NASA

75 Years of LASP: Missions Across the Cosmos

Anna Tolette — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 17:18:56 +0000

75 Years of LASP: Missions Across the Cosmos Anna Tolette Tue, 11/12/2024 - 10:18

Kelsey Yandura

CU’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) is the university’s first and highest-budget research institute — and the only organization of its kind to have sent scientific instruments to every planet in our solar system, plus the sun and a host of moons.

Founded in 1948 as a collaboration between the U.S. Air Force and the university’s physics department, LASP’s initial experiments included launching instruments mounted on captured German V-2 rockets in order to study the sun. Today, over 75 years later, the institute is made up of more than 100 research scientists who specialize in designing, building and operating spacecraft and spacecraft instruments.

As LASP looks ahead to the next 75 years, its dedication to innovation keeps it at the leading edge of space science. Here are just a few of the many missions LASP has helped propel forward.

Sun

2010–30

EVE on NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory examines variations in the sun’s extreme ultraviolet light over time.

Mission Highlight: Recorded enormous solar 'tornadoes,' ultra-hot plasma plumes swirling above the sun’s surface.

Mercury

2004–15

LASP Spectrometer on NASA MESSENGER first detected magnesium in Mercury’s exosphere.

Mission Highlight: Confirmed the presence of ice deposits in permanently shadowed craters at Mercury’s poles.

Venus

1978–92

Ultraviolet Spectrometer on NASA’s Pioneer Venus Orbiter identified sulfur dioxide in the clouds, indicating potential volcanic activity.

Mission Highlight: Pinpointed the highest point on Venus — Maxwell Montes stands 10.8 km high.

Earth

Scheduled 2027

LASP radiometers on NASA Libera will record how much energy leaves our planet’s atmosphere on a day-by-day basis, providing crucial information about how Earth’s climate is evolving over time.

Moon

2013–14

Lunar Dust Experiment on NASA’s LADEE gathered and analyzed lunar dust particles.

Mission Highlight: Revealed tiny meteoroids deliver water to the Moon’s exosphere.

Mars

2013–14

Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph on NASA MAVEN discovered an aurora caused by proton precipitation in Mars’ atmosphere.

Mission Highlight: Determined that solar wind has significantly stripped Mars’ atmosphere, altering its climate from warm and wet to cold and dry.

Jupiter

1989–2003

Ultraviolet Spectrometer on NASA Galileo observed the impacts of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 fragments on Jupiter.

Mission Highlight: Found evidence of a subsurface ocean on Jupiter’s moon Europa.

Saturn

1997–2017

Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph on NASA Cassini measured emissions from gases emitted by volcanoes on Jupiter’s moon Io.

Mission Highlight: Detected an icy plume of salt-rich organic chemicals erupting from Saturn’s moon Enceladus.

Uranus

1977–Current

Photopolarimeter Subsystem on NASA Voyager 2 discovered Uranus’ rings are younger than the solar system.

Mission Highlight: Identified an irregular magnetic field, highly tilted from Uranus’ spin axis.

Neptune

1977–Current

Photopolarimeter Subsystem on NASA Voyager 2 found Neptune’s rings are incomplete circles created by dust knocked off tiny moons.

Mission Highlight: Performed the first mission to fly past Neptune and detect its irregular magnetic field.

Pluto

2006–Current

Venetia Burney Student Dust Counter on NASA New Horizons was the first student-designed instrument to launch on an interplanetary mission.

Mission Highlight: Discovered the largest known glacier in the solar system.

And beyond…

LASP has been involved in missions beyond our solar system, including operations for NASA’s exoplanet-hunting Kepler mission and the IXPE mission, which studies extreme space environments.

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Images courtesy NASA

CU’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) is the university’s first and highest-budget research institute. Here are just a few of the many missions LASP has helped propel forward.

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Fall 2024

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Images From the James Webb Space Telescope

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 07:00:00 +0000

Images From the James Webb Space Telescope Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 11/07/2022 - 00:00

Much of the world was awestruck when NASA published the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope, the world’s largest and most powerful space telescope.

