U of Lin a race to deep space
PHYSICS DEPARTMENT WORKING TO BE PART OF SPACE INFRARED TELESCOPE
If all goes well in the next few years a little piece of University of Lethbridge technology could be giving observers here on Earth a grand view of a much larger universe.
SPICA, short for Space Infrared Telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics, is seen as the European Space Agency’s successor to the Herschel Space Observatory, which from 2009-13 gave scientists an unprecedented view of the galaxy.
David Naylor, a professor in the U of L’s Department of Physics, has had the privilege of being a part of both projects, but he admits his anticipation over SPICA is the keenest he has felt in his career.
“This is probably the biggest project in the history of the U of L ever, and we are leading it,” he says of the billion-dollar space telescope launch mission.
“The distance you can see depends on the sensitivity of your eyes. If you move a flashlight a distance of 10 times farther away, the brightness drops by a factor of 100. I was principle Canadian investigator on the Herschel Observatory back in 2009, and since that time the European Space Agency, NASA and JAXA, the Japanese space agency, have been developing more sensitive detectors, and they now have detectors which are between 100 and 1,000 times more sensitive (than Herschel). If it’s 100 times more sensitive, you can see 10 times farther away and cover an area of space 1,000 times greater.”
The Canadian project team is in competition to develop the key Safari (far infrared spectrometer) component of the telescope with two other international groups, but, as Naylor states, this is not a competition where there is any prize for second place.
“We’re in the final three; so if this were the Olympics we are getting a medal,” he says. “But that doesn’t mean much because we have to get to launch. We know the winner will get to launch; so we have to be the winner out of the last three. This is for all the marbles.”
The U of L is working closely with ABB Analytics and the Canadian Space Agency to help provide the proper testing environment for the Canadian telescope component. The U of L’s cryostat is a cutting-edge piece of laboratory technology which can accurately simulate the harsh environment of space.
“We are in a race for the next three years to test the technology readiness level, which is the language ESA and NASA use to describe if you can get it into space, will it survive launch, and will it work there,” explains Naylor. “I am about to receive some space flight hardware in my lab for the first time at the U of L in the next two weeks to test at extremely low temperatures, down to four Kelvin (269 C). Space is only three Kelvin,
and we actually get 10 times colder with our (cryostat) detectors. So here in our lab, we are actually colder than in any part of the universe.”
While the space race associated with SPICA has been intense to date, and the stakes are high for everyone involved, Naylor says he and his associates know the prize is worth it in the end.
“The endgame is to explore the evolution of galaxies through cosmic time,” he says with awe, “and we can be a part of that.”
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