millionth of a meter). Most of this infrared radiation is blocked by the Earth's atmosphere and cannot be observed from the ground. Consisting of an 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF is one of NASA's largest infrared telescopes to be launched. Its highly sensitive instruments will give a unique view of the Universe and peer into regions of space that are hidden from optical telescopes on the ground or orbiting telescopes such as the Hubble Space Telescope.

KSC-03pd0532

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-02-24

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Viewed from below, a Boeing Delta II rocket is lifted up the launch tower on Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The rocket is the launch vehicle for the Space Infrared Telescope Facility. SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space between wavelengths of 3 and 180 microns (1 micron is one-millionth of a meter). Most of this infrared radiation is blocked by the Earth's atmosphere and cannot be observed from the ground. Consisting of an 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF is one of NASA's largest infrared telescopes to be launched. Its highly sensitive instruments will give a unique view of the Universe and peer into regions of space that are hidden from optical telescopes on the ground or orbiting telescopes such as the Hubble Space Telescope.

KSC-03pd0534

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-02-24

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers on Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, steady the Boeing Delta II rocket as it is lifted up the launch tower. The rocket is the launch vehicle for the Space Infrared Telescope Facility. SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space between wavelengths of 3 and 180 microns (1 micron is one-millionth of a meter). Most of this infrared radiation is blocked by the Earth's atmosphere and cannot be observed from the ground. Consisting of an 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF is one of NASA's largest infrared telescopes to be launched. Its highly sensitive instruments will give a unique view of the Universe and peer into regions of space that are hidden from optical telescopes on the ground or orbiting telescopes such as the Hubble Space Telescope.

Upgraded Hubble Space Telescope Images

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-09-08

Heidi Hammel, senior research scientist at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado discusses newly released images from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The images were from four of the telescopes' six operating science instruments. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Emblem - NASA Skylab (SL) Program

NASA Image and Video Library

1973-04-25

S73-23952 (May 1973) --- This is the official emblem for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Skylab Program. The emblem depicts the United States Skylab space station cluster in Earth orbit with the sun in the background. Skylab will evaluate systems and techniques designed to gather information on Earth resources and environmental problems. Solar telescopes will increase man's knowledge of our sun and the multitude of solar influences on Earth environment. Medical experiments will increase knowledge of man himself and his relationship to his earthly environment and adaptability to spaceflight. Additionally, Skylab will experiment with industrial processes which may be enhanced by the unique weightless, vacuum environment of orbital spaceflight. The 100-ton laboratory complex Skylab space station is composed of the Command/Service Module (CSM), Orbital Workshop (OW), Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM), Multiple Docking Adapter (MDA), and Airlock Module (AM). The NASA insignia design for Skylab is reserved for use by the astronauts and for other official use as the NASA Administrator may authorize. Public availability has been approved only in the form of illustrations by the various news media. When and if there is any change in this policy, which we do not anticipate, it will be publicly announced. Photo credit: NASA

Kent in space: Cosmic dust to space debris

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McDonnell, J. A. M.

1994-10-01

The dusty heritage of the University of Kent's Space Group commenced at Jodrell Bank, Cheshire, U.K., the home of the largest steerable radio telescope. While Professor Bernard Lovell's 250 ft. diameter telescope was used to command the U.S. deep space Pioneer spacecraft, Professor Tony McDonnell, as a research student in 1960, was developing a space dust detector for the US-UK Ariel program. It was successful. With a Ph.D. safely under the belt, it seemed an inevitable step to go for the next higher degree, a B.T.A.] Two years with NASA at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, provided excellent qualifications for such a graduation ('Been to America'). A spirited return to the University of Kent at Canterbury followed, to one of the green field UK University sites springing from the Robbins Report on Higher Education. Swimming against the current of the brain drain, and taking a very considerable reduction in salary, it was with some disappointment that he found that the UK Premier Harold Wilson's 'white-hot technological revolution' never quite seemed to materialize in terms of research funding] Research expertise, centered initially on cosmic dust, enlarged to encompass planetology during the Apollo program, and rightly acquired international acclaim, notching up a history of space missions over 25 years. The group now comprises 38 people supported by four sources: the government's Research Councils, the University, the Space Agencies and Industry. This paper describes the thrust of the group's Research Plan in Space Science and Planetology; not so much based on existing international space missions, but more helping to shape the direction and selection of space missions ahead.

Are Ultra-faint Galaxies at z = 6-8 Responsible for Cosmic Reionization? Combined Constraints from the Hubble Frontier Fields Clusters and Parallels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atek, Hakim; Richard, Johan; Jauzac, Mathilde; Kneib, Jean-Paul; Natarajan, Priyamvada; Limousin, Marceau; Schaerer, Daniel; Jullo, Eric; Ebeling, Harald; Egami, Eiichi; Clement, Benjamin

2015-11-01

We use deep Hubble Space Telescope imaging of the Frontier Fields to accurately measure the galaxy rest-frame ultraviolet luminosity function (UV LF) in the redshift range z ˜ 6-8. We combine observations in three lensing clusters, A2744, MACS 0416, and MACS 0717, and their associated parallel fields to select high-redshift dropout candidates. We use the latest lensing models to estimate the flux magnification and the effective survey volume in combination with completeness simulations performed in the source plane. We report the detection of 227 galaxy candidates at z = 6-7 and 25 candidates at z ˜ 8. While the total survey area is about 4 arcmin2 in each parallel field, it drops to about 0.6-1 arcmin2 in the cluster core fields because of the strong lensing. We compute the UV LF at z ˜ 7 using the combined galaxy sample and perform Monte Carlo simulations to determine the best-fit Schechter parameters. We are able to reliably constrain the LF down to an absolute magnitude of MUV = -15.25, which corresponds to 0.005 L⋆. More importantly, we find that the faint-end slope remains steep down to this magnitude limit with α =-{2.04}-0.17+0.13. We find a characteristic magnitude of {M}\\star =-{20.89}-0.72+0.60 and log(ϕ⋆) = -{3.54}-0.45+0.48. Our results confirm the most recent results in deep blank fields but extend the LF measurements more than two magnitudes deeper. The UV LF at z ˜ 8 is not very well constrained below MUV = -18 owing to the small number statistics and incompleteness uncertainties. To assess the contribution of galaxies to cosmic reionization, we derive the UV luminosity density at z ˜ 7 by integrating the UV LF down to an observational limit of MUV = -15. We show that our determination of log(ρUV) = 26.2 ± 0.13 (erg s-1 Hz-1 Mpc-3) can be sufficient to maintain reionization with an escape fraction of ionizing radiation of fesc = 10%-15%. Future Hubble Frontier Fields observations will certainly improve the constraints on the UV LF at the epoch of reionization, paving the way to more ambitious programs using cosmic telescopes with the next generation of large aperture telescopes such as the James Webb Space Telescope and the European Extremely Large Telescope. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with programs 13495, 11386, 13389, and 11689. STScI is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. The Hubble Frontier Fields data and the lens models were obtained from the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST). This work utilizes gravitational lensing models produced by PIs Ebeling, Merten, and Zitrin, funded as part of the HST Frontier Fields program conducted by STScI.

Does the NASA Constellation Architecture Offer Opportunities to Achieve Multiple Additional Goals in Space?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thronson, Harley; Lester, Daniel

2008-01-01

Every major NASA human spaceflight program in the last four decades has been modified to achieve goals in space not incorporated within the original design goals: the Apollo Applications Program, Skylab, Space Shuttle, and International Space Station. Several groups in the U.S. have been identifying major future science goals, the science facilities necessary to investigate them, as well as possible roles for augmented versions of elements of NASA's Constellation program. Specifically, teams in the astronomy community have been developing concepts for very capable missions to follow the James Webb Space Telescope that could take advantage of - or require - free-space operations by astronauts and/or robots. Taking as one example, the Single-Aperture Far-InfraRed (SAFIR) telescope with a 10+ m aperture proposed for operation in the 2020 timeframe. According to current NASA plans, the Ares V launch vehicle (or a variant) will be available about the same time, as will the capability to transport astronauts to the vicinity of the Moon via the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle and associated systems. [As the lunar surface offers no advantages - and major disadvantages - for most major optical systems, the expensive system for landing and operating on the lunar surface is not required.] Although as currently conceived, SAFIR and other astronomical missions will operate at the Sun-Earth L2 location, it appears trivial to travel for servicing to the more accessible Earth-Moon L1,2 locations. Moreover, as the recent Orbital Express and Automated Transfer Vehicle Missions have demonstrated, future robotic capabilities should offer capabilities that would (remotely) extend human presence far beyond the vicinity of the Earth.

The Gemini-South MCAO operational model: insights on a new era of telescope operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trancho, Gelys; Bec, Matthieu; Artigau, Etienne; d'Orgeville, Celine; Gratadour, Damien; Rigaut, Francois J.; Walls, Brian

2008-07-01

The Gemini Observatory is implementing a Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics (MCAO) system as a facility instrument for the Gemini South telescope (GeMS). The system will include 5 Laser Guide Stars, 3 Natural Guide Stars, and 3 deformable mirrors, optically conjugated at different altitudes, to achieve near-uniform atmospheric compensation over a one arc minute square field of view. This setup implies some level of operational complexity. In this paper we describe how GeMS will be integrated into the flow of Gemini operations, from the observing procedures necessary to execute the programs in the queue (telescope control software, observing tools, sequence executor) to the safety implementation needed such as spotters/ASCAM, space command and laser traffic control software.

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

1989-11-27

The primary payload for Space Shuttle Mission STS-35, launched December 2, 1990, was the ASTRO-1 Observatory. Designed for round the clock observation of the celestial sphere in ultraviolet and X-ray astronomy, ASTRO-1 featured a collection of four telescopes: the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT); the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo- Polarimeter Experiment (WUPPE); the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT); and the Broad Band X-ray Telescope (BBXRT). Ultraviolet telescopes mounted on Spacelab elements in cargo bay were to be operated in shifts by flight crew. Loss of both data display units (used for pointing telescopes and operating experiments) during mission impacted crew-aiming procedures and forced ground teams at Marshall Space Flight Center to aim ultraviolet telescopes with fine-tuning by flight crew. BBXRT, also mounted in cargo bay, was directed from outset by ground-based operators at Goddard Space Flight Center. This is the logo or emblem that was designed to represent the ASTRO-1 payload.

Feasibility of utilizing Cherenkov Telescope Array gamma-ray telescopes as free-space optical communication ground stations.

