NASA Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports

20040074293 Naval Research Lab., Washington, DC, USA
Far-Infrared and Submillimeter Spectroscopy of Low to Moderate Redshift Normal and Active Galaxies
Fischer, Jacqueline; New Concepts for Far-Infrared and Submillimeter Space Astronomy; April 2004, pp. 145-148; In
English; See also 20040074260; No Copyright; Avail: CASI; A01, Hardcopy
Broadband surveys with planned observatories such as SIRTF, ASTRO-F, NGST, Herschel, SMA, and ALMA will
provide large samples of dust-enshrouded galaxies undergoing varying proportions of star formation and accretion onto
supermassive black holes. Recent evidence suggests that the mass of supermassive central black holes are proportional to
central velocity dispersions of their host galaxy bulges, but it is not yet known how these properties are evolutionarily
connected. To trace the evolution of these components during the important luminous, dusty merger episodes as a function of
redshift, sensitive mid- to far-infrared spectroscopic diagnostic observations from space will be necessary. The high sensitivity
and spatial resolution of a large aperture, natural background limited far-infrared/submillimeter telescope such as SAFAIR will
allow detection and identification of the far-infrared/submillimeter components of galaxies and of a multitude of rest-frame
mid- to far-infrared recombination, fine-structure, and molecular lines toward dusty galactic nuclei. The line diagnostics
beginning to be developed from ISO work will help determine important parameters such as the intrinsic spectral energy
distribution, ionization parameters, metallicities, densities, extinction to the embedded energy sources, and ultimately the
star-formation and accretion rates in these galaxies. Ultimately, the higher spatial resolution provided by a cold, far-infrared
submillimeter interferometer is needed to view the distribution of structure in galaxies in order to unravel the as yet untold
story of the evolution of galaxies over the lifetime of the Universe.
Author
Active Galaxies; Black Holes (Astronomy); Infrared Telescopes; Spatial Resolution
20040074294 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
Charting the Winds that Change the Universe, II: The Single Aperture Far Infrared Observatory (SAFIR)
Rieke, G. H.; Benford, D. J.; Harvey, P. M.; Lawrence, C. R.; Leisawitz, D. T.; Lester, D. F.; Mather, J. C.; Stacey, G. J.;
Werner, M. W.; Yorke, H. W.; New Concepts for Far-Infrared and Submillimeter Space Astronomy; April 2004, pp. 157-166;
In English; See also 20040074260; No Copyright; Avail: CASI; A02, Hardcopy
SAFIR will study the birth and evolution of stars and planetary systems so young that they are invisible to optical and
near-infrared telescopes such as NGST. Not only does the far-infrared radiation penetrate the obscuring dust clouds that
surround these systems, but the protoplanetary disks also emit much of their radiation in the far infrared. Furthermore, the dust
reprocesses much of the optical emission from the newly forming stars into this wavelength band. Similarly, the obscured
central regions of galaxies, which harbor massive black holes and huge bursts of star formation, can be seen and analyzed in
the far infrared. SAFIR will have the sensitivity to see the first dusty galaxies in the universe. For studies of both star-forming
regions in our galaxy and dusty galaxies at high redshifts, SAFIR will be essential in tying together information that NGST
will obtain on these systems at shorter wavelengths and that ALMA will obtain at longer wavelengths.
Author
Black Holes (Astronomy); Astronomical Observatories; Infrared Astronomy
20040074299 Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Rome, Italy
Star Formation with Herschel
Saraceno, Paolo; Molinari, Sergio; New Concepts for Far-Infrared and Submillimeter Space Astronomy; April 2004,
pp. 117-124; In English; See also 20040074260; No Copyright; Avail: CASI; A02, Hardcopy
We briefly discuss two of the major programmes that could be carried out with the Herschel satellite in the field of star
formation: the photometric and spectroscopic imaging of the nearby star forming regions and the survey of the Galactic plane.
Author
Star Formation; Spaceborne Astronomy; Satellite-Borne Instruments; Galaxies
20040074300 Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech., Pasadena, CA, USA
An Overview of the StarLight Mission
Lay, Oliver; Blackwood, Gary; Dubovitsky, Serge; Duren, Riley; New Concepts for Far-Infrared and Submillimeter Space
Astronomy; April 2004, pp. 224-234; In English; See also 20040074260; No Copyright; Avail: CASI; A03, Hardcopy
An overview of the Starlight Mission is presented. Mission summary: June 2006 launch to heliocentric orbit; Nominal
6 month mission with option of additional 6 month extension; Validate autonomous formation flying system: range control to
10 cm bearing, control to 4 arcmin; Demonstrate formation flying optical interferometry.The original 3 spacecraft design did
305