Magdalena Ridge Observatory
Encyclopedia
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:
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:
----
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:
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.
. 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.
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.
----
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 rate
s 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. 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.
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. 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'.
----
235 (FSR
235), facility construction and maintenance, vehicles and equipment, safety and security, and utilities.
Johnny Sandoval, Construction Supervisor
Ed Iker, Maintenance Technician
Juan Pino, Heavy Equipment Operator
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
observatory
Observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...
under construction in Socorro County
Socorro County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*75.1% White*1.1% Black*11.7% Native American*1.2% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.8% Two or more races*8.1% Other races*48.5% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
about 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of the town of Socorro
Socorro, New Mexico
Socorro is a city in Socorro County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It stands in the Rio Grande Valley at an elevation of . The population was 9,051 at the 2010 census...
off the exit for Water Canyon US 60
U.S. Route 60
U.S. Route 60 is an east–west United States highway, running from the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast in Virginia to western Arizona. Despite the final "0" in its number, indicating a transcontinental designation, the 1926 route formerly ended in Springfield, Missouri, at its intersection...
. 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
Langmuir Laboratory for Atmospheric Research
The Langmuir Laboratory for Atmospheric Research is a scientific laboratory studying the cloud processes that produce lightning, hail, and rain, located in the Magdalena Mountains of central New Mexico in the United States...
in the Magdalena Mountains
Magdalena Mountains
The Magdalena Mountains are a small in area, but regionally high, mountain range in Socorro County, in west-central New Mexico in the southwestern United States. The highest point in the range is South Baldy, at 10,783 ft . The range runs roughly north-south and is about 18 miles long...
at an elevation of 10,600 feet (3180 meters). When completed, the site will house two main instruments: a ten-element optical interferometer
Astronomical interferometer
An astronomical interferometer is an array of telescopes or mirror segments acting together to probe structures with higher resolution by means of interferometry....
and a single 2.4-meter fast-tracking optical telescope
Telescope
A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...
. Magdalena Ridge Observatory is an international scientific collaboration, with the following institutions involved in the design and construction:
|
The project is principally funded by the United States Naval Research Laboratory
United States Naval Research Laboratory
The United States Naval Research Laboratory is the corporate research laboratory for the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps and conducts a program of scientific research and development. NRL opened in 1923 at the instigation of Thomas Edison...
(or NRL, which incidentally collaborates with the United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station
United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station
The United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station , is a scientific astronomical observatory operated as a Navy Echelon V command and the national dark-sky observing Facility/observatory subordinate to the United States Naval Observatory . USNO and NOFS are commands within the CNMOC claimancy,...
in the latter's running of another interferometer, the Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer (NPOI)
Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer
The Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer , is an astronomical interferometer operated by the United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station, in collaboration with the Naval Research Laboratory and The Lowell Observatory...
). NRL is part of the Office of Naval Research
Office of Naval Research
The Office of Naval Research , headquartered in Arlington, Virginia , is the office within the United States Department of the Navy that coordinates, executes, and promotes the science and technology programs of the U.S...
.
The MRO Program Office consists of:
----
Interferometer
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
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, 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
Figuring
Figuring is the process of final polishing of an optical surface to remove imperfections or modify the surface curvature to achieve the shape required for a given application.-Types of figuring:...
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 30056 square feet (2,792 m²) Beam Combining Facility (BCF) and Array Infrastructure was signed with general contractor K.L. House Construction Inc. of Albuquerque, New MexicoNew Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. 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
Telescope
A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...
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 ScientistMROI also employs two System Architects, a Construction Representative (for the BCF), six Systems Engineers, an Information Technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
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 ExplorationWhen the Hubble Space Telescope
Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope is a space telescope that was carried into orbit by a Space Shuttle in 1990 and remains in operation. A 2.4 meter aperture telescope in low Earth orbit, Hubble's four main instruments observe in the near ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared...
was being constructed, NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
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 rate
Slew rate
In electronics, the slew rate represents the maximum rate of change of a signal at any point in a circuit.Limitations in slew rate capability can give rise to non linear effects in electronic amplifiers...
s of 10 degrees per second allowing it to be used to observe objects in low-Earth orbit
Low Earth orbit
A low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km...