PubMed

Carrasco-Casado, Alberto; Vilera, Mariafernanda; Vergaz, Ricardo; Cabrero, Juan Francisco

2013-04-10

The signals that will be received on Earth from deep-space probes in future implementations of free-space optical communication will be extremely weak, and new ground stations will have to be developed in order to support these links. This paper addresses the feasibility of using the technology developed in the gamma-ray telescopes that will make up the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) observatory in the implementation of a new kind of ground station. Among the main advantages that these telescopes provide are the much larger apertures needed to overcome the power limitation that ground-based gamma-ray astronomy and optical communication both have. Also, the large number of big telescopes that will be built for CTA will make it possible to reduce costs by economy-scale production, enabling optical communications in the large telescopes that will be needed for future deep-space links.

The Hubble Space Telescope: Problems and Solutions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Villard, Ray

1990-01-01

Presented is the best understanding of the flaw discovered in the optics of the Hubble Space Telescope and the possible solutions to the problems. The spherical aberration in the telescope's mirror and its effect on the quality of the telescope's imaging ability is discussed. (CW)

The Carnegie-Chicago Hubble Program. II. The Distance to IC 1613: The Tip of the Red Giant Branch and RR Lyrae Period-luminosity Relations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hatt, Dylan; Beaton, Rachael L.; Freedman, Wendy L.; Madore, Barry F.; Jang, In-Sung; Hoyt, Taylor J.; Lee, Myung Gyoon; Monson, Andrew J.; Rich, Jeffrey A.; Scowcroft, Victoria; Seibert, Mark

2017-08-01

IC 1613 is an isolated dwarf galaxy within the Local Group. Low foreground and internal extinction, low metallicity, and low crowding make it an invaluable testbed for the calibration of the local distance ladder. We present new, high-fidelity distance estimates to IC 1613 via its Tip of the Red Giant Branch (TRGB) and its RR Lyrae (RRL) variables as part of the Carnegie-Chicago Hubble Program, which seeks an alternate local route to H 0 using Population II stars. We have measured a TRGB magnitude {I}{ACS}{TRGB}=20.35+/- {0.01}{stat}+/- {0.01}{sys} mag using wide-field observations obtained from the IMACS camera on the Magellan-Baade telescope. We have further constructed optical and near-infrared RRL light curves using archival BI- and new H-band observations from the ACS/WFC and WFC3/IR instruments on board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). In advance of future Gaia data releases, we set provisional values for the TRGB luminosity via the Large Magellanic Cloud and Galactic RRL zero-points via HST parallaxes. We find corresponding true distance moduli {μ }0{TRGB}=24.30+/- {0.03}{stat}+/- {0.05}{sys} {mag} and < {μ }0{RRL}> =24.28+/- {0.04}{stat+{sys}} mag. We compare our results to a body of recent publications on IC 1613 and find no statistically significant difference between the distances derived from Population I and II stars. Based in part on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with programs #10505 and #13691. Additional observations are credited to the Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington for the use of Magellan-Baade IMACS. Presented as part of a dissertation to the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The University of Chicago, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D. degree.

The application and research of the multi-receiving telescopes technology in laser ranging to space targets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Zhibo; Zhang, Haifeng; Zhang, Zhongping; Deng, Huarong; Li, Pu; Meng, Wendong; Cheng, Zhien; Shen, Lurun; Tang, Zhenhong

2014-11-01

Laser ranging technology can directly measure the distance between space targets and ground stations with the highest measurement precision and will play an irreplaceable role in orbit check and calibrating microwave measurement system. The precise orbit determination and accurate catalogue of space targets can also be realized by laser ranging with multi-stations. Among space targets, most of ones are inactive targets and space debris, which should be paid the great attentions for the safety of active spacecrafts. Because of laser diffuse reflection from the surface of targets, laser ranging to space debris has the characteristics of wide coverage and weak strength of laser echoes, even though the powerful laser system is applied. In order to increase the receiving ability of laser echoes, the large aperture telescope should be adopted. As well known, some disadvantages for one set of large aperture telescope, technical development difficulty and system running and maintenance complexity, will limit its flexible applications. The multi-receiving telescopes technology in laser ranging to space targets is put forward to realize the equivalent receiving ability produced by one larger aperture telescope by way of using multi-receiving telescopes, with the advantages of flexibility and maintenance. The theoretical analysis of the feasibility and key technologies of multi-receiving telescopes technology in laser ranging to space targets are presented in this paper. The experimental measurement system based on the 60cm SLR system and 1.56m astronomical telescopes with a distance of about 50m is established to provide the platform for researching on the multi-receiving telescopes technology. The laser ranging experiments to satellites equipped with retro-reflectors are successfully performed by using the above experimental system and verify the technical feasibility to increase the ability of echo detection. And the multi-receiving telescopes technology will become a novel effective way to improve the detection ability of laser ranging to space debris.

Cost Modeling for Space Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stahl, H. Philip

2011-01-01

Parametric cost models are an important tool for planning missions, compare concepts and justify technology investments. This paper presents on-going efforts to develop single variable and multi-variable cost models for space telescope optical telescope assembly (OTA). These models are based on data collected from historical space telescope missions. Standard statistical methods are used to derive CERs for OTA cost versus aperture diameter and mass. The results are compared with previously published models.

The servicing aid tool: A teleoperated robotics system for space applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dorman, Keith W.; Pullen, John L.; Keksz, William O.; Eismann, Paul H.; Kowalski, Keith A.; Karlen, James P.

1994-01-01

The Servicing Aid Tool (SAT) is a teleoperated, force-reflecting manipulation system designed for use on the Space Shuttle. The system will assist Extravehicular Activity (EVA) servicing of spacecraft such as the Hubble Space Telescope. The SAT stands out from other robotics development programs in that special attention was given to provide a low-cost, space-qualified design which can easily and inexpensively be reconfigured and/or enhanced through the addition of existing NASA funded technology as that technology matures. SAT components are spaceflight adaptations of existing ground-based designs from Robotics Research Corporation (RRC), the leading supplier of robotics systems to the NASA and university research community in the United States. Fairchild Space is the prime contractor and provides the control electronics, safety system, system integration, and qualification testing. The manipulator consists of a 6-DOF Slave Arm mounted on a 1-DOF Positioning Link in the shuttle payload bay. The Slave Arm is controlled via a highly similar, 6-DOF, force-reflecting Master Arm from Schilling Development, Inc. This work is being performed under contract to the Goddard Space Flight Center Code, Code 442, Hubble Space Telescope Flight Systems and Servicing Project.

Members of House Committee on Science and Astronautics Visited MSFC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1962-01-01

The members of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics visited the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) on March 9, 1962 to gather firsthand information of the nation's space exploration program. The congressional group was composed of members of the Subcommittee on Manned Space Flight. Standing at the Apollo Applications Program Cluster Model in building 4745 are (left-to-right): Dr. Wernher von Braun, MSFC; Congressman Joe D. Waggoner, Democratic representative of Louisiana; Congressman Earle Cabell, Democratic representative of Texas; Subcommittee Chairman Olin E. Teague, Democratic representative of Texas; Congressman James G. Fulton, Republican representative of Pennsylvania; and Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger, associate MSFC director for science. The subcommittee was briefed on MSFC's manned space efforts earlier in the day and then inspected mockups of the Saturn I Workshop and the Apollo Telescope Mount, two projects developed by MSFC for the post-Apollo program.

New Understanding of Hubble Space Telescope Gyro Current Increase Led to a Method to Save a Failing Gyro

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blumenstock, Kenneth A.

2017-01-01

Throughout the history of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) program, gyro current increases have been observed to occur, oftentimes leading to gyro failure. The explanation was that debris from the surfaces of the gas bearings, with only 50 millionths on an inch clearance, resulted in rotor restriction, which increased friction, torque, and current. However, the rotor restriction theory never could account for the fact that a restart of the gyro would restore the current back to nominal. An effort was made to understand this puzzling gyro behavior after two HST gyros exhibited increased current within the same week in November 2015. A review board was created to resolve these anomalies and generate operational procedures to potentially extend gyro life.

Low Frequency Flats for Imaging Cameras on the Hubble Space Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kossakowski, Diana; Avila, Roberto J.; Borncamp, David; Grogin, Norman A.

2017-01-01

We created a revamped Low Frequency Flat (L-Flat) algorithm for the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and all of its imaging cameras. The current program that makes these calibration files does not compile on modern computer systems and it requires translation to Python. We took the opportunity to explore various methods that reduce the scatter of photometric observations using chi-squared optimizers along with Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC). We created simulations to validate the algorithms and then worked with the UV photometry of the globular cluster NGC6681 to update the calibration files for the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and Solar Blind Channel (SBC). The new software was made for general usage and therefore can be applied to any of the current imaging cameras on HST.

Enhancing orbital servicing operations: Providing positive and effective management of spare and installed hardware - A case study of the Hubble Space Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Randolph, Joseph L.; Shepard, Kenneth E.

1990-01-01

The Satellite Resources Management and Tracking System was developed specifically for the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) program, and now, NASA has the ability to immediately access the necessary data for planning successful orbital satellite servicing operations. This system is an online, real-time data base system that contains a plethora of data on each item identified to support the HST throughout its planned 15 year life. Some of the information provided includes the current status, location, quantity, and history of each asset, a separate record for each discrete serial numbered item, procurement lead times on items sensitive to technology obsolescence, and the maintenance and repair history of each asset. Finally, details are provided on organizational, operational and logistics requirements.

Space ten-meter telescope (STMT) - Structural and thermal feasibility study of the primary mirror

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bely, Pierre Y.; Bolton, John F.; Neeck, Steven P.; Tulkoff, Philip J.

1987-01-01

The structural and thermal behavior of a ten-meter primary mirror for a space optical/near-IR telescope in geosynchronous orbit is studied. The glass-type lightweighted mirror is monolithic, of the double arch type, and is supported at only three points. The computer programs SSPTA (thermal), NASTRAN (finite element), and ACCOS V (optical) are used in sequence to determine the temperature, deformation, and optical performance of the mirror. A mirror temperature of 130 K or less appears to be obtainable by purely passive means. With a fused silica or standard Zerodur blank, thermally-induced deformation is unacceptable and cannot be fully corrected by an active secondary mirror over the desired field. Either active thermal control or a blank of lower thermal expansion coefficient would be required.

NASA's Optical Measurement Program 2014 H.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cowardin, H.; Lederer, S.; Stansbery, G.; Seitzer, P.; Buckalew, B.; Abercromby, K.; Barker, E.

