On August 25, 2003, one of the most important missions of space exploration in the history of mankind was launched. NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope was the last of the space agency’s four large observatories to reach space.
Initially, the telescope was programmed to have a life of 2 1/2 years, but its usefulness has lasted many more years, multiplying by 6.
In reality, the Spitzer Space Telescope is part of a family of four space observatories, each scanning the Universe in a different type of light, that made up NASA’s Great Observatory Program. The other missions on the program include the famous Hubble Visible Light Space Telescope (HST), the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO), and the Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO).
Spitzer was designed to detect infrared radiation, which is primarily heat radiation. It is made up of two main components. First, the cryogenic telescope assembly, which contains an 85-centimeter telescope and the three Spitzer science instruments.
Last but not least is the spacecraft, which controls the telescope, powers the instruments, handles science data, and communicates with Earth.
Interestingly, the Spitzer space telescope must be simultaneously warm and cold to function properly. This seemingly contradictory concept means that everything in the cryogenic telescope assembly must cool down to just a few degrees above absolute zero (-459 degrees Fahrenheit, or -273 degrees Celsius). This is accomplished by cryogenization with an onboard liquid helium tank. Meanwhile, electronic equipment needs to operate close to room temperature.
But what is the use of this sophisticated telescope? Spitzer’s highly sensitive instruments allow scientists to observe cosmic regions that are hidden from optical telescopes, including dusty stellar regions, the centers of galaxies, and newly formed planetary systems. Spitzer’s infrared eyes also allow astronomers to “see” cooler objects in space, brown dwarfs (said to be ‘failed’ stars), extrasolar planets, giant molecular clouds, and organic molecules that may be keeping the secret. of life on other planets.
But nothing lasts forever.
After 16 years observing the universe (much longer than required for the telescope, which was created to last between 2 and 5 years) NASA has decided to permanently shut down Spitzer on January 30, 2020. The instrument is moving further and further away from Earth, making it very difficult to operate, according to NASA’s director of astrophysics Paul Hertz. “It would be great to be able to operate all of our telescopes forever, but it is not possible.” Now the Spitzer will slowly freeze in the vast, cold void.
Here we review the most astonishing discoveries of the Spitzer telescope.
Image Credit: NASA / JPL
