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Canadian Scientists To Launch World’s Smallest Telescope Monday
The world’s smallest space telescope will be launching on Monday, aiming to push the boundaries of astronomy.
The telescope satellite was designed, assembled and deployed fast and relatively cheap, by the Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) of the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS).
Each of the BRIght Target Explorer (BRITE) satellites weigh less than 15 pounds, and are part of a new mission demonstrating that these space telescopes can be developed quickly, by a small team, at a cost within reach of many universities.
Nano-satellites like BRITE had previously just been used to study the earth and experiment with new technologies. However, scientists who built the future space dwellers say that BRITE has the potential to open an entirely new market for low-cost high-performance satellites.
BRITE is the first nano-satellite mission intended for astronomy and the first-ever astronomy constellation of any size. Previously, the MOST satellite held the record for the smallest astronomy satellite, and it was also designed and built in part by SFL and UTIAS.
http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/11127…ay-022413/
2013-02-24 07:01:57
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