Overview

The Spitzer Space Telescope, formerly the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), has the ability to see through thick space dust, enabling the telescope to return unprecedented views of our universe, including a glowing stellar nursery and the swirls of a spiral galaxy.

Spitzer is forging new frontiers in space exploration. Since its launch, the observatory’s infrared sensors have uncovered a hidden universe teeming with embryonic stars, planet-forming disks, and previously unknown galaxies.

The telescope’s instruments were recalibrated in May 2009 to conduct science operations at warmer temperatures.  Spitzer’s cryogen was projected to last as little as two-and-a-half years, but its efficient design and careful operations enabled it to last more than five-and-a-half years.

Our Role

Ball Aerospace’s collective knowledge, skills, talent, experience and proven track record underlie this bold venture into deep space exploration. Ball Aerospace developed the Cryogenic Telescope Assembly (CTA) and two of the three science instruments: the Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) designed to provide the telescope with low and moderate spectral-resolution spectroscopic capabilities; and the Multiband Imaging Photometer (MIPS), a far-infrared instrument designed to provide imaging photometry and scan mapping. The detectors used in these instruments are up to 1,000 times more sensitive than any deployed on previous infrared-centered missions.

Image courtesy of NASA.

Spitzer provides images and spectra from the infrared energy or heat radiated from celestial objects. Astronomers are using Spitzer to explore the near- and far-infrared universe.  Spitzer data is complementary to data collected by the Hubble Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Among other subjects, Spitzer is exploring distant celestial objects, such as young galaxies, quasars, brown dwarfs, and supernovas and planets of nearby stars. It can also observe planets, asteroids, and dust within our solar system.

The SST employs cryogenic technology that Ball Aerospace pioneered with its Infrared Astronomical Satellite, as well as a new lightweight beryllium telescope.

The Ball Aerospace-built CTA is the “eyes” of Sptizer. Its lightweight beryllium telescope and innovative passive thermal control system can detect the faint infrared light produced by cosmic objects. The unique cooling system aboard the CTA allowed a “warm” launch, which was a historical first in space flight and a 2004 winner of the 47th annual Aerospace Laurels competition in the “Space” category by Aviation Week & Space Technology.

Once in space, the telescope was cooled to its operating temperature of five degrees above absolute zero (about 450 degrees below zero, Fahrenheit). The warm launch technique greatly reduced the amount of liquid helium coolant needed for a mission between two and one-half years to five years in duration.

Image courtesy of NASA.

A part of NASA’s Origins program, Spitzer is the final member of NASA’s family of Great Observatories, which collectively study a wide variety of astronomical phenomena.

One member of the family, the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, was decommissioned by NASA in 2000, after a successful nine-year mission of providing data on high-energy gamma rays.

The SST mission is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.