NASA has selected as its next Explorer mission the Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe,Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx).The longest-running series of NASA missions,the Astrophysics Explorer Program began with Explorer I in 1958 and ran through the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) in 1989,until now it has totaled more than 90 missions to its credit.Explorer provides frequent,low-cost access to space in support of the Astrophysics and Heliophysics programs in NASA's Science Mission Directorate.*
According to NASA,SPHEREx addresses two basic questions:
1.how the universe evolved;and
2.how common the ingredients for life are in the Milky Way.It will probe the nature of physics that drove cosmic inflation in the early universe;determine the properties of interstellar ices,a key reservoir for water and biogenic material in the early phases of star and planet formation;and the cosmic history of galaxy formation.
SPHEREx will study the sky in both optical and near-infrared wavelengths,gathering data on over 300 million galaxies and more than 100 million stars,as well as our own Milky Way.Surveying the entire sky every six months,it will create the highest resolution colour all-sky map to date,in 96 colour bands.In the process of its work,the satellite will identify targets for further study by such missions as the James Webb Space Telescope and Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope.In the Milky Way,it will seek out water and organic molecules in stellar nurseries,where stars are born of gas and dust,as well as in planetary disks around stars,where new planets may form.*
Ball Aerospace,a subsidiary of Ball Corporation,is building the spacecraft and integrating the mission.James Bock of Caltech is principal investigator and the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory is mission manager.The spacecraft is slated for a 2023 launch.*
Ball Corporation,perhaps best known for its former line of canning jars,provides innovative,sustainable packaging solutions for beverage,personal care and household products customers;as well as aerospace and other technology and services primarily for the U.S. Government,the company says.*
Ball Corporation (BLL)
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