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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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NASA NTRS1994

(abstract) Simple Spreadsheet Thermal Models for Cryogenic Applications

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.

cryogenic thermal model cryostat SIRTF↗

NASA NTRS2021

Far-infrared Imager and Polarimeter for the Origins Space Telescope

The far-infrared imager and polarimeter (FIP) for the Origins Space Telescope (Origins) is a basic far-infrared imager and polarimeter. The camera will deliver continuum images and polarization measurements at 50 and 250μm. Currently available detector technologies provide sufficient sensitivity for background limited observations from space, at least on a single pixel basis. FIP incorporates large next-generation superconducting detector arrays and our technology development plan will push the pixel numbers for the arrays to the required size of 8000. Two superconducting detector technologies are currently candidates for the instrument: transition edge sensors or microwave kinetic inductance devices. Using these detectors and taking advantage of the cryogenic telescope that is provided by Origins, FIP will achieve mapping speeds of up to eight orders of magnitude faster than what has been achieved by existing observatories. The science drivers for FIP include observations of solar system objects, dust properties, and magnetic field studies of the nearby interstellar medium, and large scale galaxy surveys to better constrain the star formation history of the universe to address one of the main themes of Origins: “How does the Universe work?” In addition to the science, the FIP instrument plays a critical functional role in aligning the mirrors during on orbit observatory commissioning.

Astronomy↗

NASA NTRS2001

Far-Infrared Extragalactic Surveys: Past, Present, and Future

As much as one third of the luminosity of the local universe is emitted in the far infrared. In order to understand the history of energy release in the universe, it is crucial to characterize this rest-frame far-infrared contribution from the present back to the era of initial galaxy formation. Over the redshift range from 0 to 10, this energy is received in the 80 micrometers to 1 mm spectral region. In the 1980's the Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) all-sky survey provided the first comprehensive view of the far infrared emission from the local universe. The diffuse background measurements by Cosmic Background Explorer Satellite (COBE) have provided constraints on the integral contributions from the high redshift universe. In the past five years, submillimeter measurements made using the SCUBA instrument have revealed powerful high redshift sources. To develop a clear history of energy release in the universe, we need numbers and redshifts of representative populations of energetically important objects. The near future will bring the Space Infrared Telescope Facility Multiband Imaging Photometer (SIRTF)(MIPS) survey, which will cover about 100 square degrees at wavelengths out to 160 micrometers, providing a large sample of energetically important galaxies out to z of approx.3. In 2005, the Japanese IRIS survey will provide a 160 micrometers full sky survey, which will provide larger samples of the high z galaxy populations and will find intrinsically rare high luminosity objects. The SPIRE instrument on the FIRST facility will extend these surveys to longer wavelengths, providing a view of the universe at higher redshifts in three spectral bands. A concept for an all-sky submillimeter survey is under development, called the Survey of Infrared Cosmic Evolution (SIRCE). With a 2 m cryogenic telescope, it can map the entire sky to the confusion limit in the 100 to 500 micrometers range in six months. This survey will provide photometric redshifts, number counts, and will find the most luminous objects in the universe. In the next decade, the opening of the submillimeter, combined with the near infrared capability of NGST will provide us with a clear picture of energy release in the early universe.

Moseley, Samuel H., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Where do we locate the moon base

Because the lunar polar regions permit continuous solar energy collection and adjacent cryogenic temperature, they may be the preferred sites for early human occupation and use of the moon. If permafrost exists in the polar shaded regions, this preference will become dominant. Though not ideal from the point of view of all-sky coverage for astronomical observations, and also possibly subject to terminator-plane particle hazes near the surface, polar sites (especially the south polar region) may offer enough advantages (e.g., constant cryogenic telescope environments and unlimited tracking time) to be preferred sites for the first lunar observatories.

Burke, J. D.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Detector Arrays For Infrared Astronomy

Paper describes status of program for developing integrated infrared detectors for astronomy. Program covers variety of detectors, including extrinsic silicon, extrinsic germanium, and indium antimonide devices with hybrid silicon multiplexers. Paper notes for arrays to reach background noise limit in cryogenic telescope, continued reductions in readout noise and dark current needed.

Mccreight, C. R.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Status of the cryogenic inertial reference system for the Gravity Probe B mission

We describe the status of the development and testing program for the inertial reference system for the Gravity Probe B gyroscopes. The gyroscope housings are attached to a cryogenic telescope with a 14 cm aperture that continuously points at a guide star. The star image is split to provide quadrant pointing information which is used to steer the spacecraft. This data is also combined with the gyro readout data to provide an absolute precession measurement. Motion of the guide star is independently checked by reference to background galaxies. Room temperature testing of a prototype telescope has been completed and preparations are being made for low temperature tests.

