Showing papers by "Michael W. Werner published in 1991"
TL;DR: The Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) as discussed by the authors is a one-meter-class cryogenically-cooled observatory for IR astronomy from space that will be the IR component of NASA's family of great observatories.
5 citations
TL;DR: The Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRFT) is a one-meter class, liquid-helium-cooled, earth-orbiting astronomical observatory that will be the infrared component of NASA's family of great observatories as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRFT) is a one-meter-class, liquid-helium-cooled, earth-orbiting astronomical observatory that will be the infrared component of NASA's family of Great Observatories. SIRTF will investigate numerous scientific areas including formation and evolution of galaxies, stars, and other solar systems; supernovae; phenomena in our own solar system; and, undoubtedly, topics that are outside today's scientific domain. SIRTF's three instruments will permit imaging at all infrared wavelengths from 1.8 to 1200 microns and spectroscopy from 2.5 to 200 microns. The observatory will operate at an altitude of 100,000 km where it will achieve a five-year lifetime and operate with better than 80 percent on-target efficiency. The scientific importance and technical and programmatic readiness of SIRTF has been recognized by the 1991 report of the National Research Council's Astronomy and Astrophysics Survey Committee which recently identified SIRTF as the highest priority major new initiative in all of astronomy for the coming decade.
3 citations