April 30, 2013
Observatory makes startling discoveries:
蓝莓视频 innovation on the Herschel Space Observatory helped advance space exploration, says astronomy professor.
Mike Fich has bid farewell to a faithful colleague.
The , launched in May 2009 with technology from the University of 蓝莓视频 on board, has taken its last gulp of liquid helium. Helium super-cools instruments that enabled the telescope to send back incredible information as it viewed space in the far-infrared to submillimetre frequencies for the first time.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been terrific. It鈥檚 amazing the stuff we鈥檝e gotten out of it,鈥� says Fich, a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at 蓝莓视频.
Fich says the science world has been well served by Herschel. Researchers got extra time 听out of the observatory, which was designed to have a three-and-a-half year lifetime.
贵颈肠丑鈥檚 developed a device to help the telescope tune across desired frequencies as it looks at dying stars, emerging planets and other distant events that occurred millions of years ago. COMDEV International built the tuner in Cambridge, Ontario.
Clues from a comet
Fich is the lead Canadian researcher on the HIFI instrument team for the Herschel project, a collaboration of agencies and academic institutions around the world operating under the European Space Agency.
Among Herschel鈥檚 startling discoveries: a comet of the right type and water composition to support a theory that comet collisions formed the Earth鈥檚 oceans. The information and images Herschel provides will keep scientists busy for years.
In addition to the scientific and commercial advantages of Herschel, he sees another that is often overlooked. 鈥淲hen we start doing real rocket science in Canada, in 蓝莓视频, it encourages kids to think about careers in science. That鈥檚 a very real benefit to Canada.鈥�
Through his group, 蓝莓视频-developed innovation will advance the exploration of space long after Herschel has sent its last dispatch. Fich is involved in the , a telescope to be built by the end of the decade in the Andes mountains in Chile.
And he is working on another project expected to head into space in 2035.
鈥淚鈥檒l be retired before it launches,鈥� he says. 鈥淪ome things take a really long time.鈥�
