CU Spectrograph to Explore Invisible Heart of Universe

By Ann Schrader
Denver Post Medical/Science Writer
Wednesday, June 23, 1999

BOULDER–A $9 million spectrograph that will allow scientists to unlock the secrets of quasars, stars and interstellar gas will be launched today, along with the dreams of University of Colorado faculty and students who designed and built the instrument.

The spectrograph is the heart of the $100 million Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) that peers at ultraviolet light from sources up to 3 billion light years away.

Four telescopes on the spacecraft will gather ultraviolet light, which will be broken down by the spectrograph. The bits of light are expected to yield new data on the temperatures, densities and chemical makeup of distant space objects.

The ultraviolet portion of the electromagnetic spectrum only can be observed outside Earth's atmosphere, and FUSE will look at wavelengths the Hubble Space Telescope can't.

Scientists hope FUSE will allow them to learn more about the universe's early evolution, as well as the properties of hot gas in the Milky Way and Magellanic Cloud. Among the expected targets are planetary atmospheres, comets and supernovae.

"The rocket is on the pad, and we are extremely confident in our instrument," said James Green, principal investigator on the project and a CU-Boulder astrophysics professor. "I think the whole CU team feels really good about this mission."

The launch is scheduled at 9:39 a.m. MDT from Cape Canaveral, Fla.

"We finished our spectrograph under budget and on schedule," said John Andrews, CU-Boulder's mission manager and a research associate with CU's Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy.

The first three weeks of the mission will involve deploying the solar panels and checking various spacecraft systems. After that, the instrument will be turned on for the science

verification process where it will be pointed at nearby bright stars already studied by scientists to confirm the instrument is working well.

During the first year, 60 percent of the observing time is allotted to FUSE instrument team members and 40 percent to guest observers.

The FUSE spectrograph, which was assembled at CU's Astrophysics Research Laboratory in CU's Research Park, involved 32 students, faculty and engineers.