UNews - European Space Agency

Making the case for space exploration

trevor.kenney — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 19:07:15 +0000

A more effective way to give skin grafts to burned children. Advanced materials for producing safer and more robust airplanes and cars. A computer-assisted device for performing neurosurgery that is guided by real-time MRI brain scans. The potential to meet humankind’s growing energy needs through the safe production of nuclear power.

Dr. David Naylor says that probing the mysteries of the universe ultimately leads to countless direct and indirect benefits for society.

These are just a few examples of the many current and emerging innovations that have been made possible by space exploration, says ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge astrophysicist Dr. David Naylor.

Naylor is a physics and astronomy professor at the U of L and a Board of Governors Research Chair. He is also the director of the Space Astronomy Division of the Institute for Space Imaging Science, a collaborative initiative between the U of L, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary and Athabasca ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. Over the last two decades, Naylor has led Canada’s involvement in the Herschel/SPIRE and SPICA/Safari space missions; previously, he worked at the European Space Agency on the ISO/LWS mission.

“With space exploration missions costing upwards of $10 billion, I’m often asked, ‘Why invest in space exploration when there are so many problems here on Earth?’”

As Naylor discussed as part of the U of L’s PUBlic Professor Series, probing the mysteries of the universe ultimately leads to countless direct and indirect benefits for society.

“There are literally tens of thousands of useful developments and inventions that have come out of space programs,” says Naylor. “Money that is spent on space research goes largely toward the salaries of talented individuals who make such things as rocket engines, life support systems, diagnostic instrumentation, electronics and communications systems. Out of their work come a whole variety of new technologies. When we do basic research in this area, industry can run with it in so many different directions."

The direction of Naylor’s own career in space research was determined more than 30 years ago when, after finishing his PhD in Physics at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary, he completed a research fellowship at a European Space Agency centre in the Netherlands. The experience resonated with his deep interest in the workings of the world, both on Earth and in the stars above us.

Since joining the U of L in 1981, he has established an internationally recognized research program in the area of experimental astrophysics. He has also actively recruited over 300 students to his laboratory, seven of whom who have gone on to become professors in their own right, three of whom hold research Chairs.

Among his most current projects is cryogenic testing of equipment destined for space to ensure it works at very low temperatures. The research will be performed in a new first-of-its-kind facility in Canada that just received $150,000 in funding from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation. Cooling scientific instruments to extremely low temperatures is essential to realize the sensitivity limits of today’s state-of-the-art detectors. In turn, these instruments will allow astronomers to probe the farthest reaches of the universe, and answer fundamental questions such as how the first stars and galaxies formed.

As Naylor notes, many innovations have come about as a result of space research. This area of science has led to advancements in everything from laser eye surgery, to artificial limbs, to breast cancer detection, to water purification, to firefighting equipment.

A less tangible but also important benefit of space research, Naylor says, is the stronger respect gained for the Earth’s status as the universe’s only life-sustaining sphere, which he says can encourage us to more peacefully co-exist with each other and better protect the planet. As well, he says the insights gained from investigating outer space satisfy what he sees as a universal and unstoppable human instinct to better understand our world and our place within it.

“We are different from other animals, we have always had the exploration gene. Ever since people left the African savannah and spread into Europe, they have gone into every corner of the globe,” he says. “This exploration is something that’s a part of who we are...It helps us answer the bigger questions about how the universe and life began, how the world was created and whether we are alone.”

Naylor honoured for work on Herschel

trevor.kenney — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 21:36:00 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Dr. David Naylor will receive a Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) award for outstanding contribution to astronomy as part of the Herschel-SPIRE Consortium.

Dr. David Naylor was the Canadian lead on the eight-nation team that comprised the Herschel-SPIRE Consortium.

Naylor (physics and astronomy), the Canadian lead on the Herschel-SPIRE Consortium, and his group are being honoured with the Group Achievement Award for achievement by a large consortium in astronomy. The RAS medals and awards for 2014 were announced Jan. 10, 2014 and will be presented at the 2014 National Astronomy Meeting to be held in Portsmouth, England in June 2014.