Erica Nelson, CU Boulder astrophysical and planetary sciences assistant professor, is part of several programs that are spending more than 1,000 hours on the telescope, including about 700 on its main infrared camera. “We are seeing galaxies which formed at much earlier times than we previously thought possible that may pose a threat to what we thought we understood about the universe on the grandest scales,” she said.

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Photo by Space Telescope Science Institute

Much of the world was awestruck when NASA published the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope, the world’s largest and most powerful space telescope.

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Campus News Briefs Summer 2021

Anonymous — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Campus News Briefs Summer 2021 Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 07/02/2021 - 00:00

The C4C (Center for Community) student services building celebrated its 10th anniversary this year.

Ten

micro-restaurants offer cuisines, including Latin, Persian and Italian menus

$84.4 million

construction budget

5,500+

meals served per day at the dining hall

student support offices, including Career Services and the Center for Multicultural Affairs

75%

of construction waste was recycled, diverting it from landfills

277

gifts and pledges were given to the building fund by alumni, parents, faculty, staff and friends

Rethinking Performance Art Culture

Inspired by the #MeToo movement, CU faculty members Amanda Rose Villarreal (PhDThtr’21) and Tamara Meneghini created the Colorado Theatre Standards, a set of guidelines to foster safety and respect for future generations of performance artists. Villarreal and Meneghini hope the detailed instructions for dealing with conflicts, handling violence and stage intimacy, reporting sexual harassment and more will inspire social justice change in the industry. Said Villarreal to CU Boulder Today: “When people know better, people can do better.”

CU Leads NASA Space Tech Research Institute

Over the next five years, researchers at CU Boulder will lead the Advanced Computational Center for Entry System Simulation (ACCESS) institute with NASA. The multi-partner work, led by professor Iain Boyd of the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, will focus on thermal protection systems, which protect spacecraft from the aerodynamic heating they experience when entering the atmosphere.

Spotlight on African American Studies

In May, CU Boulder announced the Center for African and African American Studies. Known as CAAAS (or “the Cause”), the center will support teaching, research and creative work on the history and culture of people of African descent. The center has been a goal for professor and center director Reiland Rabaka for over 15 years: “The establishment of CAAAS means Black students and faculty will be able to feel a greater sense of belonging at CU Boulder,” Rabaka told CU Boulder Today.

Heard Around Campus

The best leaders...can empathize with those they stand for. They can understand the pain, the rage, the fear, the complexity.”

— Stacey Abrams, voting rights activist and bestselling author, in her address to graduates at the 2021 Colorado Law commencement ceremony.

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Research and news from CU Boulder.

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Summer 2021

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Infographic: Beyond the Bluebird Sky

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Mar 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Infographic: Beyond the Bluebird Sky Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 03/18/2021 - 00:00

With at least eight institutions dedicated to solar and space physics, the city of Boulder is a global mecca for science related to the sun. Since the end of World War II, CU has made major contributions to this research. In 1946, solar labs existed on campus, and today the East Campus houses the National Solar Observatory (NSO), the national center for ground-based solar physics, which is building the largest solar telescope in the world.

CU Boulder Collaboration

The NSO and CU Boulder share three joint faculty positions, each specializing in solar astrophysics.

Ivan Milic researches solar atmosphere by viewing polarized spectra.
Maria Kazachenko researches how eruptions on the sun work
Adam Kowalski researches solar flares.

Photo credit: NASA; Information Sources: NSO, NASA, NSF, Maria Kazachenko, Adam Kowalski

Infographic text

The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) is the world’s largest solar telescope. The telescope contains a four-meter primary mirror, the largest of any solar telescope. It’s located in Hawaii on the summit of Haleakala, Maui, with its data center at CU Boulder.

The sun is the only star that we can look at with a high spacial resolution and understand its life cycles and moods. The sun’s atmosphere is hotter than the surface (more than 1 million degrees vs. 5,500 degrees).

The sun is the largest object within our solar system, comprising 99.8 percent of the system’s mass. Northern Lights occur when the sun’s charged particles hit Earth’s atmosphere during a solar storm.