2014-09-01

The Optical Measurements Group (OMG) within the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office (ODPO) addresses U.S. National Space Policy goals by monitoring and characterizing debris. Since 2001, the OMG has used the Michigan Orbital Debris Survey Telescope (MODEST) at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile for general orbital debris survey. The 0.6-m Schmidt MODEST provides calibrated astronomical data of GEO targets, both catalogued and uncatalogued debris, with excellent image quality. The data are utilized by the ODPO modeling group and are included in the Orbital Debris Engineering Model (ORDEM) v. 3.0. MODEST and the CTIO/SMARTS (Small and Moderate Aperture Research Telescope System)0.9 m both acquire filter photometric data, as well as synchronously observing targets in selected optical filters. This information provides data used in material composition studies as well as longer orbital arc data on the same target, without time delay or bias from a rotating, tumbling, or spinning target. NASA, in collaboration with the University of Michigan, began using the twin 6.5-m Magellan telescopes at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile for deep imaging (Baade) and spectroscopic data (Clay) in 2011. Through the data acquired on Baade, debris have been detected that are ~3 magnitudes fainter than detections with MODEST, while the data from Clay provide better resolved information used in material characterization analyses via selected bandpasses. To better characterize and model optical data, the Optical Measurements Center (OMC) at NASA/JSC has been in operation since 2005, resulting in a database of comparison laboratory data. The OMC is designed to emulate illumination conditions in space using equipment and techniques that parallel telescopic observations and source-target-sensor orientations. Lastly, the OMG is building the Meter Class Autonomous Telescope (MCAT) at Ascension Island. The 1.3-m telescope is designed to observe GEO and LEO targets, using a modified Ritchey-Chrétien configuration on a double horseshoe equatorial mount to allow tracking objects at LEO rates through the domes keyhole at zenith. Through the data collection techniques employed at these unique facilities, NASAs ODPO has developed a multi-faceted approach to characterize the orbital debris risk to satellites in various altitudes and provide material characterization of debris via photometric and spectroscopic measurements. Ultimately, the data are used in conjunction with in-situ and radar measurements to provide accurate data for models of our space environment and service spacecraft risk assessment.

NASA's Optical Measurement Program 2014

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cowardin, H.; Lederer, S.; Stansbery, G.; Seitzer, P.; Buckalew, B.; Abercromby, K.; Barker, E.

2014-01-01

The Optical Measurements Group (OMG) within the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office (ODPO) addresses U.S. National Space Policy goals by monitoring and characterizing debris. Since 2001, the OMG has used the Michigan Orbital Debris Survey Telescope (MODEST) at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile for general orbital debris survey. The 0.6-m Schmidt MODEST provides calibrated astronomical data of GEO targets, both catalogued and uncatalogued debris, with excellent image quality. The data are utilized by the ODPO modeling group and are included in the Orbital Debris Engineering Model (ORDEM) v. 3.0. MODEST and the CTIO/SMARTS (Small and Moderate Aperture Research Telescope System) 0.9 m both acquire filter photometric data, as well as synchronously observing targets in selected optical filters. This information provides data used in material composition studies as well as longer orbital arc data on the same target, without time delay or bias from a rotating, tumbling, or spinning target. NASA, in collaboration with the University of Michigan, began using the twin 6.5-m Magellan telescopes at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile for deep imaging (Baade) and spectroscopic data (Clay) in 2011. Through the data acquired on Baade, debris have been detected that are 3 magnitudes fainter than detections with MODEST, while the data from Clay provide better resolved information used in material characterization analyses via selected bandpasses. To better characterize and model optical data, the Optical Measurements Center (OMC) at NASA/JSC has been in operation since 2005, resulting in a database of comparison laboratory data. The OMC is designed to emulate illumination conditions in space using equipment and techniques that parallel telescopic observations and source-target-sensor orientations. Lastly, the OMG is building the Meter Class Autonomous Telescope (MCAT) at Ascension Island. The 1.3-m telescope is designed to observe GEO and LEO targets, using a modified Ritchey-Chrétien configuration on a double horseshoe equatorial mount to allow tracking objects at LEO rates through the dome's keyhole at zenith. Through the data collection techniques employed at these unique facilities, NASA's ODPO has developed a multi-faceted approach to characterize the orbital debris risk to satellites in various altitudes and provide material characterization of debris via photometric and spectroscopic measurements. Ultimately, the data are used in conjunction with in-situ and radar measurements to provide accurate data for models of our space environment and service spacecraft risk assessment.

NASA's Optical Measurement Program 2014

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cowardin, H.; Lederer, S. M.; Stansbery, G.; Seitzer, P.; Buckalew, B.; Abercromby, K.; Barker, E.

2014-01-01

The Optical Measurements Group (OMG) within the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office (ODPO) addresses U.S. National Space Policy goals by monitoring and characterizing debris. Since 2001, the OMG has used the Michigan Orbital Debris Survey Telescope (MODEST) at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile for general orbital debris surveys. The 0.6-m Schmidt MODEST provides calibrated astronomical data of GEO targets, both catalogued and uncatalogued debris, with excellent image quality. The data are utilized by the ODPO modeling group and are included in the Orbital Debris Engineering Model (ORDEM) v. 3.0. MODEST and the CTIO/SMARTS (Small and Moderate Aperture Research Telescope System) 0.9 m are both employed to acquire filter photometry data as well as synchronously observe targets in selected optical filters. Obtaining data synchronously yields data for material composition studies as well as longer orbital arc data on the same target without time delay or bias from a rotating, tumbling, or spinning target. Observations of GEO orbital debris using the twin 6.5-m Magellan telescopes at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile for deep imaging (Baade) and spectroscopic data (Clay) began in 2011. Through the data acquired on Baade, debris has been detected that reaches approx. 3 magnitudes fainter than detections with MODEST, while the spectral data from Clay provide better resolved information used in material characterization analyses. To better characterize and model optical data, the Optical Measurements Center (OMC) at NASA/JSC has been in operation since 2005, resulting in a database of comparison laboratory data. The OMC is designed to emulate illumination conditions in space using equipment and techniques that parallel telescopic observations and sourcetarget- sensor orientations. Lastly, the OMG is building the Meter Class Autonomous Telescope (MCAT) at Ascension Island. The 1.3-m telescope is designed to observe GEO and LEO targets, using a modified Ritchey-Chrétien configuration on a double horseshoe equatorial mount to allow tracking objects at LEO rates through the dome's keyhole at zenith. Through the data collection techniques employed at these unique facilities, NASA's ODPO has developed a multifaceted approach to characterize the orbital debris risk to satellites in various altitudes and provide insight leading toward material characterization of debris via photometric and spectroscopic measurements. Ultimately, the data are used in conjunction with in-situ and radar measurements to provide accurate data for models of our space environment and for facilitating spacecraft risk assessment.

3D-HST: A Wide-field Grism Spectroscopic Survey with the Hubble Space Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brammer, Gabriel B.; van Dokkum, Pieter G.; Franx, Marijn; Fumagalli, Mattia; Patel, Shannon; Rix, Hans-Walter; Skelton, Rosalind E.; Kriek, Mariska; Nelson, Erica; Schmidt, Kasper B.; Bezanson, Rachel; da Cunha, Elisabete; Erb, Dawn K.; Fan, Xiaohui; Förster Schreiber, Natascha; Illingworth, Garth D.; Labbé, Ivo; Leja, Joel; Lundgren, Britt; Magee, Dan; Marchesini, Danilo; McCarthy, Patrick; Momcheva, Ivelina; Muzzin, Adam; Quadri, Ryan; Steidel, Charles C.; Tal, Tomer; Wake, David; Whitaker, Katherine E.; Williams, Anna

2012-06-01

We present 3D-HST, a near-infrared spectroscopic Treasury program with the Hubble Space Telescope for studying the physical processes that shape galaxies in the distant universe. 3D-HST provides rest-frame optical spectra for a sample of ~7000 galaxies at 1 < z < 3.5, the epoch when ~60% of all star formation took place, the number density of quasars peaked, the first galaxies stopped forming stars, and the structural regularity that we see in galaxies today must have emerged. 3D-HST will cover three quarters (625 arcmin2) of the CANDELS Treasury survey area with two orbits of primary WFC3/G141 grism coverage and two to four orbits with the ACS/G800L grism in parallel. In the IR, these exposure times yield a continuum signal-to-noise ratio of ~5 per resolution element at H 140 ~ 23.1 and a 5σ emission-line sensitivity of ~5 × 10-17 erg s-1 cm-2 for typical objects, improving by a factor of ~2 for compact sources in images with low sky background levels. The WFC3/G141 spectra provide continuous wavelength coverage from 1.1 to 1.6 μm at a spatial resolution of ~0farcs13, which, combined with their depth, makes them a unique resource for studying galaxy evolution. We present an overview of the preliminary reduction and analysis of the grism observations, including emission-line and redshift measurements from combined fits to the extracted grism spectra and photometry from ancillary multi-wavelength catalogs. The present analysis yields redshift estimates with a precision of σ(z) = 0.0034(1 + z), or σ(v) ≈ 1000 km s-1. We illustrate how the generalized nature of the survey yields near-infrared spectra of remarkable quality for many different types of objects, including a quasar at z = 4.7, quiescent galaxies at z ~ 2, and the most distant T-type brown dwarf star known. The combination of the CANDELS and 3D-HST surveys will provide the definitive imaging and spectroscopic data set for studies of the 1 < z < 3.5 universe until the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with programs 12177 and 12328.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1972-01-01

This chart details Skylab's Ultraviolet (UV) X-Ray Solar Photography experiment (S020) in an Apollo Telescope Mount facility. It was designed to photograph normal and explosive areas within the solar atmosphere in the UV and x-ray spectra. The Marshall Space Flight Center had program management responsibility for the development of Skylab hardware and experiments.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1973-01-01

This chart describes scientific parameters of the Skylab Ultraviolet (UV) Scanning Polychromator Spectroheliometer, one the eight Apollo Telescope Mount facilities. It was designed to observe and provide temporal changes in UV radiation emitted by the Sun's chromosphere and lower corona. The Marshall Space Flight Center had program management responsibility for the development of skylab hardware and experiments.

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1970-01-01

This 1970 photograph shows the flight unit for Skylab's Ultraviolet (UV) Scarning Polychromator Spectroheliometer, an Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM) facility. It was designed to observe temporal changes in UV radiation emitted by the Sun's chromosphere and lower corona. The Marshall Space Flight Center had program management responsibility for the development of Skylab hardware and experiments.

