Pith. sign in

REVIEW 3 major objections 6 minor 126 references

Great Observatories Maturation: a Review of NASA Astrophysics Development Through Suborbital Rocket and Balloon Programs

T0 review · 3 major / 6 minor · reviewed 2026-08-06 · deepseek-v4-flash

Challenge this review Re-run · record.json Download PDF Read on arXiv ↗

Pith's one-line read Suborbital rocket and balloon programs have repeatedly supplied the science, technology, and personnel behind NASA's major astrophysics missions, and the paper argues they should be a deliberate part of the Great Observatories Maturation…

desk verdict A solid programmatic review whose only original table actually supports its 'nearly every' claim (11/12 PIs), but the table's rubric needs definition and the SWAS airborne entry is internally inconsistent. read the letter →

arxiv 2507.07289 v1 pith:HL4SJFBA submitted 2025-07-09 astro-ph.IM

Drew M. Miles This is my paper · ORCID
classification astro-ph.IM
keywords suborbitalrocketsstratosphericballoonstechnologymaturationGreatObservatoriesProgramHabitableWorldsObservatoryastrophysicsmissiondevelopmentworkforceCubeSats
verification ladder T0 review T1 audit T2 compute T3 formal

The pith

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

The reading

The paper sets out to establish that NASA's suborbital rocket and balloon programs are not merely small-scale side projects, but a primary development pathway for the agency's largest astrophysics missions. It reviews decades of flights to show that suborbital instruments have produced new science across the electromagnetic spectrum, matured components that later flew on orbital observatories, and trained the principal investigators who now lead Explorer-class missions. If that reading is right, the Great Observatories Maturation Program should explicitly invest in suborbital demonstrations for the Habitable Worlds Observatory rather than treating them as optional. The review also places emerging CubeSat and SmallSat missions on the same maturation ladder, noting their potential while flagging that they have not yet matched the suborbital cycle's speed and cost.

What carries the argument

The carrying mechanism is the iterative suborbital flight cycle: a payload is built in two to five years at well under $10 million, flown on a sounding rocket or balloon, recovered, and reflown with improved components. That cycle allows technologies to be exercised in a near-space environment, matured step by step, and handed to larger missions; it is also what gives early-career scientists full-lifecycle leadership experience. The paper maps the current HWO technology gaps from the 2024 biennial technology report onto active suborbital demonstrations to show that this cycle is already doing GOMaP work.

What would settle it

An independent audit of the twelve Explorer missions in Table 3, using only public flight manifests, mission histories, and CVs under a pre-defined rubric for 'suborbital role,' would settle whether 'nearly every' is accurate. If the audit found that most PIs or instruments lacked any documented suborbital heritage, the paper's historical case would lose its quantitative force.

Watch

Extended reading notes

Core claim

The paper's central claim is that suborbital rockets and balloons have functioned as the de facto maturation pipeline for NASA astrophysics, and that the GOMaP should make that role explicit. Three lines of evidence carry the argument: suborbital instruments from COSI to GUSTO to CIBER have obtained observations not available to orbital telescopes; components such as delta-doped EMCCDs, micro-shutter arrays, and ultraviolet coatings reached flight readiness through reusable, reflown suborbital payloads; and nearly every Explorer principal investigator, plus most Explorer instruments, has identifiable suborbital heritage. The review presents these as historical facts and as a forward-looking case that targeted suborbital funding could advance HWO's highest-priority technology gaps within the decade.

Load-bearing premise

The load-bearing premise is that the 'suborbital heritage' attributed to Explorer missions and their principal investigators in Table 3 is correct; those attributions rest on the author's judgment, with two entries based on personal communications and no explicit rule for what counts as heritage.

Editorial extensions

If this is right

  • The Habitable Worlds Observatory can use suborbital flights to close several of its highest-priority technology gaps, including UV detectors, mirror coatings, gratings, and multi-object spectrographs, before its concept is finalized.
  • The path from suborbital pathfinder to Explorer mission, demonstrated by COSI and SPHEREx, can be expected to continue for future Explorer selections.
  • Technologies matured on recovered and reflown suborbital payloads, such as the FIREBall-2 EMCCD now used for the Roman coronagraph, will enter HWO with fewer integration surprises.
  • Sustaining suborbital funding sustains the supply of early-career researchers who later lead Explorer-class missions, since these programs give hands-on leadership roles that orbital missions cannot.
  • CubeSats and SmallSats may join this maturation ladder, but under current cost and schedule trends they are a complement to suborbital flight rather than a replacement.

Reading between the lines

Editorial extensions of the paper, not claims the author makes directly.

  • Inference: if GOMaP makes suborbital investment explicit, a testable leading indicator would be the number of HWO technology gaps that close after each suborbital flight; the paper lists active demonstrations but does not propose such a metric.
  • Inference: the same historical pattern implies that future Flagships beyond HWO, such as X-ray or far-infrared concepts, could begin suborbital technology campaigns now, before they enter the formal GOMaP pipeline.
  • Inference: the paper's occupational claim could generalize beyond principal investigators, with suborbital leadership serving as a measurable predictor of later success in systems engineering and program management roles as well.
  • Inference: if CubeSat cost and schedule trends continue, their role may settle as low-risk orbital science rather than maturation, leaving suborbital flight as the cheaper, faster maturation loop.
Share X Bluesky LinkedIn Reddit HN

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, and a circularity audit.

Referee Report

3 major / 6 minor

Summary. The paper reviews the role of NASA's suborbital sounding rocket and balloon programs in the context of the Great Observatories Maturation Program (GOMaP) established after Astro2020. It argues that suborbital programs have (1) produced scientific observations across the electromagnetic spectrum, (2) matured technologies relevant to the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), and (3) trained principal investigators of Explorer-class missions. The evidence is organized as a series of examples in Section 3.1, a mapping of HWO technology gaps to funded suborbital programs in Table 2, and a 12-mission survey of Explorer PI/instrument heritage in Table 3. Section 4 briefly discusses airborne observatories, CubeSats, and SmallSats, and Section 5 concludes with recommendations for GOMaP to leverage suborbital programs.

