NASA Looks to Build Huge Telescopes with Fluid Materials
2022-04-18
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1The American space agency NASA is experimenting with ways to build huge telescopes with fluid materials.
2Such devices could permit astronomers to examine older and more distant space objects.
3Bigger telescopes often lead to big, new discoveries.
4They can reach deeper into space, finding and collecting light at far greater distances than smaller equipment.
5In January, NASA announced the deployment of its "largest and most powerful" telescope ever built, the James Webb Space Telescope.
6It aims to build on the work of past telescopes,
7while gathering in-depth information on the early development of the universe.
8But NASA is seeking to greatly expand the size of its telescopes, up to 100 times over ones currently in use.
9One way to do this is to build lenses using fluid materials.
10NASA has been carrying out experiments to see if fluids can be used to create telescope lenses in microgravity conditions.
11The goal is to establish a method that could be used by astronauts in space to create lenses after transporting the necessary materials.
12Much of the research centers on exploring how liquids behave in microgravity.
13NASA notes in a description of its experiments that all liquids contain a force that holds them together at their surface.
14This force is called surface tension.
15On Earth, surface tension can keep very small drops of water together, in a perfect circle.
16But when the drops get bigger, the surface tension is broken and the drop's circular shape collapses.
17In space, the microgravity environment causes drops of water and other fluids to form perfect circles and stay that way.
18One experiment is called the Fluidic Telescope Experiment, or FLUTE.
19It is a joint project involving NASA's Ames Research Center in California, the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland and the Israel Institute of Technology, known as Technion.
20FLUTE's main investigator is Edward Balaban.
21He said in a statement the way liquids behave in microgravity can be a good fit for producing large telescopes or other optical elements.
22"In microgravity, liquids take on shapes that are useful for making lenses and mirrors," Balaban said.
23"So if we make them in space, they could be used to build telescopes that are dramatically bigger than was previously thought possible."
24FLUTE team members have carried out experiments on the ground and in the air to test different liquid materials.
25In one test, scientists combined water with chemical mixes in search of a good material to make telescope lenses.
26The tests simulated a weightless environment.
27Researchers involved in the experiments said they were able to easily create lenses in a container.
28They reported that the resulting lenses had surface qualities similar to, or even better than, lenses produced with costly equipment.
29In December, the FLUTE team carried out experiments on two zero gravity airplane flights.
30Such flights involve an airplane climbing and falling at different altitudes in an effort to produce brief microgravity conditions.
31The team had 50 chances to reach 15 to 20 second periods of microgravity for testing.
32Moran Bercovici, a professor of Mechanical Engineering at Technion, helped lead the experiments.
33He said the team used pumps to push different oil materials into a circular frame.
34In a few seconds, Bercovici said, "we were able to create a free-standing liquid lens - until the plane lifted upwards again and gravity kicked in and the oils oozed out."
35The experiment produced hardened lenses.
36Bercovici and his team plan to complete more experiments in the coming months to test how different fluids keep their shape in microgravity.
37One FLUTE project experiment will be carried out aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
38It is to be completed by private astronaut Eytan Stibbe, the second Israeli to go to space.
39He launched to the ISS on April 8, along with three other private astronauts.
40Stibbe will attempt to use polymer material, like in the Technion laboratory experiment, to create lenses in full microgravity.
41The lenses will then be transported back to Earth for close examination.
42Balaban said: "If our (ISS) experiment is successful, it will be the first time an optical component is made in space. It feels a bit like making history."
43I'm Caty Weaver. And I'm Bryan Lynn.
1The American space agency NASA is experimenting with ways to build huge telescopes with fluid materials. Such devices could permit astronomers to examine older and more distant space objects. 2Bigger telescopes often lead to big, new discoveries. They can reach deeper into space, finding and collecting light at far greater distances than smaller equipment. 3In January, NASA announced the deployment of its "largest and most powerful" telescope ever built, the James Webb Space Telescope. It aims to build on the work of past telescopes, while gathering in-depth information on the early development of the universe. 4But NASA is seeking to greatly expand the size of its telescopes, up to 100 times over ones currently in use. One way to do this is to build lenses using fluid materials. 5NASA has been carrying out experiments to see if fluids can be used to create telescope lenses in microgravity conditions. The goal is to establish a method that could be used by astronauts in space to create lenses after transporting the necessary materials. 6Much of the research centers on exploring how liquids behave in microgravity. NASA notes in a description of its experiments that all liquids contain a force that holds them together at their surface. This force is called surface tension. 7On Earth, surface tension can keep very small drops of water together, in a perfect circle. But when the drops get bigger, the surface tension is broken and the drop's circular shape collapses. In space, the microgravity environment causes drops of water and other fluids to form perfect circles and stay that way. 8One experiment is called the Fluidic Telescope Experiment, or FLUTE. It is a joint project involving NASA's Ames Research Center in California, the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland and the Israel Institute of Technology, known as Technion. 9FLUTE's main investigator is Edward Balaban. He said in a statement the way liquids behave in microgravity can be a good fit for producing large telescopes or other optical elements. 10"In microgravity, liquids take on shapes that are useful for making lenses and mirrors," Balaban said. "So if we make them in space, they could be used to build telescopes that are dramatically bigger than was previously thought possible." 11FLUTE team members have carried out experiments on the ground and in the air to test different liquid materials. In one test, scientists combined water with chemical mixes in search of a good material to make telescope lenses. The tests simulated a weightless environment. 12Researchers involved in the experiments said they were able to easily create lenses in a container. They reported that the resulting lenses had surface qualities similar to, or even better than, lenses produced with costly equipment. 13In December, the FLUTE team carried out experiments on two zero gravity airplane flights. Such flights involve an airplane climbing and falling at different altitudes in an effort to produce brief microgravity conditions. The team had 50 chances to reach 15 to 20 second periods of microgravity for testing. 14Moran Bercovici, a professor of Mechanical Engineering at Technion, helped lead the experiments. He said the team used pumps to push different oil materials into a circular frame. In a few seconds, Bercovici said, "we were able to create a free-standing liquid lens - until the plane lifted upwards again and gravity kicked in and the oils oozed out." 15The experiment produced hardened lenses. Bercovici and his team plan to complete more experiments in the coming months to test how different fluids keep their shape in microgravity. 16One FLUTE project experiment will be carried out aboard the International Space Station (ISS). It is to be completed by private astronaut Eytan Stibbe, the second Israeli to go to space. He launched to the ISS on April 8, along with three other private astronauts. 17Stibbe will attempt to use polymer material, like in the Technion laboratory experiment, to create lenses in full microgravity. The lenses will then be transported back to Earth for close examination. 18Balaban said: "If our (ISS) experiment is successful, it will be the first time an optical component is made in space. It feels a bit like making history." 19I'm Caty Weaver. And I'm Bryan Lynn. 20Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from NASA, the Ramon Foundation and Axiom Space. 21We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 22__________________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24lens - n. a piece of equipment, made of glass or plastic, with a curved surface that is used to make images larger or cleaner 25optical - adj. relating to light or the ability to see 26mirror - n. a piece of glass with a shiny metallic material on one side that produces an image of anything that is in front of it 27dramatic - adj. very sudden or noticeable 28previous - adj. existing or happening before something else 29simulate - v. to do or make something that looks real, but is not 30ooze - v. to come out of something 31component - n. one of the parts of something, especially a machine