NASA Laboratory Astrophysics Workshop 2006 Introductory Remarks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hasan, Hashima

2006-01-01

NASA Laboratory Astrophysics Workshop 2006, is the fourth in a series of workshops held at four year intervals, to assess the laboratory needs of NASA's astrophysics missions - past, current and future. Investigators who need laboratory data to interpret their observations from space missions, theorists and modelers, experimentalists who produce the data, and scientists who compile databases have an opportunity to exchange ideas and understand each other's needs and limitations. The multi-wavelength character of these workshops allows cross-fertilization of ideas, raises awareness in the scientific community of the rapid advances in other fields, and the challenges it faces in prioritizing its laboratory needs in a tight budget environment. Currently, we are in the golden age of Space Astronomy, with three of NASA s Great Observatories, Hubble Space Telescope (HST), Chandra X-Ray Observatory (CXO), and Spitzer Space Telescope (SST), in operation and providing astronomers and opportunity to perform synergistic observations. In addition, the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE), XMM-Newton, HETE-2, Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), INTEGRAL and Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), are operating in an extended phase, while Swift and Suzaku are in their prime phase of operations. The wealth of data from these missions is stretching the Laboratory Astrophysics program to its limits. Missions in the future, which also need such data include the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Space Interferometry Mission (SIM), Constellation-X (Con-X), Herschel, and Planck. The interpretation of spectroscopic data from these missions requires knowledge of atomic and molecular parameters such as transition probabilities, f-values, oscillator strengths, excitation cross sections, collision strengths, which have either to be measured in the laboratory by simulating space plasma and interactions therein, or by theoretical calculations and modeling. Once the laboratory data are obtained, a key step to making them available to the observer is the creation and maintenance of critically compiled databases. Other areas of study, that are important for understanding planet formation, and for detection of molecules that are indicators of life, are also supported by the Laboratory Astrophysics program. Some examples are: studies of ices and dust grains in a space environment; nature and evolution of interstellar carbon-rich dust; and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In addition, the program provides an opportunity for the investigation of novel ideas, such as simulating radiative shock instabilities in plasmas, in order to understand jets observed in space. A snapshot of the currently funded program, mission needs, and relevance of laboratory data to interpreting observations, will be obtained at this workshop through invited and contributed talks and poster papers. These will form the basis for discussions in splinter groups. The Science Organization Committee will integrate the results of the discussions into a coherent White Paper, which will provide guidance to NASA in structuring the Laboratory Astrophysics program in subsequent years, and also to the scientific community in submitting research proposals to NASA for funding.

Upgraded Hubble Space Telescope Images

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-09-08

David Leckrone, senior project scientist for Hubble at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. discusses newly released images from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The images were from four of the telescopes' six operating science instruments. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Origin of the Universe: From the First Stars to Planets with JWST

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clampin, Mark

2008-01-01

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large aperture (6.5 meter), cryogenic space telescope with a suite of near and mid-infrared instruments. JWST's primary science goal is to detect and characterize the first galaxies. It will also study the assembly of galaxies, star formation, protoplanetary systems, and the formation of evolution of planetary systems. We will review the motivations for JWST's science goals in the context of recent Hubble Space Telescope, and Spitzer Space Telescope observations and review the status of the JWST Observatory.

The James Webb Space Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mather, John C.

2004-01-01

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will extend the discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and the Spitzer Space Telescope (SST) by deploying a large cooled infrared telescope around the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L2. With a 6 m aperture and three instruments covering the wavelength range from 0.6 to 28 microns, it will provide sensitivities orders of magnitude better than any other facilities. It is intended to observe the light from the first galaxies and the first supernovae, the assembly of galaxies, and the formation and evolution of stars and planetary systems. In this talk I will review the scientific objectives and the ability of the system to meet them. I will close with a summary of possible future IR space missions, ranging from the far IR to planet-finding coronagraphs and interferometers

James Webb Space Telescope Optical Telescope Element Integrated Science Instrument Module (OTIS) Status

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feinberg, Lee; Voyton, Mark; Lander, Julie; Keski-Kuha, Ritva; Matthews, Gary

2016-01-01

The James Webb Space Telescope Optical Telescope Element (OTE) and Integrated ScienceInstrument Module (ISIM)are integrated together to form the OTIS. Once integrated, the OTIS undergoes primary mirrorcenter of curvatureoptical tests, electrical and operational tests, acoustics and vibration testing at the Goddard SpaceFlight Center beforebeing shipped to the Johnson Space Center for cryogenic optical testing of the OTIS. In preparationfor the cryogenicoptical testing, the JWST project has built a Pathfinder telescope and has completed two OpticalGround SystemEquipment (OGSE) cryogenic optical tests with the Pathfinder. In this paper, we will summarize opticaltest results todate and status the final Pathfinder test and the OTIS integration and environmental test preparations

First results from the HST Grism Lens-Amplified Survey from Space (GLASS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

WANG, XIN; Schmidt, K. B.; Treu, T.; GLASS Team

2014-01-01

GLASS is a cycle-21 large program with the Hubble Space Telescope, targeting 10 massive clusters, including the 6 Frontier Fields, using the WFC3 and ACS grisms. The program consists of 140 primary orbits and 140 parallel orbits. Using the clusters as cosmic telescopes, GLASS is taking spectra of faint background galaxies with unprecedented sensitivity and angular resolution. GLASS has 3 primary science drivers, although a variety of other science investigations are possible in combination with existing and planned imaging campaigns. The first key science goal is to shed light upon the role of galaxies in reionizing the universe, the topology of high redshift intergalactic/interstellar medium and Lyman alpha escape fraction. The second key science goal is to study gas accretion, star formation and outflows by mapping spatially resolved star formation and metallicity gradients in galaxies at z=1.3-2.3. The third key science goal is to study the environmental dependence of galaxy evolution, by mapping spatially resolved star formation in galaxies in the cluster cores and infalling regions. We present the details of the program and results from the first cluster observed by GLASS MACS0717.5+3745.

Tackling sun intrusion: a challenge of close collaboration of thermal, mechanical, structural and optical engineers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kroneberger, Monika; Calleri, Andrea; Ulfers, Hendrik; Klossek, Andreas; Goepel, Michael

2017-09-01

The Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) program will ensure the continuity and enhancement of meteorological data from geostationary orbit as currently provided by the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) system. OHB-Munich, as part of the core team consortium of the industrial prime contractor for the space segment Thales Alenia Space (France), is responsible for the Flexible Combined Imager - Telescope Assembly (FCI-TA) as well as the Infrared Sounder (IRS).

Finite Element Modeling of a Semi-Rigid Hybrid Mirror and a Highly Actuated Membrane Mirror as Candidates for the Next Generation Space Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Craig, Larry; Jacobson, Dave; Mosier, Gary; Nein, Max; Page, Timothy; Redding, Dave; Sutherlin, Steve; Wilkerson, Gary

2000-01-01

Advanced space telescopes, which will eventually replace the Hubble Space Telescope (HTS), will have apertures of 8 - 20 n. Primary mirrors of these dimensions will have to be foldable to fit into the space launcher. By necessity these mirrors will be extremely light weight and flexible and the historical approaches to mirror designs, where the mirror is made as rigid as possible to maintain figure and to serve as the anchor for the entire telescope, cannot be applied any longer. New design concepts and verifications will depend entirely on analytical methods to predict optical performance. Finite element modeling of the structural and thermal behavior of such mirrors is becoming the tool for advanced space mirror designs. This paper discusses some of the preliminary tasks and study results, which are currently the basis for the design studies of the Next Generation Space Telescope.

Space Infrared Astronomy in the 21st Century

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mather, John C.; Fisher, Richard (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

New technology and design approaches have enabled revolutionary improvements in astronomical observations from space. Worldwide plans and dreams include orders of magnitude growth in sensitivity and resolution for all wavelength ranges, and would give the ability to learn our history, from the Big Bang to the conditions for life on Earth. The Next Generation Space Telescope, for example, will be able to see the most distant galaxies as they were being assembled from tiny fragments. It will be 1/4 as massive as the Hubble, with a mirror 3 times as large, cooled to about 30 Kelvin to image infrared radiation. I will discuss plans for NGST and hopes for future large space telescopes, ranging from the Space UV Optical (SUVO) telescope to the Filled Aperture Infrared (FAIR) Telescope, the Space Infrared Interferometric Telescope (SPIRIT), and the Submillimeter Probe of the Evolution of Cosmic Structure (SPECS).

hs-2007-16-e-full_jpg

NASA Image and Video Library

2010-03-01

Carina Nebula Details: The Caterpillar Credit for Hubble Image: NASA, ESA, N. Smith (University of California, Berkeley), and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) Credit for CTIO Image: N. Smith (University of California, Berkeley) and NOAO/AURA/NSF The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute conducts Hubble science operations. Goddard is responsible for HST project management, including mission and science operations, servicing missions, and all associated development activities. To learn more about the Hubble Space Telescope go here: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/main/index.html

NASA Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Research Project Capstone Even

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-05-05

Dr. Amber Straughn, Lead Scientist for James Webb Space Telescope Education & Public Outreach at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, speaks to students from Mapletown Jr/Sr High School and Margaret Bell Middle School during the NASA Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Research Project Capstone Event in the James E. Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters on Monday, May 5, 2014 Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Cryo-vacuum testing of the JWST Integrated Science Instrument Module (SPIE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kimble, Randy A.; Vila, M. Begona; Van Campen, Julie; Birkmann, Stephan M.; Comber, Brian J.; Fatig, Curtis C.; Glasse, Alistair C. H.; Glazer, Stuart D.; Kelly, Douglas M.; Mann, Steven D.;

How a 2.4 meter telescope makes WFIRST a more powerful and wide-randing mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spergel, David N.

2014-01-01

A 2.4-meter space telescope equipped with a very wide-field infrared camera would revolutionize astrophysics. The transfer of this telescope asset to NASA is a boon to the US scientific community that should be utilized to produce transformative science. If used for the WFIRST mission, the 2.4-meter telescope would be significantly more capable than the smaller versions of WFIRST studied in previous SDTs. As we show here in this Report, by dividing the time on WFIRST-2.4 between dark energy, micro- lensing, and guest observer observations, gains of 50- 100% or more are expected for all. Furthermore, the 2.4-m telescope makes possible new science at the lim- it of, and beyond, what was achievable with earlier WFIRST designs. WFIRST-2.4 is not only capable of wide-field near-IR observations that are key to many of the frontier areas of astrophysics, but will do so at the resolution of HST. The 2.4-m aperture of WFIRST-2.4 collects almost 3 times as much light as the unobstructed 1.3-m SDT- DRM1 and offers a factor of 1.9 improvement in spatial resolution (point spread function effective area-- PSF), which itself provides another factor-of-two improvement in accomplishing many science programs. Compared to SDT-DRM1, the design presented in our report has a ~30% smaller field-of-view (FOV) that moderates these gains, but the higher spatial resolution takes the WFIRST-2.4 program to the “next level” and sets it apart from DRM1 and — for the dark energy program specifically — the Euclid mission. In particular, having the greater speed of the larger aperture and the sharper PSF allows WFIRST-2.4 to reach a factor-of-two deep- er per unit time over an unprecedentedly large field for a large space telescope, ~90 times bigger than the HST-ACS FOV, and ~200 times bigger than the IR channel of WFC3 that has been a tremendously successful scientific tool. A coronagraph on WFIRST-2.4 would be an ex- citing extension in its capability that would not only characterize giant planets around the nearest stars, but also be an important step towards detecting habitable exoEarths:

Chemical Abundances in the Leading Arm of the Magellanic Stream

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fox, Andrew J.; Barger, Kathleen A.; Wakker, Bart P.; Richter, Philipp; Antwi-Danso, Jacqueline; Casetti-Dinescu, Dana I.; Howk, J. Christopher; Lehner, Nicolas; D’Onghia, Elena; Crowther, Paul A.; Lockman, Felix J.