Significance. The paper is a useful and generally well-referenced synthesis of a widely held view within the NASA astrophysics community, corroborated by NRC 2010 and Astro2020. Its potential significance lies in making the case for suborbital programs as a deliberate maturation pathway for GOMaP, providing a consolidated set of examples and two summary tables. The most novel element is Table 3, which attempts a quantitative demonstration of the personnel-training claim. The paper includes a disclosure that the author benefits from suborbital funding, which is good practice. However, the quantitative support in Table 3 is not yet reproducible, which weakens the paper's original contribution.

major comments (3)
  1. [§3.3, Table 3] The central quantitative claim that 'nearly every Explorer principal investigator' has suborbital heritage (abstract and §3.3) rests entirely on Table 3, but the table's classification is not reproducible. No definition is given for 'extensive role' or 'instrument heritage'; two entries (TESS PI, SWAS PI) cite personal communications (refs 89 and 109); and the SWAS PI entry credits 'Airborne & Balloons' even though §4 states that airborne observatories 'are not directly comparable to traditional suborbital programs.' As printed the table credits 11 of 12 PIs, so the headline fraction is not wrong, but the reader cannot verify the assignments or apply the same criteria to future missions. The author should state the inclusion criteria for heritage, mark each entry as based on published evidence, personal communication, or author judgment, and reconcile the SWAS airborne designation with §4. If a consistent rubric lowers the 11/12 figure, the 'nearly every' wording should be adjusted accordingly.
  2. [§3.3] Even with a reproducible rubric, Table 3 by itself does not support the causal statement that suborbital programs 'served as a training ground' for Explorer PIs (abstract, §3.3), because no comparison population or baseline is provided. For a claim of this type, the relevant quantity is not the fraction of PIs with suborbital heritage but whether that fraction exceeds the background rate of suborbital involvement among senior astronomers. The paper should either add such a baseline (or cite one) or soften the language to say that Explorer PIs have frequently had suborbital experience, consistent with the qualitative NRC and Astro2020 statements cited in §3. As written, the causal claim is overreach relative to the evidence presented.
  3. [Table 2, §3.2] The technology-maturation pillar asserts that suborbital programs have 'matured high-priority component technologies' (abstract). Table 2 lists 'funded suborbital demonstrations' for each HWO gap, but the table does not show which of these programs have actually flown, been recovered, and advanced the technology readiness level (TRL); a funded program that is planned is not a demonstration. The text's hedge ('have flown in the past several years and/or are planned to be demonstrated') makes the table's evidential value unclear. Please add a column or notation indicating flight status (flown, recovered, completed multiple flights) and, where available, the TRL achieved, or explicitly label the table as a list of active programs rather than completed demonstrations. Also, the MOBIUS row lacks a reference.
minor comments (6)
  1. [Throughout] Typographical errors: Ref. 12 'Reserach'; Ref. 2 'Millenium'; Ref. 65 'bienniel'; §4 'will will fly'; §5 'Suborbital project have'; Table 3 header 'Launch Y ear'.
  2. [Keywords] The abbreviation 'GOMAP' in the keywords is inconsistent with 'GOMaP' used throughout the text; use one form consistently.
  3. [§3.2, Ref. 77] The Unicode rendering 'N¨uv¨u' for the NuVu controller should be fixed to standard text.
  4. [Table 1, footnote] The footnote 'Only three astrophysics CubeSats have launched at the time of this review' is a snapshot that will quickly be outdated; consider adding the manuscript's date of writing or rephrasing to 'as of early 2025'.
  5. [§4] The statement that the number of CubeSats 'will increase threefold' is ambiguous; clarify the expected total after the 2025 launches.
  6. [§3.3] The sentence about 'three postdoctoral scholars ... each of whom has now progressed to faculty positions ... and earned NASA Roman Technology Fellowships' should clarify whether each person earned a fellowship or whether this refers to the group collectively; add a reference or citation where appropriate.

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged · score 0.0 of 10

No circularity: the review's claims rest on external decadal reports and cited mission literature; Table 3's heritage rubric is a reproducibility caveat, not a circular step.

full rationale

This is a narrative review with no mathematical derivation, fitted parameters, or predictive model, so the standard circularity mechanisms—self-definitional identities, fitted-input predictions, imported uniqueness theorems, or ansatz smuggled in via citation—do not apply. The central claims, that suborbital programs produced science, matured technologies, and trained Explorer PIs, are supported by an external evidence base: the NRC 2010 report, Astro2020, and a catalog of individually cited missions. The most load-bearing original element, Table 3's 'PI Heritage' classification, is an author-assembled historical judgment; its rubric for 'extensive role' is not stated, two entries rely on personal communications, and SWAS is credited via 'Airborne & Balloons' even though Section 4 excludes airborne observatories as 'not directly comparable to traditional suborbital programs.' This is a reproducibility and definitional-consistency weakness, not circularity: the 11-of-12 count is an empirical claim that could in principle be re-scored against an explicit rubric, and the programmatic recommendation does not rest on this table alone because the same workforce claim appears in the cited NRC and Astro2020 reports. The author's disclosed participation in APRA-funded suborbital work creates a conflict-of-interest consideration, but the supporting examples are published, externally checkable, and do not presuppose the paper's conclusion. No claim reduces to its own input.

