JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
Image

A Lightweight Cradle for ASTHROS' Mirror

June 29, 2022
The cradle is the structure that supports the ASTHROS telescope's primary mirror and keeps the mirror panels aligned. Made from carbon fiber, it must be both lightweight and extremely rigid.

Known as the cradle, the structure that supports the primary mirror on NASA's Astrophysics Stratospheric Telescope for High Spectral Resolution Observations at Submillimeter-wavelengths mission, or ASTHROS, keeps the mirror panels aligned. Made from carbon fiber, it and must be both lightweight and extremely rigid.

NASA contracted Media Lario, an optics company in Bosisio Parini, Italy, to design and produce ASTHROS' full telescope unit, including the primary mirror, a secondary mirror, and supporting structure (called the cradle). The cradle is shown here at Media Lario.

The mission's main science goal is to study stellar feedback, the process by which living stars disperse and reshape clouds of gas and dust that may eventually form new stars. Feedback regulates star formation in many galaxies, and too much can halt star formation entirely. ASTHROS will look at several star-forming regions in our galaxy where feedback takes place, and at distant galaxies containing millions of stars to see how feedback plays out at large scales and in different environments.

A division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the ASTHROS mission for the Astrophysics Division of the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. JPL is also building the mission's scientific payload. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, is developing the gondola and pointing systems. The payload cryocooler was developed by Lockheed Martin under NASA's Advanced Cryocooler Technology Development Program. Other key partners include Arizona State University and the University of Miami. ASTHROS' high-performance carbon fiber parts were produced by Persico Marine in Nembro, Italy, and Lamiflex S.p.A in Ponte Nossa, Italy.

NASA's Scientific Balloon Program, and its Columbia Science Balloon Facility, in Palestine, Texas, will provide the balloon and launch services.

ASTHROS will be launched from NASA's Long Duration Balloon Facility in Antarctica, near McMurdo Station. McMurdo Station is managed by the National Science Foundation through the U.S. Antarctic Program.

Download JPG
Download TIFF
Mission
Instrument
  • ASTHROS
Credit
Media Lario

Keep Exploring

A Crisp Infrared Image on an ASTHROS Mirror Panel

ASTHROS Mission in Flight (Illustration)

Nine-Paneled Mirror for ASTHROS

A Mirror for NASA's Antarctic Balloon Mission

Related Topics

Mission .

Euclid

Video .

What's Up - September 2023

Video .

What's Up - August 2023

News .

Euclid Mission to Study Dark Universe Takes First Test Images

Mission .

Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer

News .

Webb Celebrates First Year of Science With Close-up on Birth of Sun-like Stars

News .

ESA’s Euclid Mission Launches to Explore ‘Dark Universe’

Video .

What's Up - July 2023

News .

15 Years of Radio Data Reveals Evidence of Space-Time Murmur

News .

NASA’s Roman and ESA’s Euclid Will Team Up to Investigate Dark Energy

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors
Careers
Internships
The JPL Story
JPL Achievements
Documentary Series
Annual Reports
JPL Plan: 2023-2026
Missions
Current
Past
Future
All
News
All
Earth
Solar System
Stars and Galaxies
Subscribe to JPL News
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Apps
Visions of the Future
Slice of History
Robotics at JPL
Events
Lecture Series
Team Competitions
Speakers Bureau
Calendar
Visit
Public Tours
Virtual Tour
Directions and Maps
Topics
JPL Life
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Exoplanets
Stars and Galaxies
Robotics
More
Asteroid Watch
NASA's Eyes Visualizations
Universe - Internal Newsletter
Social Media
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisitions JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisitions
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
Climate Kids
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Site Managers: Veronica McGregor, Randal Jackson
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Naomi Hartono
CL#: 21-0018