In a quest to unravel the mysteries of how stellar explosions contribute to the formation of new star systems, a groundbreaking sounding rocket mission named INFUSE (Integral Field Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Experiment) is set to take off. Scheduled for launch on October 29, 2023, at 9:35 p.m. MDT from the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, INFUSE aims to shed light on the aftermath of a massive supernova event and its impact on the birth of galaxies, stars, and planets.
The focal point of INFUSE’s cosmic exploration is the Cygnus Loop, also known as the Veil Nebula, which resides just above the wing of the Cygnus constellation. This celestial spectacle is the remnant of a colossal star that once exceeded 20 times the size of our Sun.
Approximately 20,000 years ago, this celestial giant imploded under the crushing force of gravity, resulting in a cataclysmic supernova. Astonishingly, even from a distance of 2,600 light-years away, the burst of light from this event would have been luminous enough to be visible during the day on Earth.
Supernovae like the one that formed the Cygnus Loop have a profound influence on the formation of galaxies. These cosmic explosions disperse heavy metals forged in the core of stars into the surrounding clouds of dust and gas, laying the foundation for all elements in the universe heavier than iron. These elements, including those that constitute our bodies, come into existence as gases and dust from supernovae coalesce to form planets, stars, and entire star systems.
INFUSE Mission Explains Supernovae
Brian Fleming, a research professor at the University of Colorado Boulder and the principal investigator for the INFUSE mission, explains, “Supernovae like the one that created the Cygnus Loop have a huge impact on how galaxies form.”
What makes the Cygnus Loop particularly captivating is that it provides a rare glimpse of an ongoing supernova explosion. Currently spanning over 120 light-years, this colossal cloud is still expanding at a staggering rate of approximately 930,000 miles per hour (1.5 million kilometers per hour).
The images of the Cygnus Loop captured by our telescopes do not depict the actual supernova explosion but rather the aftermath. What we see is the dust and gas superheated by the shockwave, which radiates as it cools down.
INFUSE’s mission is to observe how the supernova releases energy into our Milky Way galaxy by capturing the light emitted as the shockwave collides with pockets of frigid gas drifting through the galaxy.
To capture this scorching edge of the shockwave, Fleming and his team have developed a specialized telescope capable of measuring far-ultraviolet light. This high-energy light is beyond the range of human vision and reveals gas temperatures ranging from 90,000 to 540,000 degrees Fahrenheit (50,000 to 300,000 degrees Celsius), still sizzling from the impact.
INFUSE is a groundbreaking integral field spectrograph, the first of its kind to be deployed in space. Unlike conventional telescopes that excel in creating images by displaying the source of light, spectroscopy divides light into its component wavelengths or spectrum, providing detailed information about the source’s composition, temperature, and movement. However, spectroscopy can only analyze a single narrow slice of light at a time, akin to looking through a keyhole.
The INFUSE instrument captures an image and then slices it into fragments, aligning them to create a giant “keyhole.” The spectrometer can then disperse each of these slices into its spectrum. This data can be reassembled into a 3D image, known as a “data cube,” allowing scientists to identify specific elements, their temperatures, and their locations along the shockwave.
Emily Witt, lead graduate student at CU Boulder, who spearheaded the assembly and testing of INFUSE and will lead the data analysis, expressed her excitement about the project. “With these first-of-their-kind measurements, we will better understand how these elements from the supernova mix with the environment around them. It’s a big step toward understanding how material from supernovae becomes part of planets like Earth and even people like us.”
To embark on its journey into space, the INFUSE payload will hitch a ride on a sounding rocket. These uncrewed rockets swiftly ascend into space, collecting data for a few minutes before descending back to Earth. The INFUSE payload is set to launch aboard a two-stage Black Brant 9 sounding rocket, targeting a peak altitude of approximately 150 miles (240 kilometers), where it will conduct its observations before returning to Earth via parachute for recovery. The team’s aspiration is to enhance the instrument and launch it once more, using components that have been repurposed from the DEUCE mission, which took flight in Australia in 2022.
The sounding rocket program is managed by NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility at Wallops Island, Virginia, overseen by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and conducted under NASA’s Heliophysics Division. The development of the INFUSE payload was supported by NASA’s Astrophysics Division, marking a significant milestone in the exploration of celestial phenomena and the origins of our universe.
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