2018-02-01

The Leading Arm (LA) of the Magellanic Stream is a vast debris field of H I clouds connecting the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds. It represents an example of active gas accretion onto the Galaxy. Previously, only one chemical abundance measurement had been made in the LA. Here we present chemical abundance measurements using Hubble Space Telescope/Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and Green Bank Telescope spectra of four AGN sightlines passing through the LA and three nearby sightlines that may trace outer fragments of the LA. We find low oxygen abundances, ranging from {4.0}-2.0+2.0 % solar to {12.6}-4.1+6.0 % solar, in the confirmed LA directions, with the lowest values found in the region known as LA III, farthest from the LMC. These abundances are substantially lower than the single previous measurement, S/H = 35 ± 7% solar, but are in agreement with those reported in the SMC filament of the trailing Stream, supporting a common origin in the SMC (not the LMC) for the majority of the LA and trailing Stream. This provides important constraints for models of the formation of the Magellanic System. Finally, two of the three nearby sightlines show high-velocity clouds with H I columns, kinematics, and oxygen abundances consistent with LA membership. This suggests that the LA is larger than traditionally thought, extending at least 20° further to the Galactic northwest. Based on observations taken under programs 12172, 12212, 12248, 12275, 13115, and 14687 of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555, and under programs GBT12A_206, GBT17B_424 of the Green Bank Observatory, which is a facility of the National Science Foundation and is operated by Associated Universities, Inc.

Lens Model and Time Delay Predictions for the Sextuply Lensed Quasar SDSS J2222+2745

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharon, Keren; Bayliss, Matthew B.; Dahle, Håkon; Florian, Michael K.; Gladders, Michael D.; Johnson, Traci L.; Paterno-Mahler, Rachel; Rigby, Jane R.; Whitaker, Katherine E.; Wuyts, Eva

2017-01-01

SDSS J2222+2745 is a galaxy cluster at z = 0.49, strongly lensing a quasar at z = 2.805 into six widely separated images. In recent Hubble Space Telescope imaging of the field, we identify additional multiply lensed galaxies and confirm the sixth quasar image that was identified by Dahle et al. We used the Gemini-North telescope to measure a spectroscopic redshift of z = 4.56 of one of the lensed galaxies. These data are used to refine the lens model of SDSS J2222+2745, compute the time delay and magnifications of the lensed quasar images, and reconstruct the source image of the quasar host and a lensed galaxy at z = 2.3. This galaxy also appears in absorption in our Gemini spectra of the lensed quasar, at a projected distance of 34 kpc. Our model is in agreement with the recent time delay measurements of Dahle et al., who found τAB = 47.7 ± 6.0 days and τAC = -722 ± 24 days. We use the observed time delays to further constrain the model, and find that the model-predicted time delays of the three faint images of the quasar are τAD = 502 ± 68 days, τAE = 611 ± 75 days, and τAF = 415 ± 72 days. We have initiated a follow-up campaign to measure these time delays with Gemini North. Finally, we present initial results from an X-ray monitoring program with Swift, indicating the presence of hard X-ray emission from the lensed quasar, as well as extended X-ray emission from the cluster itself, which is consistent with the lensing mass measurement and the cluster velocity dispersion. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with program GO-13337.

The Secrets of NASA's Webb Telescope’s "Deployable Tower Assembly"

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Building a space telescope to see the light from the earliest stars of our universe is a pretty complex task. Although much of the attention goes to instruments and the giant mirrors on NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, there are other components that have big jobs to do and that required imagination, engineering, and innovation to become a reality. For example, engineers working on the Webb telescope have to think of everything from keeping instruments from overheating or freezing, to packing up the Webb, which is as big as a tennis court, to fit inside the rocket that will take it to space. Those are two areas where the "DTA" or Deployable Tower Assembly (DTA) plays a major role. The DTA looks like a big black pipe and is made out of graphite-epoxy composite material to ensure stability and strength with extreme changes in temperature like those encountered in space. When fully deployed, the DTA reaches ten feet in length. The DTA interfaces and supports the spacecraft and the telescope structures. It features two large nested telescoping tubes, connected by a mechanized lead screw. It is a deployable structure that is both very light and extremely strong and stable. The Webb telescope’s secondary mirror support structure and DTA contribute to how the telescope and instruments fit into the rocket fairing in preparation for launch. The DTA allows the Webb to be short enough when stowed to fit in the rocket fairing with an acceptably low center of gravity for launch. Several days after the Webb telescope is launched, the DTA will deploy, or separate, the telescope mirrors and instruments from the spacecraft bus and sunshield. This separation allows the sunshield to unfurl and shade the telescope and instruments from radiant heat and stray light from the sun and Earth. The DTA was designed, built and tested by Astro Aerospace - a Northrop Grumman Company, in Carpinteria, California. The James Webb Space Telescope is the scientific successor to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. It will be the most powerful space telescope ever built. The Webb telescope is an international project led by NASA with its partners, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. For more information about the Webb telescope, visit: www.nasa.gov/webb or jwst.nasa.gov NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Engineers Clean Mirror with Carbon Dioxide Snow

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-05-07

Just like drivers sometimes use snow to clean their car mirrors in winter, two Exelis Inc. engineers are practicing "snow cleaning'" on a test telescope mirror for the James Webb Space Telescope at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. By shooting carbon dioxide snow at the surface, engineers are able to clean large telescope mirrors without scratching them. "The snow-like crystals (carbon dioxide snow) knock contaminate particulates and molecules off the mirror," said Lee Feinberg, NASA optical telescope element manager. This technique will only be used if the James Webb Space Telescope's mirror is contaminated during integration and testing. The Webb telescope is the scientific successor to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. It will be the most powerful space telescope ever built. With a mirror seven times as large as Hubble's and infrared capability, Webb will be capturing light from 13.5 billion light years away. To do this, its mirror must be kept super clean. "Small dust particles or molecules can impact the science that can be done with the Webb," said Feinberg. "So cleanliness especially on the mirrors is critical." Webb is an international project led by NASA with its partners, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. Image credit: NASA/Goddard/Chris Gunn Text credit: Laura Betz, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

KSC-04pd1003

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Before the induction ceremony of five space program heroes into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, former astronaut John Glenn Jr. is greeted with applause as he is introduced as a previous inductee. One of America's original Mercury Seven astronauts, in 1962 he became the first American to orbit the Earth. Twenty-six years later, at age 77, he spent nine days in space aboard Space Shuttle Discovery. The ceremony was held at the Apollo/Saturn V Center at KSC. New inductees are Richard O. Covey, commander of the Hubble Space Telescope repair mission; Norman E. Thagard, the first American to occupy Russia’s Mir space station; the late Francis R. "Dick" Scobee, commander of the ill-fated 1986 Challenger mission; Kathryn D. Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space; and Frederick D. Gregory, the first African-American to command a space mission and the current NASA deputy administrator. The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame opened in 1990 to provide a place where space travelers could be remembered for their participation and accomplishments in the U.S. space program. The five inductees join 52 previously honored astronauts from the ranks of the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, and Space Shuttle programs.

On the feasibility of studying the exospheres of Earth-like exoplanets by Lyman- α monitoring. Detectability constraints for nearby M stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castro, Ana I. Gómez de; Beitia-Antero, Leire; Ustamujic, Sabina

2018-04-01

Observations of the Earth's exosphere have unveiled an extended envelope of hydrogen reaching further than 10 Earth radii composed of atoms orbiting around the Earth. This large envelope increases significantly the opacity of the Earth to Lyman α (Ly α) photons coming from the Sun, to the point of making feasible the detection of the Earth's transit signature from 1.35 pc if pointing with an 8 meter primary mirror space telescope through a clean line of sight ( N H < 1017 cm- 2), as we show. In this work, we evaluate the potential detectability of Earth analogs orbiting around nearby M-type stars by monitoring the variability of the Ly α flux variability. We show that, in spite of the interstellar, heliospheric and astrospheric absorption, the transit signature in M5 V type stars would be detectable with a dedicated Ly α flux monitor implemented in a 4-8 m class space telescope. Such monitoring programs would enable measuring the robustness of planetary atmospheres under heavy space weather conditions like those produced by M-type stars. A 2-m class telescope, such as the World Space Observatory, would suffice to detect an Earth-like planet orbiting around Proxima Centauri, if there was such a planet or nearby M5 type stars.

James Webb Space Telescope - Applying Lessons Learned to I&T

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johns, Alan; Seaton, Bonita; Gal-Edd, Jonathan; Jones, Ronald; Fatig, Curtis; Wasiak, Francis

2008-01-01

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is part of a new generation of spacecraft acquiring large data volumes from remote regions in space. To support a mission such as the JWST, it is imperative that lessons learned from the development of previous missions such as the Hubble Space Telescope and the Earth Observing System mission set be applied throughout the development and operational lifecycles. One example of a key lesson that should be applied is that core components, such as the command and telemetry system and the project database, should be developed early, used throughout development and testing, and evolved into the operational system. The purpose of applying lessons learned is to reap benefits in programmatic or technical parameters such as risk reduction, end product quality, cost efficiency, and schedule optimization. In the cited example, the early development and use of the operational command and telemetry system as well as the establishment of the intended operational database will allow these components to be used by the developers of various spacecraft components such that development, testing, and operations will all use the same core components. This will reduce risk through the elimination of transitions between development and operational components and improve end product quality by extending the verification of those components through continual use. This paper will discuss key lessons learned that have been or are being applied to the JWST Ground Segment integration and test program.

NASA in Crisis: The Space Agency's Public Relations Efforts Regarding the Hubble Space Telescope.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kauffman, James

1997-01-01

Examines the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) public relations efforts concerning the Hubble telescope. Proposes that NASA's poor public relations exacerbated problems: NASA oversold the telescope before it was deployed, failed to develop a plan for release of images, provided misleading flight reports, and reported…

Parametric Cost Models for Space Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stahl, H. Philip

2010-01-01

A study is in-process to develop a multivariable parametric cost model for space telescopes. Cost and engineering parametric data has been collected on 30 different space telescopes. Statistical correlations have been developed between 19 variables of 59 variables sampled. Single Variable and Multi-Variable Cost Estimating Relationships have been developed. Results are being published.