Lipa, J. A.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Infrared studies of galaxies from space

The Kuiper Airborne Observatory has been a powerful instrument for the study of nearby galaxies, and SOFIA could probe still further into the local Universe. However, a comprehensive program of extragalactic exploration in the infrared - and in particular a study of galaxies at cosmological redshifts - requires the high sensitivity and complete wavelength coverage which is achievable only with a cryogenic telescope in space. This program was begun by IRAS and will be continued by the upcoming ISO (Infrared Space Observatory), WIRE (Wide field Infrared Explorer) and SIRTF (Space Infrared Telescope Facility) missions. This paper previews a set of extragalactic investigations which could be carried out by these missions.

Werner, Michael W.↗

NASA NTRS2010

The Primordial Inflation Polarization Explorer (PIPER)

The Primordial Inflation Polarization Explorer (PIPER) is a ba1loon-borne instrument designed to search for the faint signature of inflation in the polarized component of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). PIPER will measure the CMB polarization at 4 frequencies (l per flight) using a pair of cryogenic telescopes, one for measuring each of Stokes Q and U in the instrument frame. Each telescope receives both linear orthogonal polarizations in two 32 by 40 element planar arrays that utilize Transition-Edge Sensors (TES). The first element in each telescope is a variable-delay polarization modulator (VPM) that fully modulates the Stokes parameter to which the telescope is sensitive.

Chuss, David T.↗

NASA NTRS2010

The Primordial Inflation Polarization Explorer (PIPER)

The Primordial Inflation Polarization Explorer (PIPER) is it balloon-borne instrument designed to search for the faint signature of inflation in the polarized component of the cosmic microwave background (C-N-113). Each flight will be configured for a single frequency, but in order to aid in the removal of the polarized foreground signal due to Galactic dust, the filters will be changed between flights. In this way, the CMB polarization at a total of four different frequencies (200, 270, 350, and 600 GHz) will be, measured on large angular scales. PIPER consists of a pair of cryogenic telescopes, one for measuring each of Stokes Q and U in the instrument frame. Each telescope receives both linear orthogonal polarizations in two 32 x 40 element planar arrays that utilize Transition-Edge Sensors (TES). The first element in each telescope is a variable-delay polarization modulator (VPM) that fully modulates the linear Stokes parameter to which the telescope is sensitive. There are several advantages to this architecture. First, by modulating at the front of the optics, instrumental polarization is unmodulated and is therefore cleanly separated from source polarization. Second, by implementing this system with the appropriate symmetry, systematic effects can be further mitigated. In the PIPER design, many of the. systematics are manifest in the unmeasured linear Stokes parameter for each telescope and this can be separated from the desired signal. Finally, the modulation cycle never mixes the Q and U linear Stokes parameters, and thus residuals in the modulation do not twist the observed polarization vector. This is advantageous because measuring the angle of linear polarization is critical for separating the inflationary signal from other polarized components.

Chuss, David T.↗

NASA NTRS2013

Micro-Spec: An Ultra-Compact, High-Sensitivity Spectrometer for Far-Infrared and Sub-Millimeter Astronomy

High-performance, integrated spectrometers operating in the far-infrared and sub-millimeter promise to be powerful tools for the exploration of the epochs of reionization and initial galaxy formation. These devices, using high-efficiency superconducting transmission lines, can achieve the performance of a meter-scale grating spectrometer in an instrument implemented on a four-inch silicon wafer. Such a device, when combined with a cryogenic telescope in space, provides an enabling capability for studies of the early universe. Here, the optical design process for Micro-Spec (mu-Spec) is presented, with particular attention given to its two-dimensional diffractive region, where the light of different wavelengths is focused on the different detectors. The method is based on the stigmatization and minimization of the light path function in this bounded region, which results in an optimized geometrical configuration. A point design with an efficiency of approx. 90% has been developed for initial demonstration, and can serve as the basis for future instruments. Design variations on this implementation are also discussed, which can lead to lower efficiencies due to diffractive losses in the multimode region.

spectroscopic instrumentation↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Experiment for Cryogenic Large-aperture Intensity Mapping (EXCLAIM)

Submillimeter and far-IR spectroscopy provides insight into galaxy evolution through measurement of atomic and molecular line emission. The EXperiment for Cryogenic Large-Aperture Intensity Mapping (EXCLAIM) is a cryogenic balloon-borne instrument designed to carry out intensity mapping to measure the cumulative redshifted line emission from carbon monoxide and singly-ionized carbon to probe star formation in windows from the present to z=3.5. During this time, the rate of star formation dropped dramatically, while dark matter continued to cluster. Intensity mapping permits a blind and complete survey of emitting gas through statistics of cumulative brightness fluctuations. EXCLAIM achieves high sensitivity using a cryogenic telescope coupled to six integrated spectrometers with spectral resolving power R=512 and employing microwave kinetic inductance detectors. Here we summarize the status of the mission.