Assumptions & free parameters 0 free parameters · 2 assumptions · 0 invented entities

This review paper does not introduce free parameters or invented entities. It relies on the authority of cited decadal reports and mission histories, and on the author's subjective coding of heritage in Table 3. The axiomatic content is therefore limited to trust in secondary sources and in the meaningfulness of the heritage categories.

assumptions (2)
  • domain assumption The cited mission histories and decadal/NRC reports accurately represent NASA's suborbital programs and their impacts.
    The paper's evidence chain relies on secondary sources (e.g., refs 1, 12) rather than original data. Sections 3.1-3.3 cite these to support claims of science, technology, and workforce contributions.
  • ad hoc to paper Suborbital heritage, as characterized in Table 3, is a meaningful indicator of later mission readiness.
    Table 3 categorizes Explorer instruments and PIs by 'heritage' using the author's criteria; the claim 'nearly every PI' depends on this categorization. No formal rubric is given.

how reviews work

0 comments
Cite this review

Pith. "Pith review of Great Observatories Maturation: a Review of NASA Astrophysics Development Through Suborbital Rocket and Balloon Programs." pith.science (2026). https://pith.science/paper/HL4SJFBA

@misc{pith2026250707289,
  author       = {Pith},
  title        = {Pith review of: Great Observatories Maturation: a Review of NASA Astrophysics Development Through Suborbital Rocket and Balloon Programs},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://pith.science/paper/HL4SJFBA}},
  note         = {Machine review of arXiv:2507.07289}
}
read the original abstract

The NASA Great Observatories Maturation Program is a development plan to efficiently and effectively develop large, strategic astrophysics missions. Suborbital rocket and balloon programs have long been a key development tool for enabling large missions in NASA astrophysics. We review the significance of these suborbital missions in the preceding decades to demonstrate their contributions to the Great Observatories Maturation Program for the Habitable Worlds Observatory and beyond. We show that suborbital instruments have obtained new science observations of astrophysical sources across the electromagnetic spectrum, matured high-priority component technologies, and served as a training ground for principal investigators of Explorer-class astrophysics satellites. A brief discussion of emerging CubeSat and SmallSat missions and their place in the NASA astrophysics portfolio is also provided.

Discussion (0). Continue with ORCID to comment.

Reference graph

Works this paper leans on

126 extracted references · 74 canonical work pages

  1. [1]

    National Academies of Sciences Engineering, and Medicine , Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s , Washington, DC: The National Academies Press (2021)

    2021

  2. [2]

    National Research Council , Astronomy and Astrophysics in the New Millenium , Washington, DC: The National Academies Press (2001)

    2001

  3. [3]

    N. R. Council, New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics , The National Academies Press, Washington, DC (2010)

    2010

  4. [4]

    D. A. Kniffen , `` The Gamma-Ray Observatory ,'' Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 571 , 482--496 (1989)

    1989

  5. [5]

    M. C. Weisskopf , H. D. Tananbaum , L. P. Van Speybroeck , et al. , `` Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO): overview ,'' in X-Ray Optics, Instruments, and Missions III , J. E. Truemper and B. Aschenbach , Eds., Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) Conference Series 4012 , 2--16 (2000)

    2000

  6. [6]

    M. W. Werner , T. L. Roellig , F. J. Low , et al. , `` The Spitzer Space Telescope Mission ,'' 154 , 1--9 (2004)

    2004

  7. [7]

    Feinberg , J

    L. Feinberg , J. Ziemer , M. Ansdell , et al. , `` The Habitable Worlds Observatory engineering view: status, plans, and opportunities ,'' in Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave , L. E. Coyle , S. Matsuura , and M. D. Perrin , Eds., Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) Conference Series 13...

    2024

  8. [8]

    Moran, `` NASA's Balloon Program .'' https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/31302/

    A. Moran, `` NASA's Balloon Program .'' https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/31302/

Show all 126 references
  1. [9]

    W. M. Harris and J. B. Corliss , `` Performance and validation of a suborbital FUV spatial heterodyne spectro-polarimeter optimized for wide-field observations of interplanetary hydrogen ,'' in Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2014: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray , T. Takahashi ...

    2014

  2. [10]

    E. M. Witt , B. T. Fleming , J. C. Green , et al. , `` INFUSE: preflight performance of a rocket-borne FUV integral field spectrograph ,'' in UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XXIII , O. H. Siegmund and K. Hoadley , Eds., Society of Photo-Optical Ins...

    2023

  3. [11]

    Halferty , D

    G. Halferty , D. Vorobiev , B. Fleming , et al. , `` Design of the spectroscopic ultraviolet multi-object observatory (SUMO) prototype for deployment on the INFUSE sounding rocket ,'' in UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XXIII , O. H. Siegmund and K....

    2023

  4. [12]

    National Reserach Council , Revitalizing NASA's Suborbital Program: Advancing Science, Driving Innovation, and Developing Workforce , Washington, DC: The National Academies Press (2010)

    2010

  5. [13]

    Correspondent , `` X-ray Astronomy: Uhuru Dominates Madrid Meeting ,'' 237 , 369--370 (1972)

    A. Correspondent , `` X-ray Astronomy: Uhuru Dominates Madrid Meeting ,'' 237 , 369--370 (1972)

    1972

  6. [14]

    Giacconi , H

    R. Giacconi , H. Gursky , F. R. Paolini , et al. , `` Evidence for x Rays From Sources Outside the Solar System ,'' Physical Review Letters 9 , 439--443 (1962)

    1962

  7. [15]

    Giacconi , H

    R. Giacconi , H. Gursky , and J. R. Waters , `` Two Sources of Cosmic X-rays in Scorpius and Sagittarius ,'' 204 , 981--982 (1964)

    1964

  8. [16]

    R. J. Grader , R. W. Hill , F. D. Seward , et al. , `` X-Ray Spectra from Three Cosmic Sources ,'' Science 152 , 1499--1504 (1966)

    1966

  9. [17]

    R. J. Grader , R. W. Hill , and F. D. Seward , `` Soft x-Rays from a New Source in the Constellation Vela. ,'' The Astronomical Journal Supplement 73 , 179 (1968)

