Gallery: Grand opening of new lab for balloon-borne astronomy
Dec. 13, 2022
The University of Arizona on Monday celebrated the opening of the Mission Integration Lab, which is designed to tackle grand space-based challenges and position the university as one of only a handful of institutions that can run top-dollar missions. (Chris Richards/University of Arizona)
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Speakers at Monday's event cut the ribbon to celebrate the lab's opening. From left: Jessa Turner, director of communications for Tech Parks Arizona; Jeff Kingsley, associate director for Steward Observatory; Elizabeth "Betsy" Cantwell, UArizona senior vice president for research and innovation; University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins; Kevin Illige, project manager for Concord General Contracting; Carol Stewart, vice president for Tech Parks Arizona; and Dan Marrone, professor in the Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory. (Chris Richards/University of Arizona)
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University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins delivers remarks during the event on Monday. (Chris Richards/University of Arizona)
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The event featured an exhibit for the Terahertz Intensity Mapper, or TIM, a NASA-funded balloon mission designed to create a giant map of galaxies from over 5 billion years of cosmic history. (Chris Richards/University of Arizona)
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Elizabeth "Betsy" Cantwell, UArizona senior vice president for research and innovation, delivers remarks during the event on Monday. (Chris Richards/University of Arizona)
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Event attendees check out the exhibit featuring the far-infrared telescope for GUSTO, or Galactic/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory. The NASA-funded mission will carry the telescope to study the lifecycle of stars in the interstellar medium. (Chris Richards/University of Arizona)
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From left: Dan Marrone, professor in the Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory; Jeff Kingsley, associate director for Steward Observatory; University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins; Carol Stewart, vice president for Tech Parks Arizona; Elizabeth "Betsy" Cantwell, UArizona senior vice president for research and innovation; and Kevin Illige, project manager for Concord General Contracting. (Chris Richards/University of Arizona)
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The lab also includes a mural, "Seeds of Wonder," by Jessica Gonzales, a School of Art alumna. The painting exemplifies humanity's yearning to look to the skies for inspiration and is about harnessing passions and following dreams. (Chris Richards/University of Arizona)
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The University of Arizona on Monday celebrated the opening of the Mission Integration Lab, a new research building in the UA Tech Park at The Bridges that will accommodate testing and preparation for balloon-borne astronomy missions.
Balloon-borne astronomy fills an important niche between ground-based observatories and space telescopes, allowing for the deployment of telescopes and other instruments to altitudes where they experience less interference from Earth's atmosphere. Modern balloon-borne observatories offer space-like views of the universe at a fraction of the time and cost of a full space mission.
The Mission Integration Lab provides a tall, hangar-like space, known as a "high bay," which allows researchers to prepare and test balloon payloads and other space payloads before their flights.
The Monday event featured remarks from University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins; Elizabeth "Betsy" Cantwell, UArizona senior vice president for research and innovation; and Carol Stewart, vice president for Tech Parks Arizona.
Equipment was on display from two balloon-borne missions:
- The Terahertz Intensity Mapper, a NASA-funded balloon mission designed to create a giant map of galaxies from over 5 billion years of cosmic history. The mission relies on an imaging spectrometer capable of detecting extremely faint galaxies in the "cosmic afternoon," the time when star formation in the universe was slowing down from its peak 10 billion years ago.
- GUSTO, short for Galactic/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory, a NASA-funded mission to carry an infrared telescope to study the lifecycle of stars in the interstellar medium.
The lab also includes a mural, "Seeds of Wonder," which the university commissioned from Jessica Gonzales, a School of Art alumna. Gonzales painted the mural on canvas in March in Austin, Texas, for the UArizona Wonder House, an interactive set of displays the university brought to the South by Southwest festival.
The painting exemplifies humanity's yearning to look to the skies for inspiration and is about harnessing passions and following dreams. The color palette represents Arizona sunsets and celebrates the beauty of the desert as well as its stargazing friendly night skies.