. The telescope will also be used for asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
studies and observations of other solar system
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
objects. The 2.4-meter telescope achieved first light
First light
In astronomy, first light is the first use of a telescope to take an astronomical image after it has been constructed. This is often not the first viewing using the telescope; optical tests have likely already been performed during daylight to adjust the components...
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
Low Earth orbit
A low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km...
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.
Personnel
Dr. Eileen V. Ryan was the 2.4m Telescope Project Manager & Project Scientist and is now the Telescope DirectorDr. William Ryan, 2.4m Telescope's Telescope Scientist
The 2.4m Telescope also employs a Software/Systems Engineer and Maintenance Technician.
2007 WD5 Tracking2007 WD5' is a diameter Apollo class near-Earth object and a Mars-crosser asteroid discovered on November 20, 2007, by Andrea Boattini of the Catalina Sky Survey. Early observations of 2007 WD5 caused excitement amongst the scientific community when it was estimated as having as high as a 1 in 25 chance...
During commissioning of the 2.4m Telescope, NASA asked MRO in December 2007 to conduct the tracking and characterization analysis of asteroidAsteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
2007 WD5
2007 WD5
' is a diameter Apollo class near-Earth object and a Mars-crosser asteroid discovered on November 20, 2007, by Andrea Boattini of the Catalina Sky Survey. Early observations of 2007 WD5 caused excitement amongst the scientific community when it was estimated as having as high as a 1 in 25 chance...
. MRO scientists confirmed on January 2, 2008 that the odds of the asteroid hitting Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
had reduced from as high as a 1-in-25 chance to 1-in-28. 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
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
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) RoadForest Highway
Forest Highways or Forest Routes are a category of roads within United States National Forests. They are built to connect the national forests to the existing state highway systems, and to provide improved access to recreational and logging areas....
235 (FSR
Forest Highway
Forest Highways or Forest Routes are a category of roads within United States National Forests. They are built to connect the national forests to the existing state highway systems, and to provide improved access to recreational and logging areas....
235), 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 (32.2 km) of 3-phase 14.4 kV electrical power from the town of Magdalena, NM. To meet utility requirements, crews dug 7800 ft (2,377.4 m) of new utility trenches to provide the power, potable water, fire water, and data communications; 1200 ft (365.8 m) of this trench was hand dug on a 60% grade. The utility distribution trench required 20000 yd (18,288 m)3 of excavation and 4000 yd (3,657.6 m)3 of imported fill and almost 40000 ft (12,192 m) of conduit and pipe. Construction of a 96,000 gallon water tank with an adjacent 640 sq ft (59.5 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.Personnel
John Murphy, Maintenance SupervisorJohnny Sandoval, Construction Supervisor
Ed Iker, Maintenance Technician
Juan Pino, Heavy Equipment Operator
See also
- List of observatories
- List of optical telescopes
- List of astronomical interferometers at visible and infrared wavelengths
- Navy Prototype Optical InterferometerNavy Prototype Optical InterferometerThe Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer , is an astronomical interferometer operated by the United States Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station, in collaboration with the Naval Research Laboratory and The Lowell Observatory...
- Cambridge Optical Aperture Synthesis Telescope (COAST)
- Extremely Large TelescopeExtremely Large TelescopeThe European Extremely Large Telescope is a ground-based extremely large telescope featuring an optical/near-infrared telescope of large size and advanced features that is being planned by the European Southern Observatory...
- Giant Magellan TelescopeGiant Magellan TelescopeThe Giant Magellan Telescope is a ground-based extremely large telescope planned for completion in 2018. It will consist of seven diameter primary segments, with the resolving power of a primary mirror and collecting area equivalent to one...
- Infrared Optical Telescope ArrayInfrared Optical Telescope ArrayThe Infrared Optical Telescope Array began with an agreement in 1988 among five Institutions, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Harvard University, the University of Massachusetts, the University of Wyoming, and MIT/Lincoln Laboratory, to build a two-telescope stellar interferometer for...
- Palomar Testbed InterferometerPalomar Testbed InterferometerThe Palomar Testbed Interferometer was a near-IR, long-baseline stellar interferometer located at Palomar Observatory in north San Diego County. It was built by Caltech/JPL and was intended to serve as a testbed for developing interferometric techniques to be used at the Keck Interferometer...
- Very Large TelescopeVery Large TelescopeThe Very Large Telescope is a telescope operated by the European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The VLT consists of four individual telescopes, each with a primary mirror 8.2m across, which are generally used separately but can be used together to...
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