“Through his work with the SPIRE consortium, Dr. Naylor has played a leadership role on an initiative that will have a lasting impact for decades,” says ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Vice-President (Research) Dr. Dan Weeks. “This recognition is well-deserved and is yet another example of the world leading research that happens at the U of L.”

The award represents recognition by the astronomical community of the outstanding success of the SPIRE instrument, which observed the universe at far infrared wavelengths, a few hundred times longer than the wavelengths of visible light. The international team was responsible for the design, construction and delivery of the instrument as part of the instrument suite for the European Space Agency’s Herschel Space Observatory.

SPIRE was co-developed by Naylor and a team of researchers who led Canada’s contribution to the Herschel project on behalf of the Canadian Space Agency.

“We’re delighted to receive see this award from the Royal Astronomical Society. Astronomy is a science driven by advances in technology. Nowhere is this more true than in the technically challenging wavelength range observed by Herschel,” says Naylor. “Having spent well over a decade working on the SPIRE instrument it felt like a member of our family when it was launched, and it is fair to say that it has exceeded all expectations. Some would argue that it is one of the most successful space astronomy projects of all time.”

The Herschel satellite was launched in 2009 and operated very successfully for four years. By virtue of its unparalleled sensitivity and unique capabilities, the results obtained using SPIRE have been felt across a broad swath of astrophysics and in particular in detailed studies of star formation in the local universe and extending out to very distant objects.

“SPIRE has been a truly international endeavour, with 18 institutes in eight countries participating, and countless talented people with wide ranging expertise contributing to building and operating the instrument,” says Professor Matt Griffin, from Cardiff ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, who led the international SPIRE team. “This Group Achievement award for is a fitting tribute to the success of their efforts.”

The Royal Astronomical Society, founded in 1820, encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science. Its more than 3,500 members include scientific researchers in universities, observatories and laboratories, as well as historians of astronomy and others.

Herschel mission coming to close

trevor.kenney — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 16:22:44 +0000

A pioneering space imaging mission that sent a U of L Physics research device on a 1.5 million kilometre trip into deep space aboard the Herschel Space Observatory might be nearing its conclusion, but that doesn't mean the end of the project for the research team.

Dr. David Naylor (Physics and Astronomy) and his team of researchers lead one of Canada's contributions to the European Space Agency (ESA) Herschel mission on behalf of the Canadian Space Agency. The instrument, called the Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver ("SPIRE"), is one of three scientific instruments attached to the Herschel telescope system.

The helium-filled 'gas tank' cooling Herschel's equipment is expected to run dry over the next few weeks – a planned process. As the coolant diminishes, equipment will stop working but data transmissions will continue until the school bus-sized telescope parks itself in a permanent orbit around the sun.

The mission, launched into space on May 14, 2009 from the Ariane Spaceport in French Guiana, very quickly began to shed new light on stars and galaxies by measuring a level of light called far-infrared. Infrared light is invisible to the human eye, but travels well across the universe.

Star-forming regions emit light at these wavelengths and Herschel can detect it, capturing a wealth of detail such as heat signatures and chemical composition that help astronomers clearly see, for the first time, stars and whole galaxies that have previously remained hidden or only poorly understood.

"SPIRE picks up heat and chemical signals that are not visible by optical telescopes, and turns that data into the amazing images and information we and other scientists are using to learn more about the life and death of stars and galaxies," Naylor said.

In addition to literally 'clearing up' the images people have been using for two centuries to look into space, Naylor said the Herschel mission is confirming the existence of molecules on earth that originated in space.

"With SPIRE we can look at the big picture, or the very tiny picture, and gain a whole new insight into how stars live and die. The reason the imagery is so clear is that the space observatory sits more than 1.5 million km from earth, far from our atmosphere and other types of optical distractions that interfere with gaining good data which can be turned into images."

To view some of the images brought back to earth from Herschel, please visit this European Space Agency website.

The precious data and crisp images come from a device about as big as a large microwave oven that took more than 15 years and $100 million to develop – and has to function at a chilly –270C.

"Approximately one-third of the time available to researchers is guaranteed to those involved in key projects, and our time is included in that. We see the data here in Lethbridge before anyone else does. Scientists are seeking our help in analyzing their data and the U of L group is an important Canadian and international resource."

With an estimated output of up to 7,000 hours per year of data, there should be enough information to keep researchers busy for years – and some of that data flows through Blue Sky Spectroscopy, a Lethbridge-based, high tech spinoff company founded by Naylor in 2003, and now privately owned and operated.

Blue Sky is one of the three international Data Processing and Science Analysis Software centres for the SPIRE instrument. Data are downloaded daily from the spacecraft and stored on the Blue Sky servers.

The Blue Sky team is planning to continue to improve data processing software and calibration of the SPIRE instrument through the three years of the post-operational phase, starting once Herschel has run out of Helium.

Its highly qualified staff, all with postgraduate degrees, specialize in custom hardware and software spectroscopic solutions. Customers include NASA, ESA, and CSA, and many leading research institutes such as Harvard, Berkeley, Chicago, Max Planck and Cardiff to name a few.

What's next?

According to Naylor, more research that refines his current SPIRE device to make it suitable for yet another space mission which is currently under review by the Japanese, European and Canadian Space Agencies. The project – SPICA, which stands for Space Infrared Telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics – is a next-generation version of the SPIRE device, and would perform a similar function on a space telescope planned to launch in 2022.

In Alberta, a recent and significant collaboration has also been launched with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary, where the U of L and the U of C and Athabasca ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ have formed the Institute for Space Imaging Science (ISIS) to work together on projects that take space research further than Herschel technology, whether on the ground or in the atmosphere.

"By nature, physics researchers don't get too excited, but to see these images and know that we're looking at them in a whole new way, and further that we'll be able to share this information with the public so they can learn about the origins of the universe, is truly exciting," Naylor said.

He estimates that more than 200 papers have already been produced using data from the Herschel mission, and approximately half of those have some type of Canadian connection.

Naylor, U of L researchers contribute to latest space find

trevor.kenney — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:47:44 +0000

Compelling new images from the Herschel Space Telescope – parked more than 1.5 million kilometres from earth and facing into deep space – are showing researchers what the formation of our solar system must have looked like at its early stages: a violent, comet-laden disk of debris where thousands of 1 km wide chunks of ice collide and spin around a young star.

The images are made possible in part by technology created by ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers and designed and built by an international consortium of space agencies, universities and research institutes.

It would be a great 273rd birthday gift for Sir William Herschel, a legendary astronomer and researcher, and the telescope's namesake.

"One of the leading questions in astronomy is 'how do planets form around stars?'," says Dr. David Naylor, a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Physics and Astronomy researcher, and designer of SPIRE ((S)pectral and (P)hotometric (I)maging (RE)ceiver), a device that gathers infrared images and converts them into tangible data that defines what far-off stars and solar systems are made of.

The European Space Agency's images, which were just released yesterday (Herschel's birthday) show spectacular images of the debris disk surrounding a nearby star, called Fomalhaut.

"The disk surrounding it is actually a very large and violent place, where we have counted more than 2000 comets more than 1 km wide crashing into each other – every day," adds Naylor. "The key idea is that, as the result of those crashes, the larger pieces form into an orbit over time. We can now see this all more clearly because Herschel gives us the best view yet of how our own solar system might have formed."

Fomalhaut is a young star, just a few hundred million years old, and twice as massive as the Sun. Its dust belt was discovered in the 1980s but Herschel's new images show it in much more detail than ever before.

The images can be viewed at this website.

Naylor, who also serves as the Space Astronomy Director of the Institute for Space Imaging Science (a partnership between the U of L, Athabasca ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary) added that, while the debris disks have been well-known to exist and have been measured to some extent by past explorations, the level of detail of these large icy bodies can only be observed at the far infrared wavelengths detected by Herschel.

"In our solar system, apart from the well-known planets, moons and asteroids, there are many smaller small icy bodies that exist beyond the orbit of Neptune in what is known as the Kuiper belt. These icy bodies are thought to give rise to short period comets and to represent the physical conditions of the primordial solar nebula that existed before our sun was born," he says.

Naylor is the Canadian Principal Investigator of Herschel SPIRE and co-developer of the SPIRE instrument. His team was responsible for evaluating the performance of the instrument prior to launch and in orbit.

Herschel Space Observatory research to keep Naylor busy for years

trevor.kenney — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:56:42 +0000

When you talk to Dr. David Naylor (Institute for Space Imaging Science, Department of Physics and Astronomy), it is easy to get excited about his research, space exploration and the thought of imaging the unknown stars and galaxies that SPIRE, an instrumental concept he has been working on for 30 years will help to discover as it sits, 1.5 million km from Earth, bolted securely to the recently-launched Herschel Space Telescope.

The European Space Agency (ESA) Herschel mission, launched successfully from French Guiana on May 14, 2009 seeks to observe stars and galaxies at long-wavelengths (far-infrared).

Dr. David Naylor.

These wavelengths are able to penetrate interstellar dust, but are difficult to observe from Earth because the far infrared signals can't penetrate the Earth's atmosphere.

As the lead Canadian researcher for the Canadian Space Agency's contribution to the Herschel project – an international project involving eight nations -- Naylor has played a key role in the big science of space imagery by designing a device that has to function at a chilly -270C, collects infrared data from the far end of the light spectrum, and turns it into valuable information about the creation of stars and galaxies.
Naylor's instrument, called the Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver ("SPIRE"), is one of three devices attached to the Herschel telescope system. SPIRE picks up heat signals that are not visible by optical telescopes, and will help to answer the age-old question astronomers have been asking for centuries: "What's out there?"

However, even with all his curiosity about what, in fact, might be 'out there,' it's hard to believe that Naylor can maintain that level of excitement for a project that that has faced financial and administrative hurdles, taken more than 15 years, many long days, about 100 students (in Lethbridge/Canada) and other researchers across the world to help develop.

And then there's the cost: approximately $100M to fit all that research into a box about as big as a toaster oven.

He's excited because it works. Finally.

"The mission control operators started the telescope up in stages," Naylor said. "Our instrument was the first brought on-line for performance verification. That means more than 250 tests to put it through its paces. And it is working flawlessly. The last time we had our hands on it was more than two years ago when SPIRE was sent from the UK for final testing and installation at ESA, so that was good news. To process the data to make it operate there are almost 2 billion lines of code involved, so to see a successful operation from this first test was a huge relief."

The next step, which also passed without a hitch, was to pop open the hatch -- officially called a 'cryocover', or the equivalent of a camera lens cap -- and reveal the giant 3.5m telescope mirror to the outer reaches of space.

But does Herschel do what it is supposed to do? The answer, of course, is yes – and much quicker and with more accuracy than any telescope launched to date. "Initial images reveal a level of detail never before seen from the ground or from space through the Hubble telescope, which sits only 400km from Earth," Naylor said.

"This isn't even the telescope operating at full capacity. These are initial 'test' images – like driving a racecar very slowly around the track… you know it works and is quite impressive, but wait until the driver opens the throttle!

"I am particularly proud of the first image that was released by the European Space Agency of a galaxy called the Whirlpool Galaxy. Prof. Christine Wilson, a research colleague from McMaster ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, is leading this study of nearby galaxies. Wilson is one of five scientists who have access to the guaranteed observing time awarded to Canada in recognition of its contributions to the mission, contributions that are led from the U of L."

On July 10, the European Space Agency released even more images which clearly show the additional clarity the Observatory brings to knowledge about galaxies and star formations (See the "First Light" images, at this website: http://www.uleth.ca/notice/display.html?b=13&s=12367)

Also, gratifying -- and possibly a bit overwhelming -- are the unique research collaborations that Naylor sees happening in the future, as data from the Herschel mission starts to flow.

"Approximately one-third of the time available to researchers is guaranteed to those involved in key projects, and our time is included in that. We see the data here in Lethbridge before anyone else does," Naylor said.

"This means we will be in the best position to extract the most information from the astronomical data. Scientists will be seeking our help in analyzing their data and the U of L group will be an important Canadian and international resource."

With an estimated output of up to 7,000 hours per year of data, there should be enough information to keep researchers collaborating on current – and future -- projects busy for years.

To that end, Naylor is involved in several projects with physics and astronomy researchers across the country with diverse organizations such as the Canadian Space Agency, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies and a host of partner universities.

Worldwide, his research partners include Rutherford Appleton Labs in Oxford (UK) and other research institutions in Europe.

In Alberta, a recent and significant collaboration has been launched with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary, where the U of L and the U of C have formed the Institute for Space Imaging Science (ISIS) to work together on projects that take space research further than Herschel technology, whether on the ground or in the atmosphere.

As well, Blue Sky Spectroscopy, a local high tech spin off company founded by Naylor in 2003, and now privately owned and operated, is rapidly developing a name for itself.

Its highly qualified staff, all with postgraduate degrees, specialize in custom hardware and software spectroscopic solutions. Customers include NASA, ESA, and CSA, and many leading research institutes such as Harvard, Berkeley, Chicago, Max Planck and Cardiff to name a few.

Moreover, Blue Sky is one of the three international Data Processing and Science Analysis Software centres for the SPIRE instrument. Data are downloaded daily from the spacecraft and stored on the Blue Sky's servers. While their research might be "blue sky," down to Earth the company has an active astronomy education and outreach program within the local community.

What's next?

According to Naylor, more research that refines his current SPIRE device to make it suitable for yet another space mission which is currently under review by the Japanese,European and Canadian Space Agencies.

"Because the SPIRE device is so versatile – and is now proven to work – we expect it will be in demand for future space astronomy missions such as SPICA – the SPace Infrared telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics."

Put on the coffee; it seems that more sleepless nights in the lab are on the horizon.

U of L joins U of C in creating ISIS

trevor.kenney — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 17:37:26 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary have joined forces to create a new institute to lead Canada in innovative space imaging technologies and their applications to advance our understanding of space.

A memorandum of understanding has been agreed by the two universities to start up the Institute for Space Imaging Science (ISIS).

"We have a very strong and productive history of space science in the province, both universities having been involved in major international space exploration missions. ISIS builds on this history by marrying the expertise and broad experience at each university," says Chris Nicol, Dean of Arts and Science at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. "In addition to the pure fundamental research, this program promotes a cross-university, cross-faculty and highly interdisciplinary approach to the wide-range of technology challenges and science opportunities presented by space imaging."

Russ Taylor, director of ISIS and the head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the U of C, adds the future of space imaging now resides in Alberta.

"This is a huge undertaking but a very worthwhile venture for the institutions and for the future of space science imaging in this province," says Taylor. "The province of Alberta is already a national leader in space sciences. The agreement builds on this strength to create a unique international centre for space imaging sciences, technology and innovation here in southern Alberta."

Space imaging science uses imaging technologies to understand space, from the near-Earth environment and space weather to the edge of the observable universe and the origins of cosmic structure. ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge professor Dr. David Naylor heads up the Astronomical Instrumentation Group (AIG) and under his leadership, the ISIS project became a reality.

Within ISIS, researchers seek answers to questions about the northern lights, the Earth's geomagnetic field that protects us from explosions on the Sun, space weather that affects global navigation systems, meteorites and potentially harmful near-Earth asteroids, the formation of stars and new planets, the nature of the Milky Way Galaxy that we live in, and the origin and evolution of the universe itself.

Engineers and technicians work with the scientists to develop new and improved ways to image space to provide the data that we need.

The Square Kilometre array(SKA) project, led by the U of C in collaboration with institutions overseas and in the U.S., will design and construct the largest radio telescope ever built which will be used to study naturally occurring radio emissions from stars, galaxies and the edge of the universe to a time before stars and galaxies.

The Astronomical Instrumentation group, headquartered out of the U of L, is leading the development of Canadian imaging technology at far infrared wavelengths, just beyond the range of light visible to humans. Its work contributes to many international projects and will be part of the European Space Agency's Herschel space launch, scheduled to take place in April.

The NESS (Near Earth Space Surveillance) project led by Alan Hildebrand, holder of the Canada Research Chair in Planetary Science in U of C's Department of Geoscience, will use the NEOSSat microsatellite to search the inner solar system for unknown asteroids. This innovative spacecraft is funded by the Canadian Space Agency and Defence Research and Development Canada and will be launched next year.

UNews - European Space Agency

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