- Magdalena Ridge Observatory
-
Magdalena Ridge Observatory (MRO) 
MRO EmblemOrganization New Mexico Tech, United States Naval Research Laboratory Code H01 Location Socorro, New Mexico, USA CoordinatesAltitude 3,230 m (10,600 ft) Established 1999 Website
[1]TelescopesMRO 2.4m SINGLE Telescope 2.4 m reflector MRO Optical Interferometer 10x 1.4m reflector in an array Magdalena Ridge Observatory (MRO) is an astronomical observatory under construction in Socorro County, New Mexico about 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of the town of Socorro off the exit for Water Canyon US 60. MRO is an entity of New Mexico Tech's Office of Research and Economic Development. The observatory is located near the summit of South Baldy Mountain adjacent to Langmuir Laboratory for Atmospheric Research in the Magdalena Mountains at an elevation of 10,600 feet (3180 meters). When completed, the site will house two main instruments: a ten-element optical interferometer and a single 2.4-meter fast-tracking optical telescope. Magdalena Ridge Observatory is an international scientific collaboration, with the following institutions involved in the design and construction:
- New Mexico Tech (New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology) as host university
- University of Cambridge Cavendish Astrophysics Group as collaborator
The project is principally funded by the United States Naval Research Laboratory (or NRL, which incidentally collaborates with the United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station in the latter's running of another interferometer, the Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer (NPOI)). NRL is part of the Office of Naval Research.
The MRO Program Office consists of:
- Dr. Van Romero, Principal Investigator New Mexico Tech Vice President for Research & Economic Development
- Dr. David Westpfahl, Deputy Principal Investigator for Science New Mexico Tech Department of Physics Chairman
- Richard Cervantes, Deputy Principal Investigator for Finance New Mexico Tech Associate Vice President for Research & Economic Development
- Ifan Payne, Program Director (Interim)
- Darrell Brown, Contract Administrator & Administrative Staff Supervisor
Contents
Interferometer
The MRO Interferometer Project's mission is to develop an ambitious ten-element imaging interferometer to operate at wavelengths between 0.6 and 2.4 microns with baselines from 7.5 to 340m. Its primarily technical and scientific goals are to produce model-independent images of faint and complex astronomical targets at resolutions over 100 times that of the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Key Science Program includes the following three areas:
- Star and planet formation
- Stellar accretion and mass loss
- Active galactic nuclei
The MROI team has finished much of the design work and are beginning to build the major subsystems. The Beam Combining Facility and Delay Line Building were completed in early 2008. The telescopes, designed by Advanced Mechanical and Optical Systems (AMOS) of Belgium, are nearing their Final Design Review and we expect to start receiving them in early 2010. The optics for the first 6 telescopes are being figured at a local NM company, OST, in Albuquerque, NM. Many other subsystems have already been completed and recently highlighted at a SPIE meeting in France. Please look at our photo gallery, our publications and updates pages, or contact us directly.
Construction
Construction of the interferometer facility began in earnest in August 2006, when a contract to construct the 30,056-square-foot (2,792 m2) Beam Combining Facility (BCF) and Array Infrastructure was signed with general contractor K.L. House Construction Inc. of Albuquerque, New Mexico. K.L. House completed principal construction of the $7M facility in January 2008. The BCF will house both the primary administrative and scientific offices of the interferometer as well as many of the scientific instruments and equipment required to operate and control the facility. The Array Infrastructure comprises 28 telescope pads, each capable of powering and retrieving data from a telescope mounted upon it, and the underground beam paths to the BCF.
In July 2007, the contract for the design of the ten, 1.4 meter telescopes was let with AMOS S.A.; the first telescope is expected to arrive on site in late Summer 2010, with subsequent telescopes arriving at approximately 4-6 month intervals thereafter.
Personnel
Dr. Michelle Creech-Eakman, Interferometer Project Scientist
MROI also employs two System Architects, a Construction Representative (for the BCF), six Systems Engineers, an Information Technology Manager, an Instrument Scientist, a Visiting Scientist, a Site Characterization Scientist, an Optical Scientist, three Graduate Research Assistants as of May 2011.
2.4-meter SINGLE Telescope
SINGLE - Scientific Instrument for NEO, GEO, and LEO Exploration
When the Hubble Space Telescope was being constructed, NASA commissioned three identical 2.4m primary mirrors, the one that flew, and two backups as insurance. One of the two backups is in the Smithsonian and the other is the primary mirror of the 2.4m telescope. MRO's 2.4m telescope is capable of slew rates of 10 degrees per second allowing it to be used to observe objects in low-Earth orbit. The telescope will also be used for asteroid studies and observations of other solar system objects.[1] The 2.4-meter telescope achieved first light on October 31, 2006 and commenced operations on September 1, 2008 after a commissioning phase. As of October 2008, the facility is under a multi-year contract with NASA to provide tracking of LEO objects and support the GLAST space telescope program in addition to other projects and educational endeavors.
