hubble past …future?. nasa’s great observatories “an astronomical mount rushmore” spitzer...
TRANSCRIPT
HUBBLE
Past
…future?
NASA’s Great Observatories“an astronomical Mount Rushmore”
Spitzer Chandra
Compton Hubble
Gains in orbit
• No atmospheric blurring
• Wider accessible wavelength range
• Instrumental stability
• No clouds/daylight (timing)
Some HST Science highlights
• Structures of distant galaxies
Some HST Science highlights
• Structures of distant galaxies
• Hubble constant from Cepheid variable stars
Some HST Science highlights
• Structures of distant galaxies
• Hubble constant from Cepheid variable stars
• Black holes in (almost all) galactic nuclei
Some HST Science highlights
• Structures of distant galaxies
• Hubble constant from Cepheid variable stars
• Black holes in (almost all) galactic nuclei
• Protoplanetary material near young stars
Some HST Science highlights
• Structures of distant galaxies
• Hubble constant from Cepheid variable stars
• Black holes in (almost all) galactic nuclei
• Protoplanetary material near young stars
• Gravitational lenses
Some HST Science highlights
• Structures of distant galaxies
• Hubble constant from Cepheid variable stars
• Black holes in (almost all) galactic nuclei
• Protoplanetary material near young stars
• Gravitational lenses
• Intergalactic gas and its history
• Stuff scattered all the way through the textbooks
Instrument history
1990: FGS HSP FOS GHRS FOC WF/PC1993: FGS CoSTAR FOS GHRS FOC WFPC21997: FGS CoSTAR NICMOS STIS FOC WFPC22002: FGS CoSTAR NICMOS STIS ACS WFPC2
200? COS, WFC3
Hubble status, Sept. 2004
• Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph dead (only high-res/small-region spectrometer)• 3 of 6 gyros (RSUs) functional (3 needed for full
tracking, some observations with 2)• Battery capacity decreasing (will be useless circa
2010)• Estimated 50% failure time on above: 2007• Instrument/transmitter power cycling now reduced by
rescheduling/eliminating parallel imaging
Options
• Shuttle SM4 (O’Keefe ruled out, CAIB concerns)
• Robotic mission (new tech, some changeouts very risky)
• Replace the whole thing (HOP proposal to refly COS/WFC3)
Shuttle?
• “Safe haven” would mean standby orbiter
• Limited remaining flights earmarked to ISS
• Need for independent orbital inspection
• Victim of the Vision?
• Orbital mechanics: 28.5-degree inclination, getting heaviest payloads highest from Cape Canaveral, restricts options now
Servicing non-options
• Prohibitive energy requirements to co-orbit with ISS in reach of astronauts
• 28-degree orbit out of reach from Baikonur (ITAR restrictions aside)
• Ion thrusters would take the estimated telescope lifetime for orbit change
• ~2015 estimated deorbit without boosting
Robotics/teleoperation?
• Canadian ISS arm not required yet – “spare”• Some tasks straightforward, actually robotic plus
teleoperations mission• Double big/small arm• Robot docking/deorbit committed already• Tests make this look possible• 2-piece spacecraft, Delta/Atlas launch• 2007 a challenge; budget is ballooning• Political aspects re pinning blame
Solar array connectors
Replace capabilities?
• Technology since 1980: lots cheaper. Thin flexible mirrors, lightweight structures, stabilize mirrors rather than structure…
• Unique access to optical/UV range• Plan on table to fly 2.4m mirror with
existing HST instruments (Hubble Origins Probe or HOP); could be as low as $250M.
• Need to decide who gets the instruments!
Next up: JWST
James Webb Space Telescope
• Launch 2011, on Ariane V, to L2 region
• 6.5m deployable primary
• 0.6-20 microns (far red to mid-IR)
• Key problems: formation of galaxies, first stars, maybe planets
• Spacecraft weight/mirror area ratio roughly that of Hubble mirror alone!
And at other wavelengths…
Chandra and its complement XMM-Newton
Across the spectrum - now
FarIR MidIR nearIR opt UV farUV X-ray gamma
Spitzer
Hubble Chandra
GALEX
FUSE INTEGRAL
WMAP
Multispectral Greatest Hits
• Intergalactic gas• Starburst galaxies• High-redshift galaxies• Evaporating planets• Protoplanetary disks• Growth of black holes• Complexity of stardeath
• Gamma-ray bursts• Supernova chemistry• Quasar jets• Stripped galaxies• Pregalactic lumps• Galaxy history• Relativistic jets
A panchromatic view -spiral galaxy M81
ROSATGALEXKitt PeakSpitzerVLA
Across the spectrum - soon
FarIR MidIR nearIR opt UV farUV X-ray gamma
Spitzer
Hubble? Chandra and XMM
GALEX?
FUSE? INTEGRAL
Planck
Herschel
Swift
SIMTPF?
JWST
A new Universe to explore
• The full electromagnetic spectrum
• Open international competition for observations
• Public data archives (without mailing tapes!)
• The beginnings of the Virtual Observatory
• But astronomers think about facilities differently from NASA and ESA…