9 research outputs found
FIREBall-2: advancing TRL while doing proof-of-concept astrophysics on a suborbital platform
Here we discuss advances in UV technology over the last decade, with an
emphasis on photon counting, low noise, high efficiency detectors in
sub-orbital programs. We focus on the use of innovative UV detectors in a NASA
astrophysics balloon telescope, FIREBall-2, which successfully flew in the Fall
of 2018. The FIREBall-2 telescope is designed to make observations of distant
galaxies to understand more about how they evolve by looking for diffuse
hydrogen in the galactic halo. The payload utilizes a 1.0-meter class telescope
with an ultraviolet multi-object spectrograph and is a joint collaboration
between Caltech, JPL, LAM, CNES, Columbia, the University of Arizona, and NASA.
The improved detector technology that was tested on FIREBall-2 can be applied
to any UV mission. We discuss the results of the flight and detector
performance. We will also discuss the utility of sub-orbital platforms (both
balloon payloads and rockets) for testing new technologies and proof-of-concept
scientific ideasComment: Submitted to the Proceedings of SPIE, Defense + Commercial Sensing
(SI19
FIREBall-2: The Faint Intergalactic Medium Redshifted Emission Balloon Telescope
The Faint Intergalactic Medium Redshifted Emission Balloon (FIREBall) is a
mission designed to observe faint emission from the circumgalactic medium of
moderate redshift (z~0.7) galaxies for the first time. FIREBall observes a
component of galaxies that plays a key role in how galaxies form and evolve,
likely contains a significant amount of baryons, and has only recently been
observed at higher redshifts in the visible. Here we report on the 2018 flight
of the FIREBall-2 Balloon telescope, which occurred on September 22nd, 2018
from Fort Sumner, New Mexico. The flight was the culmination of a complete
redesign of the spectrograph from the original FIREBall fiber-fed IFU to a
wide-field multi-object spectrograph. The flight was terminated early due to a
hole in the balloon, and our original science objectives were not achieved. The
overall sensitivity of the instrument and telescope was 90,000 LU, due
primarily to increased noise from stray light. We discuss the design of the
FIREBall-2 spectrograph, modifications from the original FIREBall payload, and
provide an overview of the performance of all systems. We were able to
successfully flight test a new pointing control system, a UV-optimized,
delta-doped and coated EMCCD, and an aspheric grating. The FIREBall-2 team is
rebuilding the payload for another flight attempt in the Fall of 2021, delayed
from 2020 due to COVID-19.Comment: 23 Pages, 14 Figures, Accepted for Publication in Ap
FIREBall-2: advancing TRL while doing proof-of-concept astrophysics on a suborbital platform
Here we discuss advances in UV technology over the last decade, with an emphasis on photon counting, low noise, high efficiency detectors in sub-orbital programs. We focus on the use of innovative UV detectors in a NASA astrophysics balloon telescope, FIREBall-2, which successfully flew in the Fall of 2018. The FIREBall-2 telescope is designed to make observations of distant galaxies to understand more about how they evolve by looking for diffuse hydrogen in the galactic halo. The payload utilizes a 1.0-meter class telescope with an ultraviolet multi-object spectrograph and is a joint collaboration between Caltech, JPL, LAM, CNES, Columbia, the University of Arizona, and NASA. The improved detector technology that was tested on FIREBall-2 can be applied to any UV mission. We discuss the results of the flight and detector performance. We will also discuss the utility of sub-orbital platforms (both balloon payloads and rockets) for testing new technologies and proof-of-concept scientific ideas.APRA program; CNESCentre National D'etudes Spatiales; CNRSCentre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); Nancy Grace Roman Fellowship; NSF AAPFNational Science Foundation (NSF)NSF - Directorate for Mathematical & Physical Sciences (MPS); CaltechThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]
Planning cancer control in Latin America and the Caribbean
Non-communicable diseases, including cancer, are overtaking infectious disease as the leading health-care threat in middle-income and low-income countries. Latin American and Caribbean countries are struggling to respond to increasing morbidity and death from advanced disease. Health ministries and health-care systems in these countries face many challenges caring for patients with advanced cancer: inadequate funding; inequitable distribution of resources and services; inadequate numbers, training, and distribution of health-care personnel and equipment; lack of adequate care for many populations based on socioeconomic, geographic, ethnic, and other factors; and current systems geared toward the needs of wealthy, urban minorities at a cost to the entire population. This burgeoning cancer problem threatens to cause widespread suffering and economic peril to the countries of Latin America. Prompt and deliberate actions must be taken to avoid this scenario. Increasing efforts towards prevention of cancer and avoidance of advanced, stage IV disease will reduce suffering and mortality and will make overall cancer care more affordable. We hope the findings of our Commission and our recommendations will inspire Latin American stakeholders to redouble their efforts to address this increasing cancer burden and to prevent it from worsening and threatening their societies.SCOPUS: re.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe