2002 SPACE SCIENCE VIDEOTAPES |
| |
Tape Title | Record ID | Date Produced | TRT: |
Synopsis |
| "COOL" CRYOCOOLER REANIMATES NASA'S NEAR-INFRARED CAMERA AND MULTI-OBJECT SPECTROMETER
| G02-038 | 6/5/02 | 00:10:18 | Scientists at NASA are releasing the first astronomical images taken with Hubble's Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) since 1998. NICMOS uses infrared vision to probe dark, dusty, difficult-to-see regions of space with the optical clarity that only Hubble can provide. NICMOS is operational again thanks to a revolutionary innovative cooling system installed during the recent Hubble servicing mission. This super-quiet cooler, called a cryocooler, uses ultra-high speed micro-turbines designed to spin at about 7,000 revolutions per second. NICMOS was placed on Hubble in 1997, but became inactive 2 years later after its block of solid nitrogen evaporated. The cryocooler has restored the detectors to their operating temperature of -334 degrees F.
|
TAPE CONTENTS: |
| ITEM (1): Early Release Observations: Near-Infrared Camera/Multi-Object Spectrometer Image of The Cone Nebula (G02-038) - The Hubble Space Telescope's Near-Infrared Camera/Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS), revived as a result of the recent servicing mission, snapped this image of the Cone Nebula. Sequence starts with a ground-based view, zooms and dissolves to Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) view, and ends with the view from the newly-restored NICMOS camera.
Courtesy: NASA/STScI
|
| ITEM (2): Early Release Observations: Near-Infrared Camera/Multi-Object Spectrometer Image of NGC 4013 (G02-038) - The Hubble Space Telescope's Near-Infrared Camera/Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS), revived as a result of the recent servicing mission, snapped this image of the edge-on galaxy NGC 4013. Sequence starts with Hubble's Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 view, zooms and dissolves to Hubble's composite view from the newly restored NICMOS camera, and dissolves to the NICMOS view, showing the light emitted primarily by hydrogen gas at the center of the galaxy.
Courtesy: NASA/STScI
|
| ITEM (3): NICMOS Installation During SM3B Mission (G02-038) - On Friday, March 8, 2002, Shuttle astronauts John Grunsfeld and Richard Linnehan installed a new, experimental cooling system that revived NICMOS, an infrared-sensitive camera originally placed on the telescope in February 1997. For a period of nearly two years extending into early-1999, NICMOS obtained data on the birth and death of stars, the formation of dusty disks around stars from which planets eventually form, and the properties of extremely distant galaxies near the edge of the observable universe.
Courtesy: NASA
|
| ITEM (4): The Cryocooler a Refrigerator in Space (G02-001) - The NICMOS Cooling System uses a mechanical cooler run off of electrical power to pump extremely cold neon gas through the NICMOS instrument. Comparison of the new "cryocooler" to the original solid ice cooling method for NICMOS is essentially the same as the comparison of a modern refrigerator to the icebox of one hundred years ago. The Cryocooler has two main pieces---the cooler itself which was installed and plugged into NICMOS inside Hubble, and a radiator that is strapped on the outside. Neon gas, shown in green, begins circulating between the cooler and the NICMOS drawing heat away from NICMOS. A second loop of neon, shown in blue, draws heat out of the first loop. Ammonia, shown in red, is the third loop, which draws heat out of the second loop and transfers the heat into the radiator, shown on the outside of Hubble.
Courtesy: NASA
|
| ITEM (5): Tiny Turbines (G02-001) - The cryocooler cooling system utilizes a tiny turbine that spins at an incredible 400,000 revolutions per minute. The new cooling system could extend the life of NICMOS for several years.
Courtesy: NASA
|
| ITEM (6): The New and Upgraded Space Telescope (G02-001) - The Hubble Space Telescope was designed to be modular so it could be recovered in space, upgraded with new scientific instruments and improved spacecraft systems, have maintenance performed, and then released. Hubble got a brand new look with its new and third set of solar wings. One-third less solar cell area than the first two pairs, they produce 20% more power. Radiation and space debris take their toll on sensitive solar cells, but the new set should ensure uninterrupted service for the remainder of the mission. Until they were replaced, four large flexible panels, provided by the European Space Agency, had supplied power to the observatory for over 8 years.
Courtesy: NASA
|
| ITEM (7): B-Roll of NICMOS at Ball Aerospace Cleanroom (G98-013)
Courtesy: NASA/Ball Aerospace
|
Space Science Gallery