    1968

  10. [18]

    J. R. Smith, Y. Amare, T. Anderson, et al. , `` Measurement of Cosmic-Ray Nuclei with the Third Flight of the CREAM Balloon-Borne Experiment ,'' PoS ICRC2017 , 198 (2017)

    2017

  11. [19]

    K. Abe , H. Fuke , S. Haino , et al. , `` The results from BESS-Polar experiment ,'' Advances in Space Research 60 , 806--814 (2017)

    2017

  12. [20]

    W. R. Binns , R. G. Bose , D. L. Braun , et al. , `` The SUPERTIGER Instrument: Measurement of Elemental Abundances of Ultra-Heavy Galactic Cosmic Rays ,'' 788 , 18 (2014)

    2014

  13. [21]

    R. P. Murphy , M. Sasaki , W. R. Binns , et al. , `` Galactic Cosmic Ray Origins and OB Associations: Evidence from SuperTIGER Observations of Elements _ 26 Fe through _ 40 Zr ,'' 831 , 148 (2016)

    2016

  14. [22]

    Walsh , B

    N. Walsh , B. Rauch , W. Zober , et al. , `` Analysis Progress: SuperTIGER Abundances of Galactic Cosmic Rays for the Atomic Number (Z) Interval 40 to 56 ,'' in APS April Meeting Abstracts , APS Meeting Abstracts 2023 , P01.020 (2023)

    2023

  15. [23]

    Kierans , S

    C. Kierans , S. Boggs , J. L. Chiu , et al. , `` The 2016 Super Pressure Balloon flight of the Compton Spectrometer and Imager ,'' in 11th INTEGRAL Conference Gamma-Ray Astrophysics in Multi-Wavelength Perspective , 75 (2016)

    2016

  16. [24]

    C. A. Kierans , S. E. Boggs , A. Zoglauer , et al. , `` Detection of the 511 keV Galactic Positron Annihilation Line with COSI ,'' 895 , 44 (2020)

    2020

  17. [25]

    Siegert , S

    T. Siegert , S. E. Boggs , J. A. Tomsick , et al. , `` Imaging the 511 keV Positron Annihilation Sky with COSI ,'' 897 , 45 (2020)

    2020

  18. [26]

    C. M. Karwin , T. Siegert , J. Beechert , et al. , `` Probing the Galactic Diffuse Continuum Emission with COSI ,'' 959 , 90 (2023)

    2023

  19. [27]

    A. W. Lowell , S. E. Boggs , C. L. Chiu , et al. , `` Polarimetric Analysis of the Long Duration Gamma-Ray Burst GRB 160530A With the Balloon Borne Compton Spectrometer and Imager ,'' The Astrophysical Journal 848 , 119 (2017)

    2017

  20. [28]

    Tomsick , A

    J. Tomsick , A. Zoglauer , C. Sleator , et al. , `` The Compton Spectrometer and Imager ,'' in Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society , 51 , 98 (2019)

    2019

  21. [29]

    F. A. Harrison , S. E. Boggs , A. E. Bolotnikov , et al. , `` Development of the High-Energy Focusing Telescope (HEFT) balloon experiment ,'' in X-Ray Optics, Instruments, and Missions III , J. E. Truemper and B. Aschenbach , Eds., Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engi...

    2000

  22. [30]

    J. A. Gaskin , S. D. Christe , R. F. Elsner , et al. , `` SuperHERO: the next generation hard x-ray HEROES telescope ,'' in Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2014: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray , T. Takahashi , J.-W. A. den Herder , and M. Bautz , Eds., Society of Photo-Optical ...

    2014

  23. [31]

    Abarr , M

    Q. Abarr , M. Baring , B. Beheshtipour , et al. , `` Observations of a GX 301-2 Apastron Flare with the X-Calibur Hard X-Ray Polarimeter Supported by NICER, the Swift XRT and BAT, and Fermi GBM ,'' 891 , 70 (2020)

    2020

  24. [32]

    Wulf , M

    D. Wulf , M. E. Eckart , M. Galeazzi , et al. , `` A High Spectral Resolution Study of the Soft X-Ray Background with the X-Ray Quantum Calorimeter ,'' 884 , 120 (2019)

    2019

  25. [33]

    Micro-X Collaboration , J. S. Adams , R. Baker , et al. , `` First flight performance of the Micro-X microcalorimeter X-ray sounding rocket ,'' Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems 9 , 034001 (2023)

    2023

  26. [34]

    Hoadley , K

    K. Hoadley , K. France , N. Nell , et al. , `` CHESS: An innovative concept for high-resolution, far-UV spectroscopy ,'' Experimental Astronomy 50 , 233--264 (2020)

    2020

  27. [35]

    Kruczek , N

    N. Kruczek , N. Nell , K. France , et al. , `` The fourth flight of CHESS: spectral resolution enhancements for high-resolution FUV spectroscopy ,'' in Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2018: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray , J.-W. A. den Herder , S. Nikzad , and K. Nakazawa , Eds...

    2018

  28. [36]

    Nell , K

    N. Nell , K. France , N. Kruczek , et al. , `` The assembly, characterization, and performance of SISTINE ,'' Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems 10 , 035003 (2024)

    2024

  29. [37]

    Erickson , J

    N. Erickson , J. Green , N. Nell , et al. , `` DEUCE: a sounding-rocket ultraviolet spectrograph for flux-calibrated B star observations across the Lyman limit ,'' Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems 7 , 015002 (2021)

    2021

  30. [38]

    O. F. Littleton , `` GUSTO Breaks NASA Scientific Balloon Record for Days in Flight .'' https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/goddard/gusto-breaks-nasa-scientific-balloon-record-for-days-in-flight/ (2024)

    2024

  31. [39]

    Walker , C

    C. Walker , C. Kulesa , A. Young , et al. , `` Gal/Xgal U/LDB Spectroscopic/Stratospheric THz Observatory: GUSTO ,'' in Millimeter, Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy XI , J. Zmuidzinas and J.-R. Gao , Eds., Society of Photo-Optical Ins...