On October 9, 2009, New Mexico Tech scientists used instruments at this telescope and the Etscorn Campus Observatory to watch two controlled impacts of a NASA Centaur rocket at the southern polar region of the moon as a part of the LCROSS Project.[2]
Personnel
Dr. Eileen V. Ryan was the 2.4m Telescope Project Manager & Project Scientist and is now the Telescope Director
Dr. William Ryan, 2.4m Telescope's Telescope Scientist
The 2.4m Telescope also employs a Software/Systems Engineer and Maintenance Technician.2007 WD5 Tracking
During commissioning of the 2.4m Telescope, NASA asked MRO in December 2007 to conduct the tracking and characterization analysis of asteroid 2007 WD5. MRO scientists confirmed on January 2, 2008 that the odds of the asteroid hitting Mars had reduced from as high as a 1-in-25 chance to 1-in-28.[3] NASA and MRO scientists refined the odds to 0.01% a week later after further observations as the agency concluded that there was no chance the asteroid would impact the planet. Scientists also confirmed at that time that there was no chance the asteroid would hit either Mars or Earth in the next century; though the pass near Mars affected 2007 WD5's trajectory significantly and observers have since lost track of it, considering it 'lost'.
Site, Facilities, & Infrastructure
MRO SFI, is responsible for access to the facility via United States Forest Service (USFS) Road 235 (FSR235), facility construction and maintenance, vehicles and equipment, safety and security, and utilities.
Construction Stats
FSI reconstructed 8.5 miles (13.7 km) of FSR235 to improve access to the facility, installing 72 culverts and three wet crossings to improve storm drainage. FSI was also responsible for constructing 20 miles (32 km) of 3-phase 14.4 kV electrical power from the town of Magdalena, NM. To meet utility requirements, crews dug 7,800 ft (2,400 m) of new utility trenches to provide the power, potable water, fire water, and data communications; 1,200 ft (370 m) of this trench was hand dug on a 60% grade. The utility distribution trench required 20,000 yd (18,000 m)3 of excavation and 4,000 yd (3,700 m)3 of imported fill and almost 40,000 ft (12,000 m) of conduit and pipe. Construction of a 96,000 gallon water tank with an adjacent 640 sq ft (59 m2) pump house was completed during the summer of 2006. The pump house includes electric booster and domestic water pumps in addition to a diesel fire water pump. The fire pump can provide 750 gallons of water per minute. Over 350,000 gallons of water has been hauled to the site for long-term storage and construction.[4]
Personnel
John Murphy, Maintenance Supervisor
Johnny Sandoval, Construction Supervisor
Ed Iker, Maintenance Technician
Juan Pino, Heavy Equipment OperatorSee also
- List of observatories
- List of optical telescopes
- List of astronomical interferometers at visible and infrared wavelengths
- Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer
- Cambridge Optical Aperture Synthesis Telescope (COAST)
- Extremely Large Telescope
- Giant Magellan Telescope
- Infrared Optical Telescope Array
- Palomar Testbed Interferometer
- Very Large Telescope
References
- ^ "2.4m Telescope". Magdalena Ridge Observatory. Archived from the original on 2006-06-20. http://web.archive.org/web/20060620100556/http://www.mro.nmt.edu/Telescope/index.php. Retrieved 2006-08-28.
- ^ Guegerich, Thom. "Magdalena Ridge Observatory Records Lunar Impacts for NASA". http://www.nmt.edu/mro-nasa-lunar-impact. Retrieved 2009-11-10.
- ^ Don Yeomans, Paul Chodas and Steve Chesley (January 2, 2008). "New Observations Slightly Decrease Mars Impact Probability". NASA/JPL Near-Earth Object Program Office. http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news154.html. Retrieved 2008-01-02.
- ^ Ifan Payne and Robert Selina (October 2, 2008). "Magdalena Ridge Observatory FSI". MRO Program Office. http://www.mro.nmt.edu/Projects/fsi.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-02.
External links
- Magdalena Ridge Observatory Official Website
- Magdalena Ridge Observatory Clear Sky Clock Forecasts of observing conditions.
- Weather Underground Station
- Magdalena Ridge Observatory - Interferometer Official Website, MRO Interferometer Project
- Description of the interferometer from Cambridge University website
- Detailed description of the array
- MRO-Interferometer Project Abstract
- MRO Facilities, Site, & Infrastructure Official Website, MRO Facilities, Site, & Infrastructure Project
Categories:- Astronomical observatories in New Mexico
- Cavendish Laboratory
- Interferometers
- Interferometric telescopes
- Buildings and structures in Socorro County, New Mexico
- New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
- Buildings and structures under construction in the United States
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
