GUSTO (Galactic / Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory) is ahigh-altitude balloon mission that carries aninfrared telescope to measurefine-structure line emission from theinterstellar medium. The mission was developed by NASA'sExplorers Program, and was launched on 31 December 2023 from Antarctica.[1]
GUSTO is expected to provide the first complete study of the life cycle of theinterstellar medium, the gas and dust from which allstars and planets are formed.[2][unreliable source?] The mission is aMission of Opportunity (MO) of NASA's Explorer's Program[3][2][unreliable source?] and is expected to cost about US$40 million.[4][5] It follows from the experience gained from two precursor or "pathfinder" missions: the Stratospheric Terahertz Observatory (STO) launched on 15 January 2012, and STO-2 launched on 8 December 2016.[4][5] Theprincipal investigator is Christopher Walker at theUniversity of Arizona inTucson, Arizona.[4][5]
The telescope was lifted by asuperpressure balloon to thestratosphere at an altitude of 36 km (22 mi) aboveAntarctica, at the edge of space.[6][7] It mapped portions of theMilky Way galaxy and theLarge Magellanic Cloud in three specific regions of thefar infrared (FIR) portion of theelectromagnetic spectrum called the "terahertz lines ofcarbon,nitrogen andoxygen".[7]
GUSTO was launched on 31 December 2023, 06:30 UTC,[1] fromMcMurdo, Antarctica, and stayed airborne for 57 days, 7 hours, 38 minutes, before landing safely in Antarctica on 26 February 2024.[1] GUSTO was controlled and monitored from several stations around theUnited States.[5]
The objective of GUSTO is to provide the first complete spectroscopic study of all phases of the stellar life cycle, from the formation ofmolecular clouds (also called stellar nurseries), throughstar birth and evolution, to the formation ofinterstellar gas clouds and the re-initiation of the cycle.[4] This would help determine the composition, energetics, and dynamics of theinterstellar medium.[2][unreliable source?] It will do so by observing simultaneously in three specificfar infrared (FIR) wavelengths.[2][unreliable source?] The researchers state that "this unique and novel combination of data will provide information needed to untangle the complexities of the interstellar medium".[7]
The gondola,avionics and solar panels were provided by theJohns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. TheUniversity of Arizona in Tucson provided the telescope with an array of cryogenicterahertz radiation superconductingheterodyne detectors built in a collaborative effort with theMassachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),Arizona State University, theNetherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON), Virginia Diodes (VDI), andBall Aerospace.[4][5][7] The detectors measure the terahertz lines of carbon, oxygen and nitrogen, at 158 μm, 63 μm, and 205 μm respectively.[2][unreliable source?]
The gondola and instruments carried by the balloon have an approximate mass of 2,000 kg (4,400 lb)[5] and measures about 6 m wide by 6 m height (20 ft × 20 ft). The telescope has a 90 cm (35 in) mirror,[4] which directs light to a series of superconducting detectors contained inside a cryostat that will keep them at −269 °C (−452 °F).[5]
Originally proposed for use on a ULDB (UltraLong Duration Balloon) Superpressure balloon, issues with qualification of the balloon resulted in use of an alternative 39 million cubic feet volume, zero pressure balloon. The balloon was provided by NASA's Balloon Program Office.
The flight was designed to make use of a weather phenomenon known as ananticyclone that occurs during the Antarctic summer. The wind vortex would take the balloon on a circular flight trajectory overAntarctica for 55 to 120 days.[6][4] Recovery was uncertain for GUSTO; as the southern winter progresses, the polar vortex weakens and the balloon could have left Antarctica and drifted northward.[5] Upon mission completion on 26 February 2024, GUSTO descended by parachute and landed safely on Antarctic soil.[1]
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