    2022

  32. [40]

    Walker , C

    C. Walker , C. Kulesa , P. Bernasconi , et al. , `` The Stratospheric THz Observatory (STO) ,'' in Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes III , L. M. Stepp , R. Gilmozzi , and H. J. Hall , Eds., Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) Conference Series 7733 , 7...

    2010

  33. [41]

    Y. M. Seo , P. F. Goldsmith , C. K. Walker , et al. , `` Probing ISM Structure in Trumpler 14 and Carina I Using the Stratospheric Terahertz Observatory 2 ,'' 878 , 120 (2019)

    2019

  34. [42]

    P. D. Mauskopf , P. A. R. Ade , P. de Bernardis , et al. , `` Measurement of a Peak in the Cosmic Microwave Background Power Spectrum from the North American Test Flight of Boomerang ,'' 536 , L59--L62 (2000)

    2000

  35. [43]

    Hanany , P

    S. Hanany , P. Ade , A. Balbi , et al. , `` MAXIMA-1: A Measurement of the Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropy on Angular Scales of 10'-5 ,'' 545 , L5--L9 (2000)

    2000

  36. [44]

    de Bernardis , P

    P. de Bernardis , P. A. R. Ade , J. J. Bock , et al. , `` A flat Universe from high-resolution maps of the cosmic microwave background radiation ,'' 404 , 955--959 (2000)

    2000

  37. [45]

    Balbi , P

    A. Balbi , P. Ade , J. Bock , et al. , `` Constraints on Cosmological Parameters from MAXIMA-1 ,'' 545 , L1--L4 (2000)

    2000

  38. [46]

    J. M. Nagy , P. A. R. Ade , M. Amiri , et al. , `` A New Limit on CMB Circular Polarization from SPIDER ,'' 844 , 151 (2017)

    2017

  39. [47]

    P. A. R. Ade , M. Amiri , S. J. Benton , et al. , `` A Constraint on Primordial B-modes from the First Flight of the SPIDER Balloon-borne Telescope ,'' 927 , 174 (2022)

    2022

  40. [48]

    N. N. Gandilo , P. A. R. Ade , F. E. Angil \`e , et al. , `` Submillimeter Polarization Spectrum in the Vela C Molecular Cloud ,'' 824 , 84 (2016)

    2016

  41. [49]

    J. A. Shariff , P. A. R. Ade , F. E. Angil \`e , et al. , `` Submillimeter Polarization Spectrum of the Carina Nebula ,'' 872 , 197 (2019)

    2019

  42. [50]

    M. J. Devlin , P. A. R. Ade , I. Aretxaga , et al. , `` Over half of the far-infrared background light comes from galaxies at z>=1.2 ,'' 458 , 737--739 (2009)

    2009

  43. [51]

    Arai , S

    T. Arai , S. Matsuura , J. Bock , et al. , `` Measurements of the Mean Diffuse Galactic Light Spectrum in the 0.95-1.65 m Band from CIBER ,'' 806 , 69 (2015)

    2015

  44. [52]

    Matsuura , T

    S. Matsuura , T. Arai , J. J. Bock , et al. , `` New Spectral Evidence of an Unaccounted Component of the Near-infrared Extragalactic Background Light from the CIBER ,'' 839 , 7 (2017)

    2017

  45. [53]

    P. M. Korngut , M. G. Kim , T. Arai , et al. , `` Inferred Measurements of the Zodiacal Light Absolute Intensity through Fraunhofer Absorption Line Spectroscopy with CIBER ,'' 926 , 133 (2022)

    2022

  46. [54]

    Takimoto , T

    K. Takimoto , T. Arai , S. Matsuura , et al. , `` Polarization Spectrum of Near-Infrared Zodiacal Light Observed with CIBER ,'' 926 , 6 (2022)

    2022

  47. [55]

    M. G. Kim , H. M. Lee , T. Arai , et al. , `` Low-Resolution Near-infrared Stellar Spectra Observed by the Cosmic Infrared Background Experiment (CIBER) ,'' 153 , 84 (2017)

    2017

  48. [56]

    Cheng , T

    Y.-T. Cheng , T. Arai , P. Bangale , et al. , `` Probing Intra-Halo Light with Galaxy Stacking in CIBER Images ,'' 919 , 69 (2021)

    2021

  49. [57]

    P. M. Korngut , J. J. Bock , R. Akeson , et al. , `` SPHEREx: an all-sky NIR spectral survey ,'' in Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2018: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave , M. Lystrup , H. A. MacEwen , G. G. Fazio , et al. , Eds., Society of Photo-Optical Instrument...

    2018

  50. [58]

    P. W. Gorham , P. Allison , O. Banerjee , et al. , `` Constraints on the ultrahigh-energy cosmic neutrino flux from the fourth flight of ANITA ,'' Physical Review D 99 , 122001 (2019)

    2019

  51. [59]

    A. S. Gill , S. J. Benton , C. J. Damaren , et al. , `` SuperBIT Superpressure Flight Instrument Overview and Performance: Near diffraction-limited Astronomical Imaging from the Stratosphere ,'' The Astronomical Journal 168 , 85 (2024)

    2024

  52. [60]

    S. R. McCandliss , P. D. Feldman , H. Weaver , et al. , `` Far-ultraviolet Observations of Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) from FORTIS ,'' 152 , 65 (2016)

    2016

  53. [61]

    Shimizu , N

    R. Shimizu , N. Narukage , T. Sakao , et al. , `` Evaluation of a CMOS sensor for solar flare soft x-ray imaging spectroscopy onboard the sounding rocket experiment FOXSI-4 ,'' in X-Ray, Optical, and Infrared Detectors for Astronomy XI , A. D. Holland and K. Minoglou , Eds., S...

