Astromag Free-Flyer
Encyclopedia
The Particle Astrophysics Magnet Facility (commonly known as ASTROMAG) is a NASA
project that was designed to investigate anti-matter. It consisted of a series of experiments which would culminate in an experiment launched in 1995 to be externally attached to the Space Station
In preparation for the building of the detectors and superconducting magnets to be used in the experiment some smaller ones were conducted in the upper atmosphere mounted underneath high altitude balloons: ALICE (A Large Isotropic Composition Experiment) and LEAP (Low Energy Antiproton Experiment) being the most notable.
ALICE was launched from Prince Albert Airport, Canada in August 15, 1987. It was designed to measure the isotopic composition of the rays entering Earth's atmosphere and so identify the types of particles which ASTROMAG would study in more detail. LEAP was launched twice also from Prince Albert, in July and August 1987 and measured the ratios between protons and anti-protons to try to establish verification in earlier experiments that reported higher than expected numbers of anti-protons.
. The experiment was tested, accepted in 1989 and due for launch in 1995 but after various problems with other flights it was demoted from first to fifth place on the schedule.
The experiment, called the Particle Astrophysics Magnet Facility, was given the name ASTROMAG (NASA designated ASTRMAG) as it used a large superconducting
magnet to deflect particles into its detectors
. The magnet was made superconducting by being cooled to 2 Kelvin
— two degrees above absolute zero
. The hope was that the detectors would discover the oppositely charged anti-protons and so help physicists to use matter–antimatter
reactions to develop new propulsions systems based on the resulting expulsion of energy. The experiment was to be mounted on the outside of the Space Station and measured 30 feet by 13 feet and projections of costs were estimated at $30 million.
This was one of the first aimed at capturing material and particle data to further understand the origins and evolution of matter in the composition of the Universe. The experiment was to collect data from collisions of very high velocity particles by measuring their spectrum and attempting to find negatively charged Helium or heavier elements. Eventually the delays in NASA missions and the shutdown of the Space Station led ASTROMAG to suffer a non launch and the mission was shelved in 1991.
per nucleon
) cosmic ray
nuclei, as well as electrons, to search for antimatter
and dark matter
candidates.
and the methods employed by ALICE and LEAP in 1987. The latest attempt was a new Nuclear Compton Telescope (NCY) which was successfully test flown on 1 June 2005 from the Scientific Balloon Flight Facility, Fort Sumner
, New Mexico
. Its subsequent missions went well and some useful data was collected until it unfortunately failed to launch in April 2010 at Alice Springs, Australia
, when the balloon broke its tether to the crane in high winds.
and was approved by Congress; although funding of $300 million was not allocated as of April 2009. An earlier smaller test version called the AMS-01 was flown in 1998 on the shuttle Discovery during a flight to the Mir
Russian space station.
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
project that was designed to investigate anti-matter. It consisted of a series of experiments which would culminate in an experiment launched in 1995 to be externally attached to the Space Station
History
Experiments and postulation conducted during the 1970s and 1980s revealed a higher number of anti-protons than had been expected and to verify, and investigate further, a series of experiments were designed to culminate in an experiment launched for attachment to the Space Station.ALICE and LEAP
In preparation for the building of the detectors and superconducting magnets to be used in the experiment some smaller ones were conducted in the upper atmosphere mounted underneath high altitude balloons: ALICE (A Large Isotropic Composition Experiment) and LEAP (Low Energy Antiproton Experiment) being the most notable.
ALICE was launched from Prince Albert Airport, Canada in August 15, 1987. It was designed to measure the isotopic composition of the rays entering Earth's atmosphere and so identify the types of particles which ASTROMAG would study in more detail. LEAP was launched twice also from Prince Albert, in July and August 1987 and measured the ratios between protons and anti-protons to try to establish verification in earlier experiments that reported higher than expected numbers of anti-protons.
ASTROMAG
The original proposal was made in 1987 and announced in 1988 for implementation on the Mir space stationMir
Mir was a space station operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, at first by the Soviet Union and then by Russia. Assembled in orbit from 1986 to 1996, Mir was the first modular space station and had a greater mass than that of any previous spacecraft, holding the record for the...
. The experiment was tested, accepted in 1989 and due for launch in 1995 but after various problems with other flights it was demoted from first to fifth place on the schedule.
