Kobelski. Marshall was the lead field center for the design, development, and construction of the Hubble Space Telescope.<\/p>\nBecause Hubble is too sensitive to point at Earth\u2019s Sun, new instruments were needed to get a spectrum of the entire Sun that is of a similar quality to Hubble\u2019s observations of other stars. Marshall built the camera, supplied avionics, and designed and built a new calibration system for the FURST mission. Montana State University (MSU), which leads the FURST mission in partnership with Marshall, built the optical system, which includes seven optics that will feed into the camera that will essentially create seven exposures, covering the entire ultraviolet wavelength range.<\/p>\n
Charles Kankelborg, a heliophysics professor at MSU and principal investigator for FURST, described the mission as a very close collaboration with wide-ranging implications.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur mission will obtain the first far ultraviolent spectrum of the Sun as a star,\u201d Kankelborg said. \u201cThis is a key piece of information that has been missing for decades. With it, we will place the Sun in context with other stars.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kobelski echoed the sentiment.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow well do the observations and what we know about our Sun compare to our observations or what we know of other stars?\u201d Kobelski said. \u201cYou\u2019d expect that we know all this information about the Sun \u2013 it\u2019s right there \u2013 but it turns out, we actually don\u2019t. If we can get these same observations or same wavelengths as we\u2019ve observed from these other sources, we can start to connect the dots and connect our Sun to other stars.\u201d<\/p>\n
FURST will be the third launch led by Marshall for NASA\u2019s Sounding Rocket Program within five months, making 2024 an active year for the program. Like the Hi-C Flare mission that launched in April, the sounding rocket will launch and open during flight to allow FURST to observe the Sun for approximately five minutes before closing and falling back to Earth\u2019s surface. Marshall team members will be able to calibrate the instruments during launch and flight, as well as retrieve data during flight and soon after landing.<\/p>\n
Kobelski and Kankelborg each said they\u2019re grateful for the opportunity to fill the gaps in our knowledge of Earth\u2019s Sun.<\/p>\n
The launch will be livestreamed on Sunday, Aug. 11, with a launch window of 11:40 a.m.\u2013 12:40 p.m. CDT. Tune in on NASA\u2019s White Sands Test Facility Launch Channel.<\/p>\n
The FURST mission is led by Marshall\u00a0in partnership with Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, with additional support from the NASA\u2019s Sounding Rockets Office and the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research\u2019s High Altitude Observatory.\u00a0Launch support is provided at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico by NASA\u2019s\u00a0Johnson Space Center. NASA\u2019s Sounding Rocket Program\u00a0is managed by\u00a0the agency\u2019s\u00a0Heliophysics Division.<\/p>\n
Lane Figueroa<\/strong>\u00a0
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.\u00a0
256.544.0034 \u00a0
lane.e.figueroa@nasa.gov\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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