    2024

  54. [62]

    Deal , `` GUSTO Breaks NASA Scientific Balloon Record for Days in Flight .'' Hi-C Rocket Experiment Achieves Never-Before-Seen Look at Solar Flares (2024)

    J. Deal , `` GUSTO Breaks NASA Scientific Balloon Record for Days in Flight .'' Hi-C Rocket Experiment Achieves Never-Before-Seen Look at Solar Flares (2024)

    2024

  55. [63]

    Aschenbach , U

    B. Aschenbach , U. G. Briel , E. Pfeffermann , et al. , `` A search for soft X-rays from supernova 1987A ,'' 330 , 232--233 (1987)

    1987

  56. [64]

    A. N. Bunner , `` NASA's program for observing supernova 1987A ,'' in Nuclear Spectroscopy of Astrophysical Sources , N. Gehrels and G. H. Share , Eds., American Institute of Physics Conference Series 170 , 43--50, AIP (1988)

    1988

  57. [65]

    R. B. Rivera , Astrophysics Bienniel Technology Report 2024 , National Aeronautics and Space Administration (2024)

    2024

  58. [66]

    A. D. Jewell , E. T. Hamden , H. R. Ong , et al. , `` Detector performance for the FIREBall-2 UV experiment ,'' in UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XIX , O. H. Siegmund , Ed., Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) Conference Seri...

    2015

  59. [67]

    B. T. Fleming , S. R. McCandliss , K. Redwine , et al. , `` Calibration and flight qualification of FORTIS ,'' in UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XVIII , O. H. Siegmund , Ed., Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) Conference Ser...

    2013

  60. [68]

    Corliss and M

    J. Corliss and M. Hoenk , `` High-Resolution Spectroscopy of Far UV Hydrogen Emission from Star Forming Regions using Spatial Heterodyne Interferometry .'' NASA Prop. ID 22-APRA22-129 (2022)

    2022

  61. [69]

    Kyne , E

    G. Kyne , E. T. Hamden , S. Nikzad , et al. , `` Delta-doped electron-multiplying CCDs for FIREBall-2 ,'' Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems 6 , 011007 (2020)

    2020

  62. [70]

    P. R. Behr , N. Nell , N. E. Kruczek , et al. , `` The SISTINE-3 sounding rocket payload: calibration and in-flight performance ,'' in UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XXIII , O. H. Siegmund and K. Hoadley , Eds., Society of Photo-Optical Instrument...

    2023

  63. [71]

    Kutyrev , M

    A. Kutyrev , M. Greenhouse , M.-P. Chang , et al. , `` Scalable microshutter focal plane masks for UV, visible, and infrared spectroscopy ,'' in UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XXIII , O. H. Siegmund and K. Hoadley , Eds., Society of Photo-Optical ...

    2023

  64. [72]

    Nell , N

    N. Nell , N. Kruczek , K. France , et al. , `` FLUID: a rocket-borne pathfinder instrument for high efficiency UV band selection imaging ,'' in UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XXIII , O. H. Siegmund and K. Hoadley , Eds., Society of Photo-Optical I...

    2023

  65. [73]

    Carlson , S

    M. Carlson , S. McCandliss , R. McEntaffer , et al. , `` Generating electron beam lithography write parameters from the FORTIS holographic grating solution ,'' in UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XXII , O. H. Siegmund , Ed., Society of Photo-Optical...

    2021

  66. [74]

    M. K. Matuszewski , The Faint Intergalactic Redshifted Emission Balloon and the Cosmic Web Imager : Two integral field spectrographs designed to study emission from the intergalactic medium . PhD thesis, California Institute of Technology (2012)

    2012

  67. [75]

    Grange , B

    R. Grange , B. Milliard , R. McLean , et al. , `` Three-dimensional spectroscopy with a fiber-fed NUV spectrograph ,'' in UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XIV , O. H. W. Siegmund , Ed., Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) Confe...

    2005

  68. [76]

    Grange , G

    R. Grange , G. R. Lemaitre , S. Quiret , et al. , `` Multi object spectrograph of the Fireball balloon experiment ,'' in Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2014: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray , T. Takahashi , J.-W. A. den Herder , and M. Bautz , Eds., Society of Photo-Optical Ins...

    2014

  69. [77]

    Daigle , J

    O. Daigle , J. Turcotte , O. Djazovski , et al. , `` TRL-5 EMCCD controller for space applications ,'' in Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2018: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave , M. Lystrup , H. A. MacEwen , G. G. Fazio , et al. , Eds., Society of Photo-Optical Inst...

    2018

  70. [78]

    Mennesson , V

    B. Mennesson , V. P. Bailey , R. Zellem , et al. , `` The Roman Space Telescope coronagraph technology demonstration: current status and relevance to future missions ,'' in Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2022: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave , L. E. Coyle , S. Mat...

    2022

  71. [79]

    Picouet, G

    V. Picouet, G. Kyne, E. Hamden, et al. , `` Delta-doped electron-multiplying charge-coupled device for photon-starved ultraviolet astronomy: modeling, performance, trade-offs, and prospects for future upgrades ,'' Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems 11...

    2025

  72. [80]

    Beechert, H

    J. Beechert, H. Lazar, S. E. Boggs, et al. , ``Calibrations of the compton spectrometer and imager,'' Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment 1031 , 166510 (2022)

    2022

  73. [81]

    S. R. Kulkarni , F. A. Harrison , B. W. Grefenstette , et al. , `` Science with the Ultraviolet Explorer (UVEX) ,'' arXiv e-prints , arXiv:2111.15608 (2021)

    2021 arXiv

  74. [82]

    C. H. Nguyen , B. Stewart , S.-C. Bang , et al. , `` Integration and instrument characterization of the cosmic infrared background experiment 2 (CIBER-2) ,'' in Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2018: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave , M. Lystrup , H. A. MacEwen , G. ...