The experiment, called the Particle Astrophysics Magnet Facility, was given the name ASTROMAG (NASA designated ASTRMAG) as it used a large superconducting
Superconductivity
Superconductivity is a phenomenon of exactly zero electrical resistance occurring in certain materials below a characteristic temperature. It was discovered by Heike Kamerlingh Onnes on April 8, 1911 in Leiden. Like ferromagnetism and atomic spectral lines, superconductivity is a quantum...
magnet to deflect particles into its detectors
Particle detector
In experimental and applied particle physics, nuclear physics, and nuclear engineering, a particle detector, also known as a radiation detector, is a device used to detect, track, and/or identify high-energy particles, such as those produced by nuclear decay, cosmic radiation, or reactions in a...
. The magnet was made superconducting by being cooled to 2 Kelvin
Kelvin
The kelvin is a unit of measurement for temperature. It is one of the seven base units in the International System of Units and is assigned the unit symbol K. The Kelvin scale is an absolute, thermodynamic temperature scale using as its null point absolute zero, the temperature at which all...
— two degrees above absolute zero
Absolute zero
Absolute zero is the theoretical temperature at which entropy reaches its minimum value. The laws of thermodynamics state that absolute zero cannot be reached using only thermodynamic means....
. The hope was that the detectors would discover the oppositely charged anti-protons and so help physicists to use matter–antimatter
Annihilation
Annihilation is defined as "total destruction" or "complete obliteration" of an object; having its root in the Latin nihil . A literal translation is "to make into nothing"....
reactions to develop new propulsions systems based on the resulting expulsion of energy. The experiment was to be mounted on the outside of the Space Station and measured 30 feet by 13 feet and projections of costs were estimated at $30 million.
This was one of the first aimed at capturing material and particle data to further understand the origins and evolution of matter in the composition of the Universe. The experiment was to collect data from collisions of very high velocity particles by measuring their spectrum and attempting to find negatively charged Helium or heavier elements. Eventually the delays in NASA missions and the shutdown of the Space Station led ASTROMAG to suffer a non launch and the mission was shelved in 1991.
Free Flyer
The free flyer version was to be launched in 2005 into Earth orbit at a height of 500 km. It aimed to detect high energy (>1 GeVGEV
GEV or GeV may stand for:*GeV or gigaelectronvolt, a unit of energy equal to billion electron volts*GEV or Grid Enabled Vehicle that is fully or partially powered by the electric grid, see plug-in electric vehicle...
per nucleon
Nucleon
In physics, a nucleon is a collective name for two particles: the neutron and the proton. These are the two constituents of the atomic nucleus. Until the 1960s, the nucleons were thought to be elementary particles...
) cosmic ray
Cosmic ray
Cosmic rays are energetic charged subatomic particles, originating from outer space. They may produce secondary particles that penetrate the Earth's atmosphere and surface. The term ray is historical as cosmic rays were thought to be electromagnetic radiation...
nuclei, as well as electrons, to search for antimatter
Antimatter
In particle physics, antimatter is the extension of the concept of the antiparticle to matter, where antimatter is composed of antiparticles in the same way that normal matter is composed of particles...
and dark matter
Dark matter
In astronomy and cosmology, dark matter is matter that neither emits nor scatters light or other electromagnetic radiation, and so cannot be directly detected via optical or radio astronomy...
candidates.
BESS
After the experiment was not launched researchers continued experiments using BESSBESS
BESS is a particle physics experiment carried by a balloon. BESS stands for Balloon-borne Experiment with Superconducting Spectrometer...
and the methods employed by ALICE and LEAP in 1987. The latest attempt was a new Nuclear Compton Telescope (NCY) which was successfully test flown on 1 June 2005 from the Scientific Balloon Flight Facility, Fort Sumner
Fort Sumner
Fort Sumner was a military fort in De Baca County in southeastern New Mexico charged with the internment of Navajo and Mescalero Apache populations from 1863-1868 at nearby Bosque Redondo.-History:...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. Its subsequent missions went well and some useful data was collected until it unfortunately failed to launch in April 2010 at Alice Springs, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, when the balloon broke its tether to the crane in high winds.
Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer
The experiment was superseded by the Alpha Magnetic SpectrometerAlpha Magnetic Spectrometer
The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, also designated AMS-02, is a particle physics experiment module that is mounted on the International Space Station. It is designed to search for various types of unusual matter by measuring cosmic rays. Its experiments will help researchers study the formation of...
and was approved by Congress; although funding of $300 million was not allocated as of April 2009. An earlier smaller test version called the AMS-01 was flown in 1998 on the shuttle Discovery during a flight to the Mir
Mir
Mir was a space station operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, at first by the Soviet Union and then by Russia. Assembled in orbit from 1986 to 1996, Mir was the first modular space station and had a greater mass than that of any previous spacecraft, holding the record for the...
Russian space station.