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New type of space telescope could soar very high Earthto visualize the universe in a more environmentally friendly and scalable way than current technologies.
The Pressurized Balloon Imaging Telescope (SuperBIT) was announcement on Tuesday July 20 by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS). Its creators include researchers from Durham University in the UK, Princeton University and the University of Toronto in Canada, who have partnered with NASA and the Canadian Space Agency.
The team’s claims about SuperBIT indicate this new space telescope could be the next best thing in astronomy. “New balloon technology makes visiting space cheap, easy and environmentally friendly,” said Mohamed Shaaban, doctoral student at the University of Toronto, in the announcement. Shaaban described SuperBIT on Wednesday, July 21 during the RAS National Astronomy Virtual Meeting (NAM 2021).
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The SuperBIT helium balloon is one of the new flagship technologies of the project. The ball is the size of a football stadium, the statement said, with a volume of 695,830 cubic yards (532,000 cubic meters). The floating orb is powerful enough to carry a telescopic mirror to an altitude of about 25 miles (40 kilometers), roughly the same elevation as the top of Earth’s stratosphere.
This altitude is important because while earth’s atmosphere is a crucial part of our planet, it interferes with astronomical observations, blurring valuable images. Reaching the top of the stratosphere would allow astronomers to observe the universe with little or no interference from the atmosphere. Unlike current balloons, SuperBIT also has a “pressurized” balloon that can keep the telescope high in the sky for months instead of days.
The benefits continue with its imaging capabilities. SuperBIT’s last test flight in 2019 showed that it can stay on its observation target with “a variation of less than a thirty-six thousandth of a degree for more than an hour,” the statement said. This should allow SuperBIT to achieve high resolution images equal to or better than the iconic The Hubble Space Telescope. The first SuperBIT flight will carry a telescope with a 19.7 inch wide (0.5 meter) mirror, but a design upgrade will include a 39.4 inch (1.5 m) opening and that could make SuperBIT “Even better than Hubble,” scientists hope.
The balloon model also makes it easy to upgrade. Teams using SuperBIT could replace telescope cameras or instruments with updated versions. Unlike traditional space telescopes, SuperBIT periodically returns to Earth so that it is not locked into some type of material in perpetuity. “SuperBIT can be continually reconfigured and upgraded,” Shaaban said.
Balloons do not require rocket fuel, making them more environmentally friendly than fuel-based lifting procedures. They are also cheaper than similar satellites, the statement said. “With a construction and operating budget for the first telescope of $ 5million (£ 3.62million), SuperBIT cost almost 1,000 times less than a similar satellite,” officials said. the SAR in the press release.
SuperBIT’s first operational flight is currently scheduled for April 2022. It will take off from Wanaka, New Zealand, and circle the Earth several times to take images of the night sky; during the day, it will recharge its batteries using solar panels.
Follow Doris Elin Urrutia on Twitter @salazar_elin. follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
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