    2018

  75. [83]

    Bock , I

    J. Bock , I. Sullivan , T. Arai , et al. , `` The Cosmic Infrared Background Experiment (CIBER): The Wide-field Imagers ,'' The Astrophysical Journal Supplement 207 , 32 (2013)

    2013

  76. [84]

    Gualtieri , J

    R. Gualtieri , J. P. Filippini , P. A. R. Ade , et al. , `` SPIDER: CMB Polarimetry from the Edge of Space ,'' Journal of Low Temperature Physics 193 , 1112--1121 (2018)

    2018

  77. [85]

    M. C. Weisskopf , P. Soffitta , L. Baldini , et al. , `` The Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE): Pre-Launch ,'' Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems 8 , 026002 (2022)

    2022

  78. [86]

    M. C. Weisskopf , H. Helava , and R. S. Wolff , `` An Upper Limit to an X-Ray Point Source at the Center of the Cygnus Loop ,'' The Astrophysical Journal Letters 194 , L71 (1974)

    1974

  79. [87]

    B. D. Ramsey , J. A. Apple , K. L. Dietz , et al. , `` Marshall Space Flight Center imaging x-ray experiment (MIXE) ,'' in EUV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Instrumentation for Astronomy IV , O. H. Siegmund , Ed., Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) Conference Se...

    1993

  80. [88]

    G. R. Ricker , J. N. Winn , R. Vanderspek , et al. , `` Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) ,'' in Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2014: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave , J. Oschmann , Jacobus M., M. Clampin , G. G. Fazio , et al. , Eds., Society of Photo-...

    2014

  81. [89]

    G. Ricker. personal communication

  82. [90]

    G. R. Ricker , M. Gerassimenko , J. E. McClintock , et al. , `` Upper Limits to the High-Energy X-Ray Flux from 16 X-Ray Sources and 10 Pulsars ,'' The Astrophysical Journal Letters 186 , L111 (1973)

    1973

  83. [91]

    F. A. Harrison , W. W. Craig , F. E. Christensen , et al. , `` The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) High-energy X-Ray Mission ,'' 770 , 103 (2013)

    2013

  84. [92]

    F. A. Harrison , F. E. Christensen , W. Craig , et al. , `` Development of the HEFT and NuSTAR focusing telescopes ,'' Experimental Astronomy 20 , 131--137 (2005)

    2005

  85. [93]

    E. L. Wright , `` WISE: the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer ,'' in Infrared Systems and Photoelectronic Technology IV , E. L. Dereniak , J. P. Hartke , P. D. Levan , et al. , Eds., Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) Conference Series 7419 , 741902 (2009)

    2009

  86. [94]

    E. L. Wright , G. G. Fazio , and F. J. Low , `` A high-resolution far-infrared survey of the W31 region. ,'' 217 , 724--728 (1977)

    1977

  87. [95]

    Gehrels , G

    N. Gehrels , G. Chincarini , P. Giommi , et al. , `` The Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Mission ,'' 611 , 1005--1020 (2004)

    2004

  88. [96]

    J. A. Mendenhall , D. N. Burrows , L. J. Cawley , et al. , `` CCD sounding rocket observations of the soft x-ray background ,'' in EUV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Instrumentation for Astronomy VII , O. H. Siegmund and M. A. Gummin , Eds., Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Eng...

    1996

  89. [97]

    C. M. Stahle , D. Palmer , L. M. Bartlett , et al. , `` CdZnTe detectors for gamma-ray Burst ArcSecond Imaging and Spectroscopy (BASIS) ,'' Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A 380 , 486--489 (1996)

    1996

  90. [98]

    Gehrels , T

    N. Gehrels , T. L. Cline , W. S. Paciesas , et al. , `` Upper limits to the annihilation radiation luminosity of Centaurus A ,'' in Positron-Electron Pairs in Astrophysics , M. L. Burns , A. K. Harding , and R. Ramaty , Eds., American Institute of Physics Conference Series 101...

    1983

  91. [99]

    D. C. Martin , J. Fanson , D. Schiminovich , et al. , `` The Galaxy Evolution Explorer: A Space Ultraviolet Survey Mission ,'' The Astrophysical Journal Letters 619 , L1--L6 (2005)

    2005

  92. [100]

    Schiminovich , P

    D. Schiminovich , P. G. Friedman , C. Martin , et al. , `` The Narrowband Ultraviolet Imaging Experiment for Wide-Field Surveys. I. Dust-scattered Continuum ,'' 563 , L161--L164 (2001)

    2001

  93. [101]

    Martin , B

    C. Martin , B. Milliard , M. Viton , et al. , `` Deep UV photometry of galaxies & the extragalactic UV background ,'' in The ultraviolet universe at low and High redshift , W. H. Waller , Ed., American Institute of Physics Conference Series 408 , 73--82, AIP (1997)

    1997

  94. [102]

    Martin and S

    C. Martin and S. Bowyer , `` Evidence for an Extragalactic Component of the Far-Ultraviolet Background and Constraints on Galaxy Evolution for 0.1 < Z < 0.6 ,'' 338 , 677 (1989)

    1989

  95. [103]

    C. L. Bennett , M. Bay , M. Halpern , et al. , `` The Microwave Anisotropy Probe Mission ,'' 583 , 1--23 (2003)

    2003

  96. [104]

    S. T. Staggs , N. C. Jarosik , S. S. Meyer , et al. , `` An Absolute Measurement of the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation Temperature at 10.7 GHz ,'' The Astrophysical Journal Letters 473 , L1 (1996)

    1996

  97. [105]

