Ngst

Discussion in 'Astronomy, Exobiology, & Cosmology' started by wet1, Oct 11, 2001.

  1. wet1 Wanderer Registered Senior Member

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    From Space.com

    Super Space Observatory Proposals Unveiled

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    That's the promise of NASA's Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST), targeted for launch in 2009. The high-tech space observatory -- geared to observe the first stars and galaxies formed in the Universe -- has moved one step closer to reality.

    Industry teams submitted their proposals October 10, each hoping to snag a major contract to build the NGST. A team led by Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company in Sunnyvale, California and a TRW/Ball Aerospace confab of contractors are vying for the stellar prize.
    The NGST is a NASA-led project, encompassing an international team comprising government, the European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency, industry and academia.
    The flagship project is a key part of NASA's Origins Program, a multi-pronged effort to follow the chain of events that began with the birth of the Universe at the Big Bang.
    Cool technologies
    For NGST's part, the space-based instrument will observe in the far visible to the mid-infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Use of cool technologies takes on added meaning for NGST. It will be equipped with super-cooled and extremely sensitive infrared detectors.
    Infrared imaging and spectroscopy of astronomical targets are NGST's prime duties, with the observatory able to see farther back in time than any telescope now operating. Objects 400 times fainter than those currently studied with large ground-based infrared telescopes or the current generation of space-based infrared telescope will be observable.

    When boosted into space, NGST's final resting place three months later is to be 940,000 miles (1.5 million kilometers) from Earth, at the L2 Lagrange Point.
    Weighing in at about 12,000 pounds (5,400 kilograms), NGST's primary light-gathering mirror is more than 20 feet (6 meters) in diameter. A decision was made late last year to shrink down the telescope's aperture from 26 feet (8 meters). That "cost shaving" decision should help the project keep schedule and save some bucks.
    Construction costs for NGST are projected to be roughly in the $500 million range. That is less than one-quarter the cost of the Hubble Space Telescope. Making use of advanced technology, coupled with improved management techniques, is touted as the reason for the anticipated cost savings.
    Ground testing
    Volumes of documents about use of innovative technology, ways to reduce technical risks and management approaches were submitted to the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, the NASA center managing the project.
    "Our fundamental objective in this proposal has been to define an overall NGST architecture that exhibits sufficient performance, cost and schedule credibility to justify proceeding with the formulation and implementation effort," said Jeff Harris, president, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Missiles & Space Operations.
    Maturing the technologies required for NGST, thereby keeping the program on schedule and on budget, is a major challenge, said Bob LeRoy, program director for NGST at Lockheed Martin's operations in Greenbelt, Maryland.
    "Being able to simulate various NGST capabilities on the ground is where the emphasis has been, both in design of the telescope and in the test program," LeRoy told SPACE.com. To make NGST successful, technology demonstrations, test bed evaluations, and building prototype hardware is necessary, he said.
    The Lockheed Martin team has submitted their NGST design that includes a lightweight 6-meter-class deployable mirror.
    Origami - an unfolding saga
    The design approach taken by the TRW/Ball Aerospace-led team involves a multi-segmented mirror.
    Mirror segments would be tucked in for launch like a giant origami - the Japanese art of folding paper into intricate designs. Once in space, the segments unfold to create NGST's large primary mirror.
    "The NGST project offers the TRW-led team an opportunity to do what it does best - design, build, deploy and manage a high reliability, high precision, deployed-element space telescope for NASA and the science community" said Dave Shuckstes, TRW's NGST program manager.
    "We're looking forward to extending the legacy of collaboration, technical innovation and mission success that characterizes every one of NASA's Great Observatories we've delivered. A TRW-NASA partnership on NGST will provide the world science community with a marvelous asset for the future of astronomy," Shuckstes said.
    Engineering backlash
    The biggest challenges of NGST have not been technical, but rather programmatic, said Bernard Seery, NASA's NGST Project Manager at the Goddard Space Flight Center.
    "The partnering aspects of this thing are daunting, to say the least," Seery told SPACE.com.
    "The next toughest battle has been the fight to hold schedule. Ever since the Mars failures, I've noticed a rather severe backlash in the engineers' willingness to take on aggressive schedule challenges. While I believe much can be gained by adopting the best of what Better-Faster-Cheaper has to offer, I have found that this is no longer a popular notion with the troops," Seery said.
    Seery said that the NGST is now celebrating its 6th anniversary as a project.
    With proposals now in hand, "I really can begin to taste this thing called NGST. We're really going to do it! I just hope that all the various constituencies form up and start moving together as one team soon. That's the key to success," Seery said.
    Liftoff window
    With industry proposals in hand, NASA now has the NGST ball in its court.
    A decision about who builds the observatory is expected at year's end. Work on fabricating NGST should be underway by January 2002. Scheduled liftoff date of the super telescope is December 2008.
    Space agency officials, however, say the window for lofting NGST extends from December 2008 through June of 2009.
    The pace of NGST activities is picking up and the picking of a contractor milestone is exciting, said Peter Stockman, NGST Division Head at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland.
    In addition, the Space Telescope Science Institute and the Association of Universities for Research and Astronomy (AURA) are preparing a joint proposal to develop and run the science and operations center for NGST.
    "They are major milestones along the path for NGST becoming a reality - the First Light Machine," Stockman told SPACE.com. Both industry teams have the experience to make NGST successful, he said.
    "We are looking forward to working with NASA, the successful prime contractor…and the scientific and international partners that will be on the NGST team. From our perspective, each partner is bringing important talent and critical elements to the NGST development," Stockman said.

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