Saturday, October 11, 2008

MRO is up and running

Argen Duncan El Defensor Chieftain Reporter, aduncan@dchieftain.com

In an important milestone, New Mexico Tech's largest, world-class telescope is in full operation, and running on funds from the university and research awards rather than federal construction money.

The Magdalena Ridge Observatory's 2.4-meter telescope officially moved from the construction phase to the operational phase Sept. 1, said Observatory Program Director Charles Cormier. Tech now has full responsibility for funding, as well as continuing duties in maintenance and operation.

"I hope we can make a really big impact to enhance student educational opportunities and continue to do cutting-edge science that enhances our knowledge of asteroids and comets," said telescope Director Eileen Ryan.

Construction on the observatory began in November 2004, and the first research with the 2.4-meter telescope took place in March 2007.

Cormier said the operational designation is very significant.

On the scientific side, the telescope is ready to operate, Cormier said, although it doesn't yet have all the features planned for it.

"That's going to take many, many more months," he said.

Cormier said such a situation isn't uncommon

As for finances, the telescope has sufficient funds from Tech, outside users and grants to pay for its operational expenses, Cormier said. The program had been running on federal construction money for about five years.

The observatory is important to the university and the area business environment, and will be world-class, Cormier said.

"We will be doing science at this facility that's not being done anywhere else," he said.

The biggest project for the 2.4-meter telescope's four-person staff is participation in the NASA Space Guard program, and consists of tracking asteroids and comets that may cross Earth's orbit.

In fact, on Monday, Oct. 6, the Tech researchers tracked a Volkswagen-sized object on a collision course with Earth through its impact and disintegration in the atmosphere over North Africa that evening. Catalina Sky Survey personnel in Arizona found the object that morning, which allowed for research that hadn't happened before in the program's decade-long history.

"This is the first time we found one and could track it all the way through a hit," Ryan said.

The incident allowed scientists to check their models that predict when and where such objects will crash into the atmosphere. Ryan said astronomer's expectations about the collision were "dead on."

If Space Guard personnel ever discovered a large space object smaller than 0.62 miles across, Ryan said, they could predict where it would hit to allow residents time to evacuate and minimize loss of life.

"It just is a good example of the kind of excitement we have, basically, on a weekly basis," she said.

As for other efforts, the 2.4-meter telescope staff expects to soon be able to help study the large amount of energy galaxies are releasing. In February, they tentatively plan the first test of tracking missiles launched at White Sands Missile Range.

"We have efforts to get students involved in the telescope," Ryan also said.

The astronomer also wants to involve teachers in the observatory so they can take the knowledge they gain to New Mexico kindergarten through 12th-grade students.

"But we don't yet have the funding for that project," she said.

The researchers recently finished testing U.S. Air Force instruments that map the composition of manmade space objects. The work aimed to provide a model for determining composition of less familiar objects that nations unfriendly to the United States might control.

The observatory has three projects under way: construction of the facility and utilities, the 2.4-meter telescope and an interferometer, planned to eventually consist of 10 1.4-meter telescopes whose images are combined. The interferometer is still under construction.

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