Funded by the National Science Foundation

The DKIST is located on land of spiritual and cultural significance to Native Hawaiian people. The use of this important site to further scientific knowledge is done so with appreciation and respect.

With at least eight institutions dedicated to solar and space physics, the city of Boulder is a global mecca for science related to the sun.

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Inquiry - Brian Argrow

Anonymous — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 16:44:20 +0000

Inquiry - Brian Argrow Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 09/01/2017 - 10:44

Eric Gershon

Dr. Drone

Brian Argrow, the new chair of CU Boulder’s Ann and H.J. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences department, talks Mars, drones, integrity and why he always books a window seat.

If you could visit any planet in our solar system, which would you pick?

Mars, of course. When I see images from the surface, they often remind me of places I’ve visited in the American Southwest, and I have so many memories from reading sci-fi books such as Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles. It would be fascinating to see just how accurate my youthful imagination was.

You’re an expert in unmanned aircraft systems (drones). Do you think they’ll become part of everyday life in America?

If you consider the battlefield, tactical and strategic missions of the U.S. military for the past 20 years or so, drones have already been an indispensable part of the lives of many Americans — but only recently in America. The introduction of the FAA’s “Part 107” regulation last year finally gave a relatively straightforward path for legitimate drone uses for flights in the U.S. below 400-ft. altitude and away from airports.

I use “legitimate” to separate those who intend to observe the current regulations from the “rogues” who have no intention to abide by the regulations.

NASA also is focused on developing an air-traffic management system in anticipation of the continued proliferation of small drones.

How soon and for what uses?

Small drones have become ubiquitous enough to barely be noticeable. You might have seen News Channel 4 in Denver advertising their “Drone 4,” which is just a little DJI Phantom-4 quadrotor.

A partial list of CU’s recent drone applications and missions includes atmospheric measurements and profiling, an aerial photogrammetry survey of Chimney Rock National Monument, delivery of real-time pre-storm weather data to the National Weather Service and intercepting supercell thunderstorms in the Great Plains.

A multitude of civilian applications includes search and rescue; powerline, railroad, bridge and river inspection; estuary surveys; large aquatic mammal counts; anti-poaching; and blood and plasma delivery.

What aerospace endeavor that you’re aware of seems to offer the greatest promise for humankind?

As much as I see drones changing the world, I suppose if I had to say what holds the greatest promise to humanity, it would have to be spacecraft with the potential to spread humankind to other planets. Of course, Mars is the first target.

CU Boulder’s aerospace program ranks among America’s best. How would you like to see it change or grow?

Once, innovation was primarily within specific, well-defined disciplines. Today’s innovation is mostly at their intersections.

For example, today’s drone technologies are emerging from aeronautics, robotics, intelligent systems and spacecraft (GPS) technologies, with increasingly autonomous technologies starting to emerge in spacecraft, air traffic control and ground-based systems, such as cars.

Our aerospace program continues to grow because of our diversity in disciplines and research, our willingness to collaborate and innovate at intersections and our desire to be leaders in all aspects of engineering education.

What qualities make for a first-rate aerospace engineer?

Curiosity and integrity. Curiosity drives the imaginations at the foundation of engineering design. Integrity because, if we are to entrust our lives to the technologies of aerospace engineers, we must first have trust in the people that are the engineers.

What first drew you to aerospace engineering?

My first love was astronomy, as far back as I can remember. The Gemini and Apollo programs absolutely captured my imagination. I was 8, about to be 9, for the first moon landing. I was similarly fascinated by the NASA X-plane program, especially the X-15. If it had anything to do with astronomy, and if it involved craft that flew fast or high — preferably fast and high — then it had my undivided attention.

When you travel by air: Aisle or window, and how do you pass the time?

Window seat. When I first started traveling as a professor, I thought it was important for me to have an aisle seat, since I was fancying myself as a businessman. It only took a few trips and I was back in the window seat where I belonged — where I had a clear view of the wings and engines, and great views of things on the ground. Even though I spend most of my time working on my computer, I still look out and down often.

