GUSTO (Galactic / Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory) is a high-altitude balloon mission that carries an infrared telescope to measure fine-structure line emission from the interstellar medium. The mission was developed by NASA's Explorers Program, and was launched on 31 December 2023 from Antarctica. [1]
GUSTO is expected to provide the first complete study of the life cycle of the interstellar medium, the gas and dust from which all stars and planets are formed. [2] [ unreliable source? ] The mission is a Mission of Opportunity (MO) of NASA's Explorer's Program [3] [2] [ unreliable source? ] and is expected to cost about US$40 million. [4] [5] It follows from the experience gained from two precursor or "pathfinder" missions: the Stratospheric Terahertz Observatory (STO) launched on 15 January 2012, and STO-2 launched on 8 December 2016. [4] [5] The principal investigator is Christopher Walker at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. [4] [5]
The telescope was lifted by a superpressure balloon to the stratosphere at an altitude of 36 km (22 mi) above Antarctica, at the edge of space. [6] [7] It mapped portions of the Milky Way galaxy and the Large Magellanic Cloud in three specific regions of the far infrared (FIR) portion of the electromagnetic spectrum called the "terahertz lines of carbon, nitrogen and oxygen". [7]
GUSTO was launched on 31 December 2023, 06:30 UTC, [1] from McMurdo, Antarctica, and stayed airborne for 57 days, 7 hours, 38 minutes, before landing safely in Antarctica on 26 February 2024. [1] GUSTO was controlled and monitored from several stations around the United States. [5]
The objective of GUSTO is to provide the first complete spectroscopic study of all phases of the stellar life cycle, from the formation of molecular clouds (also called stellar nurseries), through star birth and evolution, to the formation of interstellar gas clouds and the re-initiation of the cycle. [4] This would help determine the composition, energetics, and dynamics of the interstellar medium. [2] [ unreliable source? ] It will do so by observing simultaneously in three specific far infrared (FIR) wavelengths. [2] [ unreliable source? ] The researchers state that "this unique and novel combination of data will provide information needed to untangle the complexities of the interstellar medium". [7]
The gondola, avionics and solar panels were provided by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. The University of Arizona in Tucson provided the telescope with an array of cryogenic terahertz radiation superconducting heterodyne detectors built in a collaborative effort with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Arizona State University, the Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON), Virginia Diodes (VDI), and Ball Aerospace. [4] [5] [7] The detectors measure the terahertz lines of carbon, oxygen and nitrogen, at 158 μm, 63 μm, and 205 μm respectively. [2] [ unreliable source? ]
The gondola and instruments carried by the balloon have an approximate mass of 2,000 kg (4,400 lb) [5] and measures about 6 m wide by 6 m height (20 ft × 20 ft). The telescope has a 90 cm (35 in) mirror, [4] which directs light to a series of superconducting detectors contained inside a cryostat that will keep them at −269 °C (−452 °F). [5]
Originally proposed for use on a ULDB (UltraLong Duration Balloon) Superpressure balloon, issues with qualification of the balloon resulted in use of an alternative 39 million cubic feet volume, zero pressure balloon. The balloon was provided by NASA's Balloon Program Office.
The flight was designed to make use of a weather phenomenon known as an anticyclone that occurs during the Antarctic summer. The wind vortex would take the balloon on a circular flight trajectory over Antarctica for 55 to 120 days. [6] [4] Recovery was uncertain for GUSTO; as the southern winter progresses, the polar vortex weakens and the balloon could have left Antarctica and drifted northward. [5] Upon mission completion on 26 February 2024, GUSTO descended by parachute and landed safely on Antarctic soil. [1]
Infrared astronomy is a sub-discipline of astronomy which specializes in the observation and analysis of astronomical objects using infrared (IR) radiation. The wavelength of infrared light ranges from 0.75 to 300 micrometers, and falls in between visible radiation, which ranges from 380 to 750 nanometers, and submillimeter waves.
The Spitzer Space Telescope, formerly the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), is an infrared space telescope launched in 2003, that was deactivated when operations ended on 30 January 2020. Spitzer was the third space telescope dedicated to infrared astronomy, following IRAS (1983) and ISO (1995–1998). It was the first spacecraft to use an Earth-trailing orbit, later used by the Kepler planet-finder.
Gusto, El Gusto or GUSTO may refer to:
The Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) was a 80/20 joint project of NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) to construct and maintain an airborne observatory. NASA awarded the contract for the development of the aircraft, operation of the observatory and management of the American part of the project to the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) in 1996. The DSI managed the German parts of the project which were primarily science-and telescope-related. SOFIA's telescope saw first light on May 26, 2010. SOFIA was the successor to the Kuiper Airborne Observatory. During 10-hour, overnight flights, it observed celestial magnetic fields, star-forming regions, comets, nebulae, and the Galactic Center.
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The NASA Infrared Telescope Facility is a 3-meter (9.8 ft) telescope optimized for use in infrared astronomy and located at the Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii. It was first built to support the Voyager missions and is now the US national facility for infrared astronomy, providing continued support to planetary, solar neighborhood, and deep space applications. The IRTF is operated by the University of Hawaii under a cooperative agreement with NASA. According to the IRTF's time allocation rules, at least 50% of the observing time is devoted to planetary science.
A superpressure balloon (SPB) is a style of aerostatic balloon where the volume of the balloon is kept relatively constant in the face of changes in ambient pressure outside the balloon, and the temperature of the contained lifting gas. This allows the balloon to keep a stable altitude for long periods. This is in contrast with much more common variable-volume balloons, which are either only partially filled with lifting gas, or made with more elastic materials. Also referred to as pumpkin or ultra long distance balloons (ULDB) balloons, the sealed balloon envelopes have a pumpkin shape at flight altitude.
Cosmic dust – also called extraterrestrial dust, space dust, or star dust – is dust that occurs in outer space or has fallen onto Earth. Most cosmic dust particles measure between a few molecules and 0.1 mm (100 μm), such as micrometeoroids and meteoroids. Cosmic dust can be further distinguished by its astronomical location: intergalactic dust, interstellar dust, interplanetary dust, and circumplanetary dust. There are several methods to obtain space dust measurement.
Frank James Low was a solid state physicist who became a leader in the new field of infrared astronomy, after inventing the gallium doped germanium bolometer in 1961. This detector extended the range of the observable spectrum to much longer wavelengths.
SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON) is a national Dutch institute for space research. It develops and uses innovative technology for analysis in space, focusing on astrophysical research, Earth observation, and exoplanetary research. SRON research includes new and more advanced sensors for X-rays, infrared radiation, and visible light.
An infrared telescope is a telescope that uses infrared light to detect celestial bodies. Infrared light is one of several types of radiation present in the electromagnetic spectrum.
A balloon-borne telescope is a type of airborne telescope, a sub-orbital astronomical telescope that is suspended below one or more stratospheric balloons, allowing it to be lifted above the lower, dense part of the Earth's atmosphere. This has the advantage of improving the resolution limit of the telescope at a much lower cost than for a space telescope. It also allows observation of frequency bands that are blocked by the atmosphere.
The kinetic inductance detector (KID) — also known as a microwave kinetic inductance detector (MKID) — is a type of superconducting photon detector first developed by scientists at the California Institute of Technology and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 2003. These devices operate at cryogenic temperatures, typically below 1 kelvin. They are being developed for high-sensitivity astronomical detection for frequencies ranging from the far-infrared to X-rays.
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