Consistent Iron Abundances Derived from Neutral and Singly Ionized Iron Lines in Ultraviolet and Optical Spectra of Six Warm Metal-poor Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roederer, Ian U.; Sneden, Christopher; Lawler, James E.; Sobeck, Jennifer S.; Cowan, John J.; Boesgaard, Ann Merchant

2018-06-01

Neutral Fe lines in metal-poor stars yield conflicting abundances depending on whether and how deviations from local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) are considered. We have collected new high-resolution and high signal-to-noise ultraviolet (UV) spectra of three warm dwarf stars with [Fe/H] ≈ ‑2.9 with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope. We locate archival UV spectra for three other warm dwarfs with [Fe/H] ≈ ‑3.3, ‑2.2, and ‑1.6, supplemented with optical spectra for all six stars. We calculate stellar parameters using methods that are largely independent of the spectra, adopting broadband photometry, color–temperature relations, Gaia parallaxes, and assumed masses. We use the LTE line analysis code MOOG to derive Fe abundances from hundreds of Fe I and Fe II lines with wavelengths from 2290 to 6430 Å. The [Fe/H] ratios derived separately from Fe I and Fe II lines agree in all six stars, with [Fe II/H]–[Fe I/H] ranging from +0.00 ± 0.07 to ‑0.12 ± 0.09 dex, when strong lines and Fe I lines with lower excitation potential <1.2 eV are excluded. This constrains the extent of any deviations from LTE that may occur within this parameter range. While our result confirms non-LTE calculations for some warm, metal-poor dwarfs, it may not be generalizable to more metal-poor dwarfs, where deviations from LTE are predicted to be larger. We also investigate trends of systematically lower abundances derived from Fe I lines in the Balmer continuum region (≈3100–3700 Å), and we conclude that no proposed explanation for this effect can fully account for the observations presently available. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. (AURA), under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with program GO-14232. Some data presented in this paper were obtained from the Barbara A. Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST). These data are associated with programs GO-7402, GO-9049, and GO-14161. Other data have been obtained from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Science Archive Facility. These data are associated with programs 66.D-0636(A), 67.D-0439(A), 67.D-0554(A), 68.B-0475(A), 68.D-0094(A), 072.B-0585(A), and 095.D-0504(A). This research has also made use of the Keck Observatory Archive (KOA), which is operated by the W.M. Keck Observatory and the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI), under contract with NASA. This work has also made use of data collected from McDonald Observatory of the University of Texas at Austin.

Utilization of a Curved Local Surface Array in a 3.5m Wide field of View Telescope

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

ABSTRACT Wide field of view optical telescopes have a range of uses for both astronomical and space -surveillance purposes. In designing these...Agency (DARPA) 3.5-m Space Surveillance Telescope (SST)), the choice was made to curve the array to best satisfy the stressing telescope performance...dramatically improves the nation’s space surveillance capabilities. This paper will discuss the implementation of the curved focal-surface array, the

KSC-03pd0602

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-03-06

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) rests in a horizontal position in the clean room of Building AE today following its arrival from the Lockheed Martin plant in Sunnyvale, Calif. Final preparations for its launch aboard a Delta II rocket will now commence. SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space between wavelengths of 3 and 180 microns (1 micron is one-millionth of a meter). Most of this infrared radiation is blocked by the Earth's atmosphere and cannot be observed from the ground. Consisting of an 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically cooled science instruments, SIRTF is one of NASA's largest infrared telescopes to be launched. Its highly sensitive instruments will give a unique view of the Universe and peer into regions of space that are hidden from optical telescopes on the ground or orbiting telescopes such as the Hubble Space Telescope. SIRTF is scheduled for launch from Launch Complex 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Space Shuttle Projects

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-03-07

STS-109 Astronaut Michael J. Massimino, mission specialist, perched on the Shuttle's robotic arm is working at the stowage area for the Hubble Space Telescope's port side solar array. Working in tandem with James. H. Newman, Massimino removed the old port solar array and stored it in Columbia's payload bay for return to Earth. The two went on to install a third generation solar array and its associated electrical components. Two crew mates had accomplished the same feat with the starboard array on the previous day. In addition to the replacement of the solar arrays, the STS-109 crew also installed the experimental cooling system for the Hubble's Near-Infrared Camera (NICMOS), replaced the power control unit (PCU), and replaced the Faint Object Camera (FOC) with a new advanced camera for Surveys (ACS). The 108th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle Program, the Space Shuttle Columbia STS-109 mission lifted off March 1, 2002 for 10 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes. Five space walks were conducted to complete the HST upgrades. The Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama had the responsibility for the design, development, and construction of the HST, which is the most powerful and sophisticated telescope ever built.

Hubble Space Telescope Constraints on the Winds and Astrospheres of Red Giant Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wood, Brian E.; Müller, Hans-Reinhard; Harper, Graham M.

2016-10-01

We report on an ultraviolet spectroscopic survey of red giants observed by the Hubble Space Telescope, focusing on spectra of the Mg II h and k lines near 2800 Å in order to study stellar chromospheric emission, winds, and astrospheric absorption. We focus on spectral types between K2 III and M5 III, a spectral type range with stars that are noncoronal, but possessing strong, chromospheric winds. We find a very tight relation between Mg II surface flux and photospheric temperature, supporting the notion that all K2-M5 III stars are emitting at a basal flux level. Wind velocities (V w ) are generally found to decrease with spectral type, with V w decreasing from ˜40 km s-1 at K2 III to ˜20 km s-1 at M5 III. We find two new detections of astrospheric absorption, for σ Pup (K5 III) and γ Eri (M1 III). This absorption signature had previously only been detected for α Tau (K5 III). For the three astrospheric detections, the temperature of the wind after the termination shock (TS) correlates with V w , but is lower than predicted by the Rankine-Hugoniot shock jump conditions, consistent with the idea that red giant TSs are radiative shocks rather than simple hydrodynamic shocks. A full hydrodynamic simulation of the γ Eri astrosphere is provided to explore this further. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with program GO-13462. This paper also presents observations obtained with the Harlan J. Smith Telescope at McDonald Observatory of the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. John Mather and the James Webb Space Telescope

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Nobel Laureate and James Webb Space Telescope project scientist Dr. John Mather takes a selfie with the telescope. May 4, 2016 was a rare day for JWST, as it briefly faced the cleanroom observation window. The telescope was eventually rotated face-down in prep for the installation of the flight instruments. Credit: Meredith Gibb

Proceedings of the Colloquium of the International Astronomical Union (127th). Reference Systems Held in Virginia Beach, Virginia on October 14-20, 1990

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-09-06

R.L. Duncombe, O.G. Franz, capabilities of the Hubble Space L.W. Fredrick, T. Gerard, Telescope fine guidance sensors P.D. Hemenway, B. McArthur, J...frame: Counterproposal to the Circular Letter no. 4 of Kovalevsky - I - .) 10. H. Eichhorn The organization of space : frames, systems and 97 standards...Heifets of REGATTA-ASTRO space astrometry program 48. W. Jin, T. Xu, Influence of systematic differences of FK4 on 280 P. Lu, and D. Liao determining

KSC-04pd0982

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Dr. Kathryn D. Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space, is inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. Also chosen for this honor in 2004 are Richard O. Covey, commander of the Hubble Space Telescope repair mission; Frederick D. Gregory, the first African-American to command a space mission; Norman E. Thagard, the first American to occupy Russia's Mir space station; and the late Francis R. "Dick" Scobee, commander of the ill-fated 1986 Challenger mission. The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame opened in 1990 to provide a place where space travelers could be remembered for their participation and accomplishments in the U.S. space program. To be eligible for induction, an individual must have been a U.S. citizen, a NASA astronaut, and out of the active astronaut corps at least five years. The five inductees join 52 previously honored astronauts from the ranks of the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, and Space Shuttle programs.

KSC-04pd0971

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Dr. Norman E. Thagard is inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. Thagard was the first American to occupy Russia's Mir space station. Also chosen for this honor in 2004 are Kathryn D. Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space; Richard O. Covey, commander of the Hubble Space Telescope repair mission; Frederick D. Gregory, the first African-American to command a space mission; and the late Francis R. "Dick" Scobee, commander of the ill-fated 1986 Challenger mission. The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame opened in 1990 to provide a place where space travelers could be remembered for their participation and accomplishments in the U.S. space program. To be eligible for induction, an individual must have been a U.S. citizen, a NASA astronaut, and out of the active astronaut corps at least five years. The five inductees join 52 previously honored astronauts from the ranks of the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, and Space Shuttle programs.

KSC-04pd0991

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, former NASA astronaut Richard O. Covey, commander of the Hubble Space Telescope repair mission, is inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. Also chosen for this honor in 2004 are Kathryn D. Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space; Frederick D. Gregory, the first African-American to command a space mission; Norman E. Thagard, the first American to occupy Russia's Mir space station; and the late Francis R. "Dick" Scobee, commander of the ill-fated 1986 Challenger mission. The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame opened in 1990 to provide a place where space travelers could be remembered for their participation and accomplishments in the U.S. space program. To be eligible for induction, an individual must have been a U.S. citizen, a NASA astronaut, and out of the active astronaut corps at least five years. The five inductees join 52 previously honored astronauts from the ranks of the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, and Space Shuttle programs.

KSC-04pd0976

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Dr. Kathryn D. Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space, is inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. Also chosen for this honor in 2004 are Richard O. Covey, commander of the Hubble Space Telescope repair mission; Frederick D. Gregory, the first African-American to command a space mission; Norman E. Thagard, the first American to occupy Russia's Mir space station; and the late Francis R. "Dick" Scobee, commander of the ill-fated 1986 Challenger mission. The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame opened in 1990 to provide a place where space travelers could be remembered for their participation and accomplishments in the U.S. space program. To be eligible for induction, an individual must have been a U.S. citizen, a NASA astronaut, and out of the active astronaut corps at least five years. The five inductees join 52 previously honored astronauts from the ranks of the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, and Space Shuttle programs.

KSC-04pd0987

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, NASA Deputy Administrator Frederick D. Gregory is inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. Gregory was the first African-American to command a space mission. Also chosen for this honor in 2004 are Kathryn D. Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space; Richard O. Covey, commander of the Hubble Space Telescope repair mission; Norman E. Thagard, the first American to occupy Russia's Mir space station; and the late Francis R. "Dick" Scobee, commander of the ill-fated 1986 Challenger mission. The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame opened in 1990 to provide a place where space travelers could be remembered for their participation and accomplishments in the U.S. space program. To be eligible for induction, an individual must have been a U.S. citizen, a NASA astronaut, and out of the active astronaut corps at least five years. The five inductees join 52 previously honored astronauts from the ranks of the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, and Space Shuttle programs.