Condensed and edited by Eric Gershon

Photo by Glenn Asakawa

Brian Argrow, the new chair of CU Boulder’s Ann and H.J. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences department, talks Mars, drones, integrity and why he always books a window seat.

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Solar Observatory Reflects Well On Campus

Anonymous — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 07:00:00 +0000

Solar Observatory Reflects Well On Campus Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 12/01/2011 - 00:00

Astrophysical and planetary sciences associate professor Mark Rast spearheaded efforts to land the National Solar Observatory, drawing support from Colorado’s legislators, U.S. senators and Gov. John Hickenlooper in addition to numerous CU academic departments. It will relocate from Arizona and New Mexico by 2016.

As one of the world’s leading institutions in solar research, CU-Boulder was selected this fall to serve as the headquarters of the National Solar Observatory.

Bringing unrivaled opportunities for students and an estimated 70 scientists, engineers and staff with a payroll totaling around $20 million, the observatory is the nation’s leading scientific research program in ground-based solar astronomy.

To be located on east campus, the observatory will provide scientists access to the world’s largest collection of solar telescopes and other instruments to observe the sun, a driver of Earth’s climate and weather. Observatory scientists will conduct research ranging from space weather prediction to the environments of extra-solar planets.

In related news, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which launched last year and carried $32 million worth of CU instruments, is revealing that energy from solar flares is stronger than previously thought. This energy can affect Earth-orbiting communication and navigation satellites. The new information will help better predict solar events and their effects on these satellites.

In other space news, a $670 million NASA orbiting mission to probe the past climate of Mars, led by professor Bruce Jakosky of geological sciences, reached a major milestone in the summer when it successfully completed its Mission Critical Design Review by the space agency. This means the team is ready for fabrication, assembly and testing of all of its mission elements for a November 2013 launch.

Students and faculty also played a key role in NASA’s Juno mission to Jupiter that launched from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center in August. Their computer models and research will play an important role in data analysis when Juno reaches its orbit around Jupiter in five years.

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Space Walking Just a Living

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 06:00:00 +0000

Space Walking Just a Living Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 09/01/2009 - 00:00

Marty Coffin Evans

Steve Swanson

Whether hiking in the mountains or walking in space, astronaut Steve Swanson’s (EngrPhys’83) life is full of adventure.

“Growing up in Steamboat Springs, Colo., I loved to explore — it was always interesting,” Steve says. “I think exploration is innate in human beings.”

Between June 6, 2007, and March 28, 2009, Steve participated in the Atlantis and Discovery missions to the International Space Station. He logged 643 hours in space during these missions and took four spacewalks, two each time. His first spacewalk stunned him.

“You look out and the sun comes up and you can see the station with the Earth below,” he said in a preflight interview with NASA. “I couldn’t work for a few minutes. I just stopped and looked and took everything in.”

The tasks on Discovery were similar to the Atlantis mission, but he had more responsibility as the lead spacewalker.

“It was a fantastic thing, a great accomplishment and privilege, being able to connect the solar array,” he reflects. “Thousands of people were involved in making this Discovery mission a reality and then they got to see it come to fruition.”

Back on Earth, he mows his yard just like his neighbors. For him, being an astronaut is “just a job” that keeps him away from home a lot. He’s proud his employer, NASA, makes a profit for this country. “There’s a return on investment, a spinoff of products,” he notes.

Steve says his CU undergraduate years helped him grow up, learn to be responsible for his own actions and figure out how to prioritize.

“I learned how the real world works,” he says. “It’s been a good test to learn to accomplish what you need to even with distractions.”

From systems and flight engineer with NASA working on the Shuttle Training Aircraft to being the guy who trains other astronauts for their missions, Steve’s jobs have kept him on the move. Although he hopes to go on another space mission, he’s working on other technical jobs involving spacewalks and as a spacecraft communicator.

“There’s always something new each day,” he notes.

The job requires Steve and his family to live in Houston. His three children enjoy watching his missions but don’t like the launches. He doesn’t Tweet from space but does phone home.