Maryam Rahmani↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Experiment for Cryogenic Large-aperture Intensity Mapping (EXCLAIM)

Submillimeter and far-IR spectroscopy provides insight into galaxy evolution through atomic and molecular line emission. The EXperiment for Cryogenic Large-Aperture Intensity Mapping (EXCLAIM) is a cryogenic balloon-borne instrument designed to carry out an intensity mapping to measure the cumulative redshifted line emission from carbon monoxide and singly-ionized carbon to probe star formation in windows from the present to z=3.5. During this time, the rate of star formation dropped dramatically, while dark matter continued to cluster. Intensity mapping permits a blind and complete survey of emitting gas through statistics of cumulative brightness fluctuations. EXCLAIM achieves high sensitivity using a cryogenic telescope coupled to six integrated spectrometers with spectral resolving power R = 512 and employing kinetic inductance detectors. Here we summarize the status of the mission.

Maryam Rahmani↗

NASA NTRS2021

Experiment for Cryogenic Large-Aperture Intensity Mapping: Instrument Design

The EXperiment for Cryogenic Large-Aperture Intensity Mapping (EXCLAIM) is a balloon-borne tele-33scope designed to survey star formation in windows from the present to z=3.5. During this time, the rate of star34formation dropped dramatically, while dark matter continued to cluster. EXCLAIM maps the redshifted emission35of singly-ionized carbon lines and carbon monoxide using intensity mapping, which permits a blind and complete36survey of emitting gas through statistics of cumulative brightness fluctuations. EXCLAIM achieves high sensitivity37using a cryogenic telescope coupled to six integrated spectrometers employing kinetic inductance detectors covering38420540GHz with spectral resolving power R=512and angular resolution⇡40. The spectral resolving power and39cryogenic telescope allow the survey to access dark windows in the spectrum of emission from the upper atmosphere.40EXCLAIM will survey305 deg2in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Stripe 82 field from a conventional balloon flight41in 2023. EXCLAIM will also map several galactic fields to study carbon monoxide and neutral carbon emission as42tracers of molecular gas. Here, we summarize the design phase of the mission.

Eric R Switzer↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Experiment for Cryogenic Large-aperture Intensity Mapping (EXCLAIM)

Maryam Rahmani↗

NASA NTRS1985

Infrared telescope (IRT) system cryogenic performance

Thermal performance evaluation tests on the Small Helium Cooled Infrared Telescope (IRT), prior to flight on Spacelab 2 in 1985, are reported. The telescope is a joint project of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, the University of Arizona, and the NASA-Marshall Space Flight Center. Starting with 190 liters of liquid helium to be converted to superfluid, 140 liters should be available at launch; 100 liters would be available 48 hours into the mission when first observations begin and 30 liters should be left as a reserve at payload deactivation. New data and insight have been gained regarding the processes which govern the functioning of a porous plug phase separator for superfluid helium.

Urban, E. W.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Space Infrared Telescope Facility mission and cryogenic design

The Space Infrared Telescope Facility is the last of the Great Observatory missions. It is presently scheduled for launch in 2001. The mission will study the infrared spectrum from 2 to 1200 microns with three imaging and spectral instruments. The observatory will have a 5 year lifetime and will be placed in a 100,000 km earth orbit. The cryogenic system is based on a 4000 I superfluid helium cryostat. The mission and the cryogenic system are described, and the cryogenic technology issues are discussed.

Mason, P. V.↗

NASA NTRS1985

BASD: SIRTF Telescope Instrument Changeout and Cryogen Replenishment (STICCR) study

The Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) is a long-life cryogenically cooled space-based telescope for infrared astronomy from 2 micrometer to 700 miocrometers currently under study by NASA-ARC, and planned for launch in approximately the mid 90's. SIRTF will operate as a multi-user facility, initially carrying 3 instruments at the focal plane. It will be cooled to below 2 K by superfluid liquid helium to achieve radiometric sensitivity limited only by the statistical fluctuations in the natural infrared background radiation over most of its spectral range. The lifetime of the mission will be limited by the lifetime of the liquid helium supply, and is currently baselined to be 2 years. The telescope changes required to allow in-space replenishment of the 2,000 liter superfluid helium tank are investigated. A preliminary design for the space services equipment is also developed. The impacts of basing the equipment and servicing on the space station are investigated. Space replenishment and changeout of instruments requires changes to the telescope design and preliminary concepts are presented.

Mord, A. J.↗

NASA NTRS1985

SIRTF Telescope Instrument Changeout and Cryogen Replenishment (STICCR) Study

The Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) is a long-life cryogenically cooled space-based telescope for infrared astronomy from 2 to 700 micrometers. SIRTF is currently under study by NASA-ARC (Reference AP) and planned for launch in approximately the mid 1990s. SIRTF will operate as a multiuser facility, initially carrying three instruments at the focal plane. It will be cooled to below 2 K by superfluid liquid helium to achieve radiometric sensitivity limited only by the statistical fluctuations in the natural infrared background radiation over most of its spectral range. The lifetime of the mission will be limited by the lifetime of the liquid helium supply, and baseline is currently to be 2 years. The telescope changes required to allow in-space replenishment of the 4,000-L superfluid helium tank was investigated. A preliminary design for the space services equipment was also developed. The impacts of basing the equipment and servicing on the space station were investigated. Space replenishment and changeout of instruments required changes to the telescope design. Preliminary concepts are presented.

Nast, T. C.↗