KSC-04pd0983

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, NASA Deputy Administrator Frederick D. Gregory is inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. Gregory was the first African-American to command a space mission. Also chosen for this honor in 2004 are Kathryn D. Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space; Richard O. Covey, commander of the Hubble Space Telescope repair mission; Norman E. Thagard, the first American to occupy Russia's Mir space station; and the late Francis R. "Dick" Scobee, commander of the ill-fated 1986 Challenger mission. The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame opened in 1990 to provide a place where space travelers could be remembered for their participation and accomplishments in the U.S. space program. To be eligible for induction, an individual must have been a U.S. citizen, a NASA astronaut, and out of the active astronaut corps at least five years. The five inductees join 52 previously honored astronauts from the ranks of the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, and Space Shuttle programs.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) has been returned to NASA Spacecraft Hangar AE from the launch pad. It will remain in the clean room until it returns to the pad in early August. One of NASA's largest infrared telescopes to be launched, SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-05-02

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - The Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) has been returned to NASA Spacecraft Hangar AE from the launch pad. It will remain in the clean room until it returns to the pad in early August. One of NASA's largest infrared telescopes to be launched, SIRTF will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space.

A technique for the optical analysis of deformed telescope mirrors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bolton, John F.

1986-01-01

The NASTRAN-ACCOS V programs' interface merges structural and optical analysis capabilities in order to characterize the performance of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Solar Optical Telescope primary mirror, which has a large diameter/thickness ratio. The first step in the optical analysis is to use NASTRAN's FEM to model the primary mirror, simulating any distortions due to gravitation, thermal gradients, and coefficient of thermal expansion nonuniformities. NASTRAN outputs are then converted into an ACCOS V-acceptable form; ACCOS V generates the deformed optical surface on the basis of these inputs, and imaging qualities can be determined.

James Webb Space Telescope Optical Telescope Element/Integrated Science Instrument Module (OTIS) Status

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feinberg, Lee; Voyton, Mark; Lander, Juli; Keski-Kuha, Ritva; Matthews, Gary

2016-01-01

The James Webb Space Telescope Optical Telescope Element (OTE) and Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM) are integrated together to form the OTIS. Once integrated, the OTIS undergoes primary mirror center of curvature optical tests, electrical and operational tests, acoustics and vibration testing at the Goddard Space Flight Center before being shipped to the Johnson Space Center for cryogenic optical testing of the OTIS. In preparation for the cryogenic optical testing, the JWST project has built a Pathfinder telescope and has completed two Optical Ground System Equipment (OGSE) cryogenic optical tests with the Pathfinder. In this paper, we will summarize optical test results to date and status the final Pathfinder test and the OTIS integration and environmental test preparations

High resolution telescope including an array of elemental telescopes aligned along a common axis and supported on a space frame with a pivot at its geometric center

DOEpatents

Norbert, M.A.; Yale, O.

1992-04-28

A large effective-aperture, low-cost optical telescope with diffraction-limited resolution enables ground-based observation of near-earth space objects. The telescope has a non-redundant, thinned-aperture array in a center-mount, single-structure space frame. It employes speckle interferometric imaging to achieve diffraction-limited resolution. The signal-to-noise ratio problem is mitigated by moving the wavelength of operation to the near-IR, and the image is sensed by a Silicon CCD. The steerable, single-structure array presents a constant pupil. The center-mount, radar-like mount enables low-earth orbit space objects to be tracked as well as increases stiffness of the space frame. In the preferred embodiment, the array has elemental telescopes with subaperture of 2.1 m in a circle-of-nine configuration. The telescope array has an effective aperture of 12 m which provides a diffraction-limited resolution of 0.02 arc seconds. Pathlength matching of the telescope array is maintained by a electro-optical system employing laser metrology. Speckle imaging relaxes pathlength matching tolerance by one order of magnitude as compared to phased arrays. Many features of the telescope contribute to substantial reduction in costs. These include eliminating the conventional protective dome and reducing on-site construction activities. The cost of the telescope scales with the first power of the aperture rather than its third power as in conventional telescopes. 15 figs.

High resolution telescope including an array of elemental telescopes aligned along a common axis and supported on a space frame with a pivot at its geometric center

DOEpatents

Norbert, Massie A.; Yale, Oster

1992-01-01

A large effective-aperture, low-cost optical telescope with diffraction-limited resolution enables ground-based observation of near-earth space objects. The telescope has a non-redundant, thinned-aperture array in a center-mount, single-structure space frame. It employes speckle interferometric imaging to achieve diffraction-limited resolution. The signal-to-noise ratio problem is mitigated by moving the wavelength of operation to the near-IR, and the image is sensed by a Silicon CCD. The steerable, single-structure array presents a constant pupil. The center-mount, radar-like mount enables low-earth orbit space objects to be tracked as well as increases stiffness of the space frame. In the preferred embodiment, the array has elemental telescopes with subaperture of 2.1 m in a circle-of-nine configuration. The telescope array has an effective aperture of 12 m which provides a diffraction-limited resolution of 0.02 arc seconds. Pathlength matching of the telescope array is maintained by a electro-optical system employing laser metrology. Speckle imaging relaxes pathlength matching tolerance by one order of magnitude as compared to phased arrays. Many features of the telescope contribute to substantial reduction in costs. These include eliminating the conventional protective dome and reducing on-site construction activities. The cost of the telescope scales with the first power of the aperture rather than its third power as in conventional telescopes.

SIRTF, the Space Infrared Telescope Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simmons, Larry L.

1999-01-01

The Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) is the last of the NASA Great Observatories, and a cornerstone of the NASA Origins Missions. The Observatory will include an 85 cm telescope in a unique orbit around the sun. The telescope will be launched at ambient temperature and cooled to 5.5K in space. The science instruments will use large detector arrays that will be background limited, and capable of a broad range of astrophysical investigations. The SIRTF architecture will accommodate up to 5 years of cryogenic space operations. This talk will describe both the scientific and technical capabilities of SIRTF.

Payload maintenance cost model for the space telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

White, W. L.

1980-01-01

An optimum maintenance cost model for the space telescope for a fifteen year mission cycle was developed. Various documents and subsequent updates of failure rates and configurations were made. The reliability of the space telescope for one year, two and one half years, and five years were determined using the failure rates and configurations. The failure rates and configurations were also used in the maintenance simulation computer model which simulate the failure patterns for the fifteen year mission life of the space telescope. Cost algorithms associated with the maintenance options as indicated by the failure patterns were developed and integrated into the model.

Development of a Multivariable Parametric Cost Analysis for Space-Based Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dollinger, Courtnay

2011-01-01

Over the past 400 years, the telescope has proven to be a valuable tool in helping humankind understand the Universe around us. The images and data produced by telescopes have revolutionized planetary, solar, stellar, and galactic astronomy and have inspired a wide range of people, from the child who dreams about the images seen on NASA websites to the most highly trained scientist. Like all scientific endeavors, astronomical research must operate within the constraints imposed by budget limitations. Hence the importance of understanding cost: to find the balance between the dreams of scientists and the restrictions of the available budget. By logically analyzing the data we have collected for over thirty different telescopes from more than 200 different sources, statistical methods, such as plotting regressions and residuals, can be used to determine what drives the cost of telescopes to build and use a cost model for space-based telescopes. Previous cost models have focused their attention on ground-based telescopes due to limited data for space telescopes and the larger number and longer history of ground-based astronomy. Due to the increased availability of cost data from recent space-telescope construction, we have been able to produce and begin testing a comprehensive cost model for space telescopes, with guidance from the cost models for ground-based telescopes. By separating the variables that effect cost such as diameter, mass, wavelength, density, data rate, and number of instruments, we advance the goal to better understand the cost drivers of space telescopes.. The use of sophisticated mathematical techniques to improve the accuracy of cost models has the potential to help society make informed decisions about proposed scientific projects. An improved knowledge of cost will allow scientists to get the maximum value returned for the money given and create a harmony between the visions of scientists and the reality of a budget.

Recent Activities on the Embrace Space Weather Regional Warning Center: the New Space Weather Data Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Denardini, Clezio Marcos; Dal Lago, Alisson; Mendes, Odim; Batista, Inez S.; SantAnna, Nilson; Gatto, Rubens; Takahashi, Hisao; Costa, D. Joaquim; Banik Padua, Marcelo; Campos Velho, Haroldo

2016-07-01

On August 2007 the National Institute for Space Research started a task force to develop and operate a space weather program, which is known by the acronyms Embrace that stands for the Portuguese statement "Estudo e Monitoramento BRAasileiro de Clima Espacial" Program (Brazilian Space Weather Study and Monitoring program). The mission of the Embrace/INPE program is to monitor the Solar-Terrestrial environment, the magnetosphere, the upper atmosphere and the ground induced currents to prevent effects on technological and economic activities. The Embrace/INPE system monitors the physical parameters of the Sun-Earth environment, such as Active Regions (AR) in the Sun and solar radiation by using radio telescope, Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) information by satellite and ground-based cosmic ray monitoring, geomagnetic activity by the magnetometer network, and ionospheric disturbance by ionospheric sounders and using data collected by four GPS receiver network, geomagnetic activity by a magnetometer network, and provides a forecasting for Total Electronic Content (TEC) - 24 hours ahead - using a version of the SUPIM model which assimilates the two latter data using nudging approach. Most of these physical parameters are daily published on the Brazilian space weather program web portal, related to the entire network sensors available. Regarding outreach, it has being published a daily bulletin in Portuguese and English with the status of the space weather environment on the Sun, the Interplanetary Medium and close to the Earth. Since December 2011, all these activities are carried out at the Embrace Headquarter, a building located at the INPE's main campus. Recently, a comprehensive data bank and an interface layer are under commissioning to allow an easy and direct access to all the space weather data collected by Embrace through the Embrace web Portal. The information being released encompasses data from: (a) the Embrace Digisonde Network (Embrace DigiNet) that monitors the ionospheric profiles in two equatorial sites and in two low latitude sites; (b) several solar radio telescopes to monitor solar activity (under development); (c) the matrix of the GNSS TEC map over South America; (d) the Embrace Airglow All-sky Imagers Network (Embrace GlowNet); and (d) the Embrace Magnetometer Network (Embrace Magnet), all of them in South America. Also, the system allows subscription to space weather alerts and reports. Contacting Author: C. M. Denardini (clezio.denardin@inpe.br)

TRW Ships NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory To Kennedy Space Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1999-04-01

