Atomic oxygen detected in Mars atmosphere by Scientists

http://currentaffairs.gktoday.in/atomic-oxygen-detected-mars-atmosphere-scientists-05201632717.html

Scientists have detected atomic oxygen in the atmosphere of Mars for the first time since the last observation 40 years ago. It was detected using an instrument onboard the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). SOFIA is a Boeing 747SP jetliner modified to carry a 100-inch diameter telescope. It is a joint project of NASA and the German Aerospace Centre. Key facts The detected atomic oxygen was found in the upper layers of the Martian atmosphere known as the mesosphere. It was detected by using the German Receiver for Astronomy at Terahertz Frequencies (GREAT), an advanced detector on one of the observatory’s instruments. The SOFIA was able to detect only about half the amount of oxygen expected, which may be due to variations in the Martian atmosphere. The observations were possible due to SOFIA’s airborne location, flying between 37,000-45,000 feet, above most of the infrared-blocking moisture in Earth’s atmosphere. Significance: Atomic oxygen affects other gases to escape from the Mars and therefore has a significant impact on the planet’s atmosphere. However the detection enabled astronomers to distinguish the oxygen in the Martian atmosphere from oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere. Atomic oxygen in the Martian atmosphere is notoriously difficult to measure as far-infrared wavelengths are needed to detect it. However SOFIA help to detect it as it has highly sensitive instruments including spectrometer. It should be noted that the last measurements of atomic oxygen in the Martian atmosphere were made by the Viking and Mariner missions of NASA in 1970s. Tags: Mars • NASA • Science And Technology

NASA's Airborne Observatory Begins 2015 Science Campaign

NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is seen performing ground tests prior to its first science flight of 2015. The year's first mission was flown on the night of Jan. 13/14, with the German Receiver for Astronomy at Terahertz Frequencies (GREAT) spectrometer on board.

Image Credit: 

NASA/USRA/Greg Perryman

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/Features/SOFIA_begins_2015_campaign.html#.VLbzTNLF98E

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, Program began its third season of science flights on Jan. 13, 2015. SOFIA is NASA's next generation flying observatory and is fitted with a 2.5-meter (100-inch) diameter telescope that studies the universe at infrared wavelengths.

"Last night's flight used the German Receiver for Astronomy at Terahertz Frequencies (GREAT) spectrometer to study the chemical composition and motions of gas in a star-forming region, a young star, and a supernova remnant," said Pamela Marcum, NASA's SOFIA project scientist. "Observing at infrared wavelengths enables us to see through interstellar dust to record the spectral signatures of molecules in these regions. From this we can study the abundances of molecules and their formation process."

Water vapor in the Earth's atmosphere absorbs infrared radiation, preventing a large section of the infrared spectrum from reaching ground-based observatories. SOFIA is a heavily modified Boeing 747 Special Performance jetliner that flies at altitudes between 39,000 to 45,000 feet (12 to 14 km), above more than 99 percent of Earth's atmospheric water vapor giving astronomers the ability to study celestial objects at wavelengths that cannot be seen from ground-based observatories.

"The flights in January will conclude SOFIA's second annual observing series, known as Cycle 2, and the observatory will begin the Cycle 3 programs in March," said Erick Young, SOFIA's observatory director and a member of the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) team that operates the SOFIA Science Center at NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, California. "Plans for Cycle 3 include 70 flights with more than 400 hours of science observations. The observations will span a broad range of astronomical topics including the interstellar medium, star formation, stars, bodies in our solar system, and extrasolar planets."

The observatory is expected to make a deployment to the Southern Hemisphere in June 2015, with science flights based out of Christchurch, New Zealand. There scientists will have the opportunity to observe areas of interest such as the Galactic Center and other parts of the Milky Way that are not visible from the Northern Hemisphere.

SOFIA is a joint project of NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The aircraft is based at and the program is managed from NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center's facility in Palmdale, California. NASA's Ames Research Center, manages the SOFIA science and mission operations in cooperation with the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, and the German SOFIA Institute (DSI) at the University of Stuttgart.

For more information about SOFIA, visit:


http://www.nasa.gov/sofia • http://www.dlr.de/en/sofia

For information about SOFIA's science mission, visit:


http://www.sofia.usra.edu • http://www.dsi.uni-stuttgart.de/index.en.html

Felicia Chou

Headquarters, Washington
202-358-5241

felicia.chou@nasa.gov