Missions & Projects
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Balloon-borne Cryogenic Telescope Testbed (BOBCAT)
The Balloon-Borne Cryogenic Telescope Testbed (BOBCAT) is a technology demonstration to develop advanced instrumentation for astrophysical observations at far-infrared wavelengths. It develops cryogenic techniques as an enabling technology to improve far-IR sensitivity by a factor of 100,000 or more compared to current state-of-the-art instrumentation such as SOFIA. Cryogenic spectrometers, operating at balloon altitudes, have game-changing capabilities, but achieving this goal while remaining within balloon payload mass limits requires ultra-light cryostats. This project develops the ultra-light cryostat and demonstrates the ability to transfer cryogenic liquids at balloon altitudes.
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large space observatory that will operate in an orbit some 1 million miles from Earth. JWST will find the first galaxies that formed in the early universe, connecting the Big Bang to our own Milky Way Galaxy. It will also peer through dusty clouds to see stars forming planetary systems, connecting the Milky Way to our own solar System. Webb's instruments are designed to work primarily in the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum, with some capability in the visible range. The observatory was launched on Dec 25, 2021.
Key Staff
- Deputy Project Scientist for Planetary Science: Stefanie Milam
- Project Scientist: John Mather
- Deputy Project Scientist: Jonathan Gardner
- Observatory Project Scientist: Michael McElwain
- Deputy Observatory Project Scientist: Charles Bowers
- Integration & Test Project Scientist: Randy Kimble
- Deputy Senior Project Scientist/Technical: Malcolm Niedner
- Operations Project Scientist : Jane Rigby
Primordial Inflation Polarization Explorer (PIPER)
The Primordial Inflation Polarization Explorer (PIPER) is a balloon-borne mission to measure the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) in search of the signature of primordial gravity waves excited by an inflationary epoch in the early universe.
