Waspie_Dwarf Posted January 23, 2017 #1 Share Posted January 23, 2017 NASA reviewing UAH-led proposal for next-generation lunar astrophysics mission Quote Next-generation astrophysics research using the moon as home base and The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) as its world-class data center are the goals of a multiyear, $237 million NASA satellite mission proposed by a UAH astrophysicist’s collaborative group. Dr. Richard S. Miller is advancing the proposal for UAH, which is the lead institution. Nine other institutions nationally are collaborating on the Lunar Occultation Explorer (LOX) astrophysics mission, which employs a unique new technique to study supernovae and to establish the moon as a platform for astrophysics. The proposal was submitted to NASA’s Medium-class Explorer (MIDEX) program in December. A decision could come within the next six months. Read More: The University of Alabama in Huntsville Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merc14 Posted January 23, 2017 #2 Share Posted January 23, 2017 Waspie, is there a simple explanation for what the Lunar Occultation Technique is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspie_Dwarf Posted January 23, 2017 Author #3 Share Posted January 23, 2017 26 minutes ago, Merc14 said: Waspie, is there a simple explanation for what the Lunar Occultation Technique is? As I understand it, you allow the Moon to come between the satellite and the object of interest. The Moon blocks the signal from the object you are studying. Because you precisely know the position of the satellite you can precisely measure the position of the object of interest. Also, by observing the drop off of the signal, the angular size of the object can be determined. I am sure that there is much more to it than that, but it will need someone with more knowledge than I have to explain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merc14 Posted January 23, 2017 #4 Share Posted January 23, 2017 50 minutes ago, Waspie_Dwarf said: As I understand it, you allow the Moon to come between the satellite and the object of interest. The Moon blocks the signal from the object you are studying. Because you precisely know the position of the satellite you can precisely measure the position of the object of interest. Also, by observing the drop off of the signal, the angular size of the object can be determined. I am sure that there is much more to it than that, but it will need someone with more knowledge than I have to explain. Thanks, that clears it for me up. So the satellite will orbit the Moon and aim at and track an object just before occulting occurs to gather data about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspie_Dwarf Posted January 23, 2017 Author #5 Share Posted January 23, 2017 28 minutes ago, Merc14 said: So the satellite will orbit the Moon and aim at and track an object just before occulting occurs to gather data about. I think so. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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