Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




TECH SPACE
Starshade identifies celestial objects at McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope
by Staff Writers
Redondo Beach CA (SPX) Sep 03, 2015


A 10 centimeter (four-inch) Starshade is shown positioned in front of the 2.1 meter (39-inch) heliostat mirror to test its performance against celestial objects. Testing took place at the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope in Arizona over a seven-day period in March 2015. The Orion constellation is reflected in the mirror. Image courtesy Northrop Grumman. For a larger version of this image please go here.

Grumman (NOC) engineers and astronomers demonstrated the ability of a petal-shaped starshade to clearly see celestial objects during two, weeklong series of engineering tests on Kitt Peak at the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope. This was the first time a starshade was tested against actual astronomical objects.

The team experimented with three different starshade designs, a circular shape and two petal-shaped designs. The petal-shaped designs demonstrated superior performance, allowing the team to clearly view objects surrounding Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, and the stars Sirius and Vega.

"The physics of the circular shape have been known for years," said Steve Warwick, systems engineer, test lead, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. "We were amazed at just how effectively the petal-shaped starshade design canceled the light coming from very bright planets and bright stars. These tests added considerably to our engineering knowledge and opened the possibility that the McMath starshade demonstration can collect scientifically important data that might not be attainable any other way."

The starshade is a free-flying occulter intended to fly thousands of kilometers in front of a space telescope and block out the light of a nearby star, enabling astronomers to directly see planets surrounding the stars. The technology is specifically intended to detect Earth-like planets.

The 2.1 meter heliostat mirror at McMath-Pierce is conducive for starshade research as it provides distance between the starshade and the imaging telescope while tracking stars and planets to the accuracies required for long exposure times. McMath-Pierce is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation.

"Starshade is one of the many innovative and exciting projects we are developing to advance human discoveries in space," said Gabe Watson, vice president, sensing systems Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. "The opportunity associated with using a starshade to detect Earth-like planets around other stars motivates us to pursue this technology. And we're seeing solid results."

Northrop Grumman has been working on the starshade, associated engineering and enabling technologies since 2004. The company performed tests in the Nevada desert in 2014 and 2015 using an LED as the star source - but the tests at McMath represent the first substantial times the starshade was tested against celestial bodies.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
Northrop Grumman
Space Technology News - Applications and Research






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








TECH SPACE
GSAT-6A's big antenna deployed by ISRO
New Delhi (IANS) Sep 01, 2015
The Indian space agency on Sunday said it had successfully deployed the large antenna of military communication satellite GSAT-6 and also raised its orbit. According to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the S-Band Unfurlable Antenna of six metre diameter was deployed successfully. The satellite was launched by India's heavy rocket geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle-Mark II (G ... read more


TECH SPACE
China Plans Lunar Rover For Far Side of Moon

Russia Eyes Moon for Hi-Tech Lunar Base

Russia Gets Ready for New Moon Landing

ASU chosen to lead lunar CubeSat mission

TECH SPACE
One small step for man as astronaut controls robot from space

What Happened to Early Mars' Atmosphere

ASU instruments help scientists probe ancient Mars atmosphere

Opportunity brushes a rock and conducts in-situ studies

TECH SPACE
New Life for Old Buddy: Russia Tests Renewed Soyuz-MS Spacecraft

Opportunity found in lack of diversity in US tech sector

Boeing Revamps Production Facility for Starliner Flights

In Virginia, TechShop lets 'makers' tinker, innovate

TECH SPACE
Progress for Tiangong 2

China rocket parts hit villager's home: police, media

China's "sky eyes" help protect world heritage Angkor Wat

China's space exploration potential has US chasing its own tail

TECH SPACE
Soyuz rocket with three astronauts launches towards ISS

Slam dunk for Andreas in space controlling rover on ground

Russian ISS Crew's Next Spacewalk Planned for February 2016

Mogensen begins busy ISS tour

TECH SPACE
US Launches Atlas V Rocket With Navy Communications Satellite After Delay

US Navy to Launch Folding-Fin Ground Attack Rocket on Scientific Mission

FCube facility enters operations with fueling of Soyuz Fregat upper stage

SpaceX delays next launch after blast

TECH SPACE
Earth observations show how nitrogen may be detected on exoplanets, aiding search for life

Distant planet's interior chemistry may differ from our own

Earth's mineralogy unique in the cosmos

A new model of gas giant planet formation

TECH SPACE
Self-sweeping laser could dramatically shrink 3-D mapping systems

Using ultrathin sheets to discover new class of wrapped shapes

Customizing 3-D printing

DNA-guided 3-D printing of human tissue is unveiled




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.