“Oh, yeah, mom, I forgot to tell you dad called,” he chuckles, remembering a very long-distance conversation with his daughter while on his first mission.

Whether hiking in the mountains or walking in space, astronaut Steve Swanson’s life is full of adventure.

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NASA Moonstruck with CU

Anonymous — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 07:00:00 +0000

NASA Moonstruck with CU Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 03/01/2009 - 00:00

CU-Boulder will play a crucial role in NASA’s future explorations of the moon, thanks to two NASA grants totaling $11 million in early January.

The grants will enable researchers to study the cosmos from moon observatories and conduct science and safety investigations on the moon’s dusty surface and atmosphere. Some of the money — $5 million — will lead to the creation of the Colorado Center for Lunar Dust and Atmospheric Studies, headed by professor Mihaly Horyani of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. Aiming for NASA’s 2011 exploration mission to the moon, campus scientists will build a high-tech lunar dust detector to provide more information on the physical characteristics of the moon’s dust, which will help researchers better evaluate astronaut safety concerns as well as how dust interacts with the atmosphere and solar wind. They also will design antennas to be placed on the far side of the moon that could help scientists detect sounds from the first half-billion years of the universe’s estimated 14 billion-year history.

“This shows once again that the University of Colorado is among the world’s leaders in space science,” professor Jack Burns of CU-Boulder’s Center for Astrophysical and Space Astronomy says.

In other space news, hundreds of students living on Colorado’s Front Range and in several communities in Texas remotely monitored spiders and butterflies on board a 15-day NASA space shuttle Endeavor mission in November. It was the third shuttle flight of CU-Boulder BioServe’s K-12 educational program that allows students to view video, still images and data from the space station.

<p>CU-Boulder will play a crucial role in NASA’s future explorations of the moon, thanks to two NASA grants totaling $11 million in early January.</p>

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By the Numbers - Spring 2009

Anonymous — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 07:00:00 +0000

By the Numbers - Spring 2009 Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 03/01/2009 - 00:00

4 Number of faculty members who have won the Nobel Prize since 1989. 5 Number of graduate school specialty programs ranked in the top 10 by U.S. News and World Report in 2008. 7 CU’s rank in alumni ability to generate personal wealth according to Forbes.com, based on median salaries five years and 10-20 years after graduation from a public university. 17 CU-Boulder alumni who have flown in space. 102 Number of graduates who are currently in the Peace Corps, making CU No. 2 in the country for Peace Corps volunteers. 2,008 Number of graduates who have served in the Peace Corps since its inception in 1961. $56 million Amount of NASA funding CU brings in annually, making it No. 1 among public universities in NASA research funding.

Numbers and statistics about CU Boulder from the spring 2009 issue.

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NASA

75 Years of LASP: Missions Across the Cosmos

Sun

Mercury

Venus

Earth

Moon

Mars

Jupiter

Saturn

Uranus

Neptune

Pluto

And beyond…

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Images From the James Webb Space Telescope

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Campus News Briefs Summer 2021

Rethinking Performance Art Culture

CU Leads NASA Space Tech Research Institute

Spotlight on African American Studies

Heard Around Campus

Related Articles

Infographic: Beyond the Bluebird Sky

CU Boulder Collaboration

Infographic text

Funded by the National Science Foundation

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Inquiry - Brian Argrow

Dr. Drone

If you could visit any planet in our solar system, which would you pick?

You’re an expert in unmanned aircraft systems (drones). Do you think they’ll become part of everyday life in America?

How soon and for what uses?

What aerospace endeavor that you’re aware of seems to offer the greatest promise for humankind?

CU Boulder’s aerospace program ranks among America’s best. How would you like to see it change or grow?

What qualities make for a first-rate aerospace engineer?

What first drew you to aerospace engineering?

When you travel by air: Aisle or window, and how do you pass the time?

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Solar Observatory Reflects Well On Campus

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Space Walking Just a Living

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NASA Moonstruck with CU

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By the Numbers - Spring 2009

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