Fans may not be able to enter soccer stadiums this season due to the coronavirus pandemic, but that doesn’t stop NASA from sending a soccer stadium-sized balloon to study the stars.
NASA said it will send an 8.4-foot telescope, known as ASTHROS (short for Astrophysics Stratospheric Telescope for high-resolution spectral observations at submillimeter wavelengths), to the stratosphere in a “football stadium-sized balloon” to observe the wavelengths of light. that are not visible to the human eye.
“Balloon missions like ASTHROS are more risky than space missions, but produce high rewards at a modest cost,” JPL engineer José Siles, project manager for ASTHROS, said in a statement. “With ASTHROS, our goal is to make astrophysical 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.”
This illustration shows a high-altitude balloon rising to the upper atmosphere. When fully inflated, these balloons are 400 feet (150 meters) wide, or approximately the size of a soccer stadium, and reach an altitude of 130,000 feet (24.6 miles or 40 kilometers). (Credit: Conceptual Image Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / Michael Lentz)
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To study far infrared light, ASTHROS will need to be 130,000 feet in the air, approximately four times higher than commercial flights. For comparison purposes, the limit of space is 62 miles above Earth’s surface.
Although the balloons may appear “outdated,” NASA notes that they offer benefits such as cheaper launch costs.
“Globe missions not only have lower costs compared to space missions, but also have shorter times between planning and early deployment, which means they can accept the higher risks associated with using new technologies. or state-of-the-art they don’t have. It still flies in space, “NASA added in the statement.
An instrument at ASTHROS will measure the movement and velocity of gas around stars that have recently formed in four regions of space, two of which are in the Milky Way.
The mission will launch in December 2023 from Antarctica, NASA said.
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NASA is preparing to launch its Perseverance rover later this month.
This scout vehicle, which will also have a small autonomous helicopter, known as Ingenio, will explore Mars and try to detect if there is any fossilized evidence of extraterrestrial beings, in addition to other tasks.
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