Latest Guides

Science and Technology

JPL to Fly ‘Cutting Edge’ Telescope to the Edge of Space on Giant Balloon

Published on Thursday, July 23, 2020 | 10:45 am
 
An illustration provided by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center depicts a high-altitude balloon climbing into the upper atmosphere. Such balloons are about the size of a football stadium and can reach altitudes of about 24.6 miles.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena is planning to send a groundbreaking telescope into the stratosphere, not atop a rocket, but hoisted by a balloon the size of a football stadium.

The Astrophysics Stratospheric Telescope for High Spectral Resolution Observations at Submillimeter-wavelengths, or ASTHROS, is tentatively slated to lift off from Antarctica in December 2023, JPL said in a written statement.

The mission is intended to make two to three circuits around the South Pole over the course of three to four weeks, driven by stratospheric winds, officials said.

“(It) will spend about three weeks drifting on air currents above the icy southern continent {Antarctica} and achieve several firsts along the way,” according to the statement.

From that vantage point, though below the boundary of space, “it will be high enough to observe light wavelengths blocked by Earth’s atmosphere,” the statement said.

The telescope will soar at 130,000 feet, or 24.6 miles, in altitude, which is about four times the height at which commercial jetliners fly, according to JPL. It will gather images and data to help scientists better understand the formation of stars and galaxies.

“Balloon missions like ASTHROS are higher risk than space missions but yield high rewards at modest cost,” said JPL engineer Jose Siles, who serves as project manager for ASTHROS. “With ASTHROS, we’re aiming to do astrophysics observations that have never been attempted before. The mission will pave the way for future space missions by testing new technologies and providing training for the next generation of engineers and scientists.”

The project was not expected to be easy, but that’s part of the attraction, he said. “We will launch ASTHROS to the edge of space from the most remote and harsh part of our planet. If you stop to think about it, it’s really challenging, which makes it so exciting at the same time.”

Once airborne, the telescope mounted beneath the 400-foot-wide balloon, which can be controlled in real-time by scientists on the ground, will set its sights on four targets, JPL said.

They include two star-forming regions within our own Milky Way galaxy, galaxy Messier 83 and TW Hydrae, a young star surrounded by a wide disk of dust and gas that scientists suspect may be forming planets.

Get our daily Pasadena newspaper in your email box. Free.

Get all the latest Pasadena news, more than 10 fresh stories daily, 7 days a week at 7 a.m.

Make a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 

 

 

buy ivermectin online
buy modafinil online
buy clomid online
buy ivermectin online