NASA to Launch UMass Lowell Research Mission Nov. 16

11/13/2015

Media contacts:  
UMass Lowell – Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu
Northrop Grumman Corp. – AnnaMaria White, 310-813-6356, AnnaMaria.White@ngc.com

LOWELL, Mass. – A NASA rocket carrying technology developed by UMass Lowell will blast off Monday, Nov. 16 to explore parts of the universe that are normally hidden from view.

The rocket is equipped with a telescope and optical-imaging system designed by UMass Lowell to block direct light from stars so that objects close to them – such as planets, asteroids and interplanetary dust – can be identified, photographed and studied. Known as Planet Imaging Coronagraphic Technology Using a Reconfigurable Experimental Base (PICTURE-B), the apparatus was developed at UMass Lowell with a $1.4 million grant from NASA and includes equipment provided by Northrop Grumman Corp.

PICTURE-B will launch aboard a Black Brant IX – an 18-foot-long, two-stage rocket capable of carrying up to 1,200 pounds of scientific equipment. Dependent on the weather, lift off will be at 2:30 a.m. EST (12:30 a.m. MST) from the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The rocket is headed to the edge of the atmosphere, where PICTURE-B will block the light from the star Epsilon Eridani in order to capture images of the objects in space that surround it.

The third-closet star to Earth visible to the unaided eye, Epsilon Eridani is approximately one billion years old, smaller than the sun and 10.5 light years away. Scientists believe the star is harboring planets, asteroid belts and a disk of planetary dust that remain largely unseen because of the star’s glare.

After collecting data, PICTURE-B will fall back to Earth, deploying a parachute that will slow its descent and allow it to land at White Sands. The mission is advancing the design of space telescopes capable of imaging planets beyond the solar system with the hope of one day discovering Earth-like planets capable of supporting life.

“PICTURE-B seeks to train and inspire the next generation of scientists and researchers, develop new technologies and techniques for use in space exploration and gather data that will help us better understand the universe,” said UMass Lowell Physics Prof. Supriya Chakrabarti, director of the university’s Lowell Center for Space Science and Technology.

NASA awarded Chakrabarti $1.4 million to develop the project, which is providing UMass Lowell science and engineering students with hands-on experience in all of its phases.

UMass Lowell’s PICTURE-B team includes Newton resident Timothy Cook, an assistant professor of physics who is leading the research with Chakrabarti, of Weston, and Glenn Howe, a doctoral candidate in physics from Malden. Working with them is Ewan Douglas, a researcher from Boston University. Along with Northrop Grumman, the project’s collaborators include NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

Critical to the success of mission is a primary mirror coupled to the telescope on PICTURE-B that will aid in observing the debris surrounding Epsilon Eridani. The 22-inch-diameter mirror, which is made of silicon carbide, has proven its soundness for flight through extensive analysis and environmental testing. Engineered and built by AOA Xinetics, a Northrop Grumman company, it was donated to UMass Lowell to support this important research.

“AOA Xinetics is honored to work with Dr. Chakrabarti and his team on the PICTURE-B mission and proud to support the efforts to identify Earth-like planets,” said Michael Sheedy, business area manager of AOA Xinetics. “Our silicon carbide mirrors are a new generation of high-performance, lightweight mirrors for astrophysics.”

“This is an extremely exciting project and we are very pleased to have worked with AOA Xinetics to help make this mission a success,” Chakrabarti said. “We are grateful to our partners at NASA and Northrop Grumman for providing the resources and support essential to accomplish our goals.”

The UMass Lowell team is already working on a follow-up mission, known as PICTURE-C. The five-year project, which is supported by NASA with a $5.6 million grant, seeks to capture more intricate images of Epsilon Eridani and other nearby stars. Plans call for the PICTURE-C apparatus to launch on two separate flights in the fall of 2017 and 2019 from the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Fort Sumner, N.M.

UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its 17,500 students bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be ready for work, for life and for all the world offers. www.uml.edu