    Moos , K

    W. Moos , K. Sembach , and L. Bianchi , `` Far Ultraviolet Astronomy and Origins: The FUSE Mission ,'' in Origins , C. E. Woodward , J. M. Shull , and H. A. Thronson , Jr., Eds., Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Series 148 , 304 (1998)

    1998

  98. [106]

    Wilkinson , J

    E. Wilkinson , J. C. Green , and W. Cash , `` The Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrograph: A Radial Groove Grating, Sounding Rocket--borne, Astronomical Instrument ,'' The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 89 , 211 (1993)

    1993

  99. [107]

    Weinstein , H

    A. Weinstein , H. W. Moos , and J. L. Linsky , `` A sensitive observation of the far-ultraviolet (1160 - 1700 A ) spectrum of Arcturus and implications for its outer atmosphere. ,'' The Astrophysical Journal 218 , 195--204 (1977)

    1977

  100. [108]

    G. J. Melnick , `` Submillimeter-wave astronomy satellite: science objectives and instrument description ,'' in Advanced Technology MMW, Radio, and Terahertz Telescopes , T. G. Phillips , Ed., Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) Conference Series 3357 , 3...

    1998

  101. [109]

    G. Melnick. personal communication

  102. [110]

    Melnick , G

    G. Melnick , G. E. Gull , M. Harwit , et al. , `` Observations of the 51.8 micron [O III] emission line in Orion. ,'' The Astrophysical Journal Letters 222 , L137--L140 (1978)

    1978

  103. [111]

    `` Nancy Grace Roman Technology Fellowship in Astrophysics .'' https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/sara/fellowship-programs/nancy-grace-roman-technology-fellowships-astrophysics-early-career-researchers/

  104. [112]

    R. D. Gehrz , E. E. Becklin , I. de Pater , et al. , `` A new window on the cosmos: The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) ,'' Advances in Space Research 44 , 413--432 (2009)

    2009

  105. [113]

    Kaaret , A

    P. Kaaret , A. Zajczyk , D. M. LaRocca , et al. , `` HaloSat: A CubeSat to Study the Hot Galactic Halo ,'' 884 , 162 (2019)

    2019

  106. [114]

    France , B

    K. France , B. Fleming , A. Egan , et al. , `` The Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment Mission Overview ,'' 165 , 63 (2023)

    2023

  107. [115]

    J. S. Perkins , I. Brewer , M. S. Briggs , et al. , `` BurstCube: a CubeSat for gravitational wave counterparts ,'' in Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2020: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray , J.-W. A. den Herder , S. Nikzad , and K. Nakazawa , Eds., Society of Photo-Optical Instr...

    2020

  108. [116]

    Fleming , `` Mapping the influence of massive stars ,'' Nature Astronomy 6 , 1213--1213 (2022)

    B. Fleming , `` Mapping the influence of massive stars ,'' Nature Astronomy 6 , 1213--1213 (2022)

    2022

  109. [117]

    Indahl , B

    B. Indahl , B. Fleming , D. Vorobiev , et al. , `` Status and mission operations of the SPRITE 12U CubeSat: a probe of star formation feedback from stellar to galactic scales with far-UV imaging spectroscopy ,'' in UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy X...

    2023

  110. [118]

    Jensen , J

    L. Jensen , J. Gamaunt , P. Scowen , et al. , `` Assembly, integration, and testing of the Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat (SPARCS) ,'' in Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray , J.-W. A. den Herder , S. Nikzad , and K. Nakazawa , Eds., Soci...

    2024

  111. [119]

    A. D. Jewell , C. Basset , S. Nikzad , et al. , `` Performance of the SPARCS UV camera and detectors ,'' in Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray , J.-W. A. den Herder , S. Nikzad , and K. Nakazawa , Eds., Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation ...

    2024

  112. [120]

    A. D. Falcone , J. M. Colosimo , M. Wages , et al. , `` BlackCAT: an upcoming soft x-ray coded aperture telescope on a 6U CubeSat ,'' in Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray , J.-W. A. den Herder , S. Nikzad , and K. Nakazawa , Eds., Society of P...

    2024

  113. [121]

    J. M. Colosimo , A. D. Falcone , M. Wages , et al. , `` Ground calibration of the BlackCAT CubeSat x-ray Coded Aperture Telescope ,'' in Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray , J.-W. A. den Herder , S. Nikzad , and K. Nakazawa , Eds., Society of P...

    2024

  114. [122]

    L. R. Stone , A. D. Falcone , J. M. Colosimo , et al. , `` Status of x-ray hybrid CMOS detector development efforts at PSU ,'' in X-Ray, Optical, and Infrared Detectors for Astronomy XI , A. D. Holland and K. Minoglou , Eds., Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers ...

    2024

  115. [123]

    Chung , C

    H. Chung , C. J. Vargas , E. Hamden , et al. , `` Aspera: the UV SmallSat telescope to detect and map the warm-hot gas phase in nearby galaxy halos ,'' in UV/Optical/IR Space Telescopes and Instruments: Innovative Technologies and Concepts X , A. A. Barto , J. B. Breckinridge ...

    2021

  116. [124]

    E. V. Quintana , J. L. Dotson , K. D. Col \'o n , et al. , `` The Pandora SmallSat: multiwavelength characterization of exoplanets and their host stars ,'' in Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2024: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave , L. E. Coyle , S. Matsuura , and M....

    2024

  117. [125]

    R. S. Woolf , D. Kocevski , J. E. Grove , et al. , `` Development of the sensor head for the StarBurst multimessenger pioneer ,'' Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A 1064 , 169329 (2024)

    2024

  118. [126]

    France , J

    K. France , J. Tumlinson , B. Fleming , et al. , `` SmallSat Technology Accelerated Maturation Platform-1: a proposal to advance ultraviolet science, workforce, and technology for the Habitable Worlds Observatory ,'' Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems...

    2024

Pith tools

Reviewed August 6, 2026 · model on record in the stance chip above.