Two U.S. Air Force C-5 Galaxy transport planes carrying the observatory and its ground support equipment landed at Kennedy's Space Shuttle Landing Facility at 2:40 p.m. EST this afternoon. REDONDO BEACH, CA.--(Business Wire)--Feb. 4, 1999--TRW has shipped NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory ("Chandra") to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), in Florida, in preparation for a Space Shuttle launch later this year. The 45-foot-tall, 5-ton science satellite will provide astronomers with new information on supernova remnants, the surroundings of black holes, and other celestial phenomena that produce vast quantities of X-rays. Cradled safely in the cargo hold of a tractor-trailer rig called the Space Cargo Transportation System (SCTS), NASA's newest space telescope was ferried on Feb. 4 from Los Angeles International Airport to KSC aboard an Air Force C-5 Galaxy transporter. The SCTS, an Air Force container, closely resembles the size and shape of the Shuttle cargo bay. Over the next few months, Chandra will undergo final tests at KSC and be mated to a Boeing-provided Inertial Upper Stage for launch aboard Space Shuttle Columbia. A launch date for the Space Shuttle STS-93 mission is expected to be announced later this week. The third in NASA's family of Great Observatories that includes the Hubble Space Telescope and the TRW-built Compton Gamma Ray observatory, Chandra will use the world's most powerful X-ray telescope to allow scientists to "see" and monitor cosmic events that are invisible to conventional optical telescopes. Chandra's X-ray images will yield new insight into celestial phenomena such as the temperature and extent of gas clouds that comprise clusters of galaxies and the superheating of gas and dust particles as they swirl into black holes. A TRW-led team that includes the Eastman Kodak Co., Raytheon Optical Systems Inc., and Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. designed and built the Chandra X-ray Observatory for NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory will manage the Chandra science mission for NASA from the Chandra X-ray Observatory Center in Cambridge, Mass. TRW has been developing scientific, communications and environmental satellite systems for NASA since 1958. In addition to building the Chandra X-ray Observatory, the company is currently developing the architectures and technologies needed to implement several of NASA's future space science missions, including the Next Generation Space Telescope, the Space Inteferometry Mission, both part of NASA's Origins program, and Constellation-X, the next major NASA X-ray mission after Chandra. Article courtesy of TRW. TRW news releases are available on the corporate Web site: http://www.trw.com.

KSC-04PD-1016

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Former astronaut Frederick (Rick) Hauck acknowledges the warm response to his introduction as a previous inductee into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. He and other Hall of Fame members were present for the induction of five new space program heroes into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame: Richard O. Covey, commander of the Hubble Space Telescope repair mission; Norman E. Thagard, the first American to occupy Russias Mir space station; the late Francis R. 'Dick' Scobee, commander of the ill-fated 1986 Challenger mission; Kathryn D. Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space; and Frederick D. Gregory, the first African-American to command a space mission and the current NASA deputy administrator. Hauck flew on three Space Shuttle missions, including command of the redesigned spaceship on its critical first flight after the explosion of Challenger. The induction ceremony was held at the Apollo/Saturn V Center at KSC. The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame opened in 1990 to provide a place where space travelers could be remembered for their participation and accomplishments in the U.S. space program. The five inductees join 52 previously honored astronauts from the ranks of the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, and Space Shuttle programs.

KSC-04pd1016

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Former astronaut Frederick (Rick) Hauck acknowledges the warm response to his introduction as a previous inductee into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. He and other Hall of Fame members were present for the induction of five new space program heroes into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame: Richard O. Covey, commander of the Hubble Space Telescope repair mission; Norman E. Thagard, the first American to occupy Russia’s Mir space station; the late Francis R. "Dick" Scobee, commander of the ill-fated 1986 Challenger mission; Kathryn D. Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space; and Frederick D. Gregory, the first African-American to command a space mission and the current NASA deputy administrator. Hauck flew on three Space Shuttle missions, including command of the redesigned spaceship on its critical first flight after the explosion of Challenger. The induction ceremony was held at the Apollo/Saturn V Center at KSC. The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame opened in 1990 to provide a place where space travelers could be remembered for their participation and accomplishments in the U.S. space program. The five inductees join 52 previously honored astronauts from the ranks of the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, and Space Shuttle programs.

KSC-04pd1017

NASA Image and Video Library

2004-05-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Former astronaut Ed Gibson acknowledges the warm response to his introduction as a previous inductee into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. He and other Hall of Fame members were present for the induction of five new space program heroes into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame: Richard O. Covey, commander of the Hubble Space Telescope repair mission; Norman E. Thagard, the first American to occupy Russia’s Mir space station; the late Francis R. "Dick" Scobee, commander of the ill-fated 1986 Challenger mission; Kathryn D. Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space; and Frederick D. Gregory, the first African-American to command a space mission and the current NASA deputy administrator. Gibson orbited the Earth for 84 days during the final manned flight of the Skylab Space Station in 1973 and 1974. The induction ceremony was held at the Apollo/Saturn V Center at KSC. The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame opened in 1990 to provide a place where space travelers could be remembered for their participation and accomplishments in the U.S. space program. The five inductees join 52 previously honored astronauts from the ranks of the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz, and Space Shuttle programs.

Bringing the Science of JWST to the Public

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Green, Joel D.; Smith, Denise A.; Lawton, Brandon L.; Meinke, Bonnie K.; Jirdeh, Hussein

2017-01-01

The James Webb Space Telescope is the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. STScI and the Office of Public Outreach are committed to bringing awareness of the technology, the excitement, and the future science potential of this great observatory to the public and to the scientific community, prior to its 2018 launch. The challenges in ensuring the high profile of JWST (understanding the infrared, the vast distance to the telescope's final position, and the unfamiliar science territory) requires us to lay the proper background, particularly in the area of spectroscopy. We currently engage the full range of the public and scientific communities using a variety of high impact, memorable initiatives, in combination with modern technologies to extend reach, linking the science goals of Webb to the ongoing discoveries being made by Hubble. Webbtelescope.org, the public hub for scientific information related to JWST, is now open. We have injected Webb-specific content into ongoing outreach programs: for example, partnering with high impact science communicators such as MinutePhysics to produce timely and concise content; partnering with musicians and artists to link science and art. Augmented reality apps showcase NASA’s telescopes in a format usable by anyone with a smartphone, and visuals from increasingly affordable 3D VR technologies.

Preparing the Public for JWST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Green, Joel D.; Smith, Denise A.; Lawton, Brandon L.; Jirdeh, Hussein; Meinke, Bonnie K.

2016-01-01

The James Webb Space Telescope is the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. STScI and the Office of Public Outreach are committed to bringing awareness of the technology, the excitement, and the future science potential of this great observatory to the public, to educators and students, and to the scientific community, prior to its 2018 launch. The challenges in ensuring the high profile of JWST (understanding the infrared, the vast distance to the telescope's final position, and the unfamiliar science territory) requires us to lay the proper background. We currently engage the full range of the public and scientific communities using a variety of high impact, memorable initiatives, in combination with modern technologies to extend reach, linking the science goals of Webb to the ongoing discoveries being made by Hubble. We have injected Webb-specific content into ongoing E/PO programs: for example, simulated scientifically inspired but aesthetic JWST scenes, illustrating the differences between JWST and previous missions; partnering with high impact science communicators such as MinutePhysics to produce timely and concise content; educational materials in vast networks of schools through products like the Star Witness News.

Origins Space Telescope: Galaxy and Black Hole Evolution over Cosmic Time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pope, Alexandra; Origins Space Telescope Study Team

2017-01-01

The Origins Space Telescope (OST) is the mission concept for the Far-Infrared Surveyor, a study in development by NASA in preparation for the 2020 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey. Origins is planned to be a large aperture, actively-cooled telescope covering a wide span of the mid- to far-infrared spectrum. Its imagers and spectrographs will enable a variety of surveys of the sky that will discover and characterize the most distant galaxies, Milky-Way, exoplanets, and the outer reaches of our Solar system. Origins will enable flagship-quality general observing programs led by the astronomical community in the 2030s. The Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) would like to hear your science needs and ideas for this mission. The team can be contacted at firsurveyor_info@lists.ipac.caltech.edu. This presentation will provide a summary of the science case related to galaxy formation and evolution. Origins will investigate the connection between black hole growth and star formation, understand the role of feedback from supernovae and active galactic nuclei, probe the multiphase interstellar medium, and chart the rise of metals over cosmic time.

Science Opportunities with the Near-IR Camera (NIRCam) on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beichman, Charles A.; Rieke, Marcia; Eisenstein, Daniel; Greene, Thomas P.; Krist, John; McCarthy, Don; Meyer, Michael; Stansberry, John

2012-01-01

The Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) offers revolutionary gains in sensitivity throughout the 1-5 micrometer region. NIRCam will enable great advances in all areas of astrophysics, from the composition of objects in our own Kuiper Belt and the physical properties of planets orbiting nearby stars to the formation of stars and the detection of the youngest galaxies in the Universe. NIRCam also plays an important role in initial alignment of JWST and the long term maintenance of its image quality. NIRCam is presently undergoing instrument Integration and Test in preparation for delivery to the JWST project. Key near-term milestones include the completion of cryogenic testing of the entire instrument; demonstration of scientific and wavefront sensing performance requirements; testing of replacement H2RG detectors arrays; and an analysis of coronagraphic performance in light of measured telescope wavefront characteristics. This paper summarizes the performance of NIRCam, the scientific and education/outreach goals of the science team, and some results of the on-going testing program.

Asteroseismology of Procyon with SOPHIE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mosser, B.; Bouchy, F.; Martić, M.; Appourchaux, T.; Barban, C.; Berthomieu, G.; Garcia, R. A.; Lebrun, J. C.; Michel, E.; Provost, J.; Thévenin, F.; Turck-Chièze, S.

2008-01-01

Context: This paper reports a 9-night asteroseismic observation program conducted in January 2007 with the new spectrometer sophie at the OHP 193-cm telescope, on the F5 IV-V target Procyon A. Aims: This first asteroseismic program with sophie was intended to test the performance of the instrument with a bright but demanding asteroseismic target and was part of a multisite network. Methods: The sophie spectra have been reduced with the data reduction software provided by OHP. The Procyon asteroseismic data were then analyzed with statistical tools. The asymptotic analysis has been conducted considering possible curvature in the échelle diagram analysis. Results: These observations have proven the efficient performance of sophie used as an asteroseismometer, and succeed in a clear detection of the large spacing. An échelle diagram based on the 54-μHz spacing shows clear ridges. Identification of the peaks exhibits large spacings varying from about 52 μHz to 56 μHz. Outside the frequency range [0.9, 1.0 mHz] where the identification is confused, the large spacing increases at a rate of about dΔν/dn ≃ 0.2 μHz. This may explain some of the different values of the large spacing obtained by previous observations. Based on observations collected with the sophie échelle spectrometer mounted on the 1.93-m telescope at OHP, France (program 06B.PNPS.BOU); http://www.obs-hp.fr/www/guide/ sophie/sophie-eng.html Table of radial